The composer Steve Reich is an American minimalist composer who has been active since the 1960s. His works are characterized by their use of repetition and gradual transformation. He is best known for his pioneering work in phasing, which involves gradually shifting two or more musical parts out of phase with each other. His most famous work is 'Music for 18 Musicians'. The term REICH is a five letter word associated with Steve Reich, and it is his last name.