Erik Hall: Simplicity, Repetition, and the Feel of the Music

On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with multi-instrumentalist and recording artist Erik Hall to talk about his evolving relationship with minimalist music. We begin with his large-ensemble interpretation of Simeon ten Holt’s Canto Ostinato, created in collaboration with Metropolis Ensemble and Sandbox Percussion following a performance at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Erik takes me inside the challenges of moving from a solitary, multitracked recording process to an ensemble filled with individual players, instincts, and senses of time. We talk about tempo, repetition, concentration, and how a piece changes when musicians must listen, respond, and move through it together.

We also trace Erik’s path from childhood classical piano lessons through jazz drumming, rock bands, touring, and record-making. That wide musical background eventually brought him back to the piano and to solo interpretations of works by Steve Reich, Simeon ten Holt, Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, and Laurie Spiegel.  Along the way, Erik explains how microphone placement and instrumentation helped him build the sonic world of Music for 18 Musicians. He also reflects on the balance between honoring a score and giving himself enough freedom to discover something personal inside it.

We close with Erik’s return to original composition, the creative discipline of working every day, and the surprising power of writing music that can stand on its own in a single performance. We also talk about his recent time playing drums with Natalie Bergman—and why, behind the kit, feel matters far more than complexity.

Key Takeaways

• Erik’s large-ensemble version of Canto Ostinato grew from his 2023 solo recording and an invitation from Andrew Cyr of Metropolis Ensemble.
• The project began with a 52-musician performance at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden before being refined into a studio recording with Metropolis Ensemble and Sandbox Percussion.
• Playing repetitive music with an ensemble requires a different kind of attention than building it alone through overdubs, especially when navigating cues, repeats, tempo, and transitions.
• Erik’s background in classical piano, percussion, jazz drumming, guitar, touring, and studio recording all informs the way he approaches minimalist music.
• While recording Music for 18 Musicians, Erik used instrumentation and microphone placement to preserve the behavior of Steve Reich’s arrangement while creating a distinct sonic identity.
• Years of working on Canto Ostinato have transformed Erik’s piano playing and reconnected him with the patient, incremental process of learning music.
• Erik is now developing original material, including music conceived for solo piano or Fender Rhodes, while also working on a film score and considering future interpretive recordings.

Music from the Episode

• Music for 18 Musicians (Pulses) - Erik Hall
• Canto Ostinato - Erik Hall
• Strumming Music - Erik Hall
• Music for a Large Ensemble - Erik Hall
• The Temple of Venus - Erik Hall

About the Podcast

The Bandwich Tapes is a podcast about music, the people who make it, and the experiences that shape their creative lives. Hosted by musician Brad Williams, each episode offers an honest, thoughtful conversation with artists, producers, engineers, and other members of the musical community.

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