Dylan Henner's 'In C' Opens Out A Minimalist Masterpiece

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Left-field composer Dylan Henner has shared his take on minimalist cornerstone ‘In C’.

One of the most important pieces of music coughed up by the 20th century, ‘In C’ stands as one of Terry Riley’s true masterpieces.

In the hands of Dylan Henner this oft-tackled piece takes on a new light, with the left-field artist bringing his own personality and passions to the table.

Part of new album project ‘Great Prairie Plains: Studies Of American Minimalism’ (out tomorrow, in fact) it’s a hypnotic, 25 minute excursion into audio possibility.

He comments…

‘In C’ is a piece of music I own in many forms. I have the original, a Bang On A Can take, an Acid Mothers Temple, Adrian Utley’s, and the African Express arrangement curated by Damon Albarn. Each one is unique and special. It’s a really unique and special piece.

I feel really honoured to contribute my own version and make up a new (and very small) part of its living, ongoing history. I tried to balance my boundless admiration for the piece with a personalised arrangement. It would be pointless to copy Riley’s original – it’s too good – but I can at least try to do well by it.

It’s not until the end of the piece that my arrangement begins to take a different shape to Su’s. Once I started playing along on the piano, the rest fell into place. 

A fine way to end the working day – tune in below.

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