Celebrating minimalist composer Steve Reich

Minimalist composer Steve Reich’s 90th birthday serves as the focal point for a career retrospective, tracing his evolution from early tape manipulation experiments like *It's Gonna Rain* to his innovative use of speech patterns as musical foundations in *Different Trains*. Reich explains how his study of African drumming and Balinese gamelan informed his rhythmic structures, moving away from traditional Western narrative arcs toward repetitive, process-driven compositions. The episode also features a review of the documentary *NAZA*, which exposes the mechanics of remote surveillance and airstrikes in Gaza. Through anonymous testimonies from Israeli intelligence personnel, the film critiques the use of AI-driven targeting systems and the high civilian death toll permitted under "collateral damage" policies, offering a stark examination of the human cost of modern warfare.