Box Set Collects Steve Reich's ECM Albums

Steve Reich came to ECM in 1978 with the recording of Music for 18 Musicians completed. The piece premiered in March 1976 at New York Town Hall and was subsequently recorded in Paris by Deutsche Grammophon technicians.

Eicher released the recording in April 1978, and the album sold one hundred thousand copies in less than a year. Eicher's first job after leaving the Berlin Philharmonic was as a recording assistant at Deutsche Grammophon. Eicher did not make multi-album deals, preparing a new contract for each released work. Tehilim was the third album Reich and Eicher released together.

The phasing technique that shaped early works such as Piano Phase and Reed Phase was inspired by the effect of tape loops falling out of synchronization.