And speaking of 'other mallet-based pieces', I just picked up a copy
of Reich's Octet/Music For A Large Ensemble/Violin Phase (thanks
Brian!) the other day and my first impressions are that it is quite good
(of course!). Music For A Large Ensemble is the most 18-like
due to it's similar instrumentation and structure. There are some
30+ players on that piece and the result is more dense and less 'minimalist'
sounding than some parts of 18. Alas, it is only a paltry
15:28 in length. Octet, according to Reich, is an evolution
of the MFALE and 18 song structures, but with it's more traditional
approach to instrumentation, it lacks a certain groove. Violin
Phase is one of Reich's many phase pieces.