1972
In his January 25, 1972, article for the Village Voice, composer and critic Tom Johnson profiles John Cage on the cusp of his 60th birthday, positioning Max Neuhaus as a key figure in the "Cagian" lineage of sound exploration.
Johnson identifies Neuhaus as the primary expert responsible for the complex electronic infrastructures required for Cage’s large-scale environmental works, such as Mureau.
From Performer to Creator: The article notes that while Neuhaus began as a virtuoso percussionist (famous for his Stockhausen interpretations), he had evolved into an artist who "composes" environments.
Johnson uses the Cage-Neuhaus relationship to illustrate a broader shift in the New York avant-garde: moving away from written scores toward live electronic systems and the "found sounds" of the urban landscape.
This piece appeared just as Neuhaus was premiering his Water Whistle series, and Johnson highlights the shared philosophy between the two artists regarding the de-centralization of the listener—where the audience's movement through space determines the "composition.