Steve Reich, born in New York in 1936, is set to turn 90 on October 3, with celebrations already in motion. His new composition, In All Your Ways, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival last month, and he recently performed a late-night concert at the BBC Proms. Over the past six decades, Reich has created music that has profoundly influenced the soundscapes of modern life across Europe and North America. The New Yorker once called him "the most original musical thinker of our time." Alongside contemporaries like Philip Glass, Terry Riley, and La Monte Young, Reich was a pioneer of musical minimalism—a style defined by repetitive patterns, steady rhythms, and simple harmonies. This style has since become foundational in contemporary classical music, electronic dance, and film scores. Reich, however, resists being labeled a minimalist. He describes the movement as an intuitive pursuit of the sounds he loved, including works by Stravinsky, Bartók, and jazz legends, as well as influences from African and Indian music. His compositions have been sampled by artists like David Bowie and the Orb, and his piece Electric Counterpoint has been performed by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. Two decades ago, BBC Radio 1 celebrated Reich’s 70th birthday with a remix competition, showing the lasting influence of his work. Currently, Reich is recovering at home near New York City after a recent fall that broke a rib and injured his wrist. While the rib appears to be healing, the wrist is a challenge since he composes on the piano. He has "a few little sketches" for a new project but is frustrated by the slowdown. Despite this, he is grateful for the attention his 90th birthday has received. Reich looks much younger than his 89 years and joins video calls in his signature black baseball cap, speaking in rapid-fire New York style. He is expansive in his thoughts on music and listening, often speaking in long, enthusiastic paragraphs. Reich rarely listens to his older works but recently revisited his 1971 percussion piece Drumming, recalling its recording in a pop studio in Hanover. He remains passionate about explaining how his 1976 piece Music for 18 Musicians works, describing the contrast between the rhythmic "chugging" of mallet instruments and the "human breath" of clarinets. Reich has long rejected the complex, self-conscious style of mid-20th-century modernism, instead insisting that his music should be accessible and engaging to others. He is still an energetic and insightful thinker, often delivering spontaneous lectures on music history and even singing 12th-century polyphony. He admires a wide range of musicians, from modernist composer Pierre Boulez to younger composers like Nico Muhly and Caroline Shaw. He also quotes his favorite poet, William Carlos Williams, and recalls how hearing Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring as a teenager changed his life, sparking his decision to become a composer.