Richard has never directly stated any influences for his signature computer-controlled Disklavier piano style but some commonly posed possibilities are Eric Satie, Claude Debussy, and John Cage. Eric Satie was a french composer who embraced the Avant Garde with his simplistic yet concise style and he is credited as a major influence in the creation of ambient music. John Cage was an American composer and music theorist who made groundbreaking developments in electroacoustic music. Claude Debussy was a prominent French composer known for his broadly experimental approach, he is often seen as the first impressionist composer.