Tripecac - Baby Steps

This was the first song I started on the Triton, back in May 2000. I was trying to learn its sequencer, and wanted to begin with a simple song. I attempted to give this a post-punk feel (hence the title), but it ended up being more like jazz/funk with a touch of rock (the keyboard guitars). I touched it up a lot in 2003, fleshing out the groove and adding the solos.

My next test on the Triton was to see if could make something trancy. The result was this really weird, moody improv. I included it on early versions of In the Margins, but I felt it was a little too "out there" for the final version. In 2003 I edited it slightly, removing some of the louder, booming bass segments and adding fades.

This was originally a gentle "acoustic guitar" ditty that reminded me (vaguely) of the Chameleons. When I was finishing it in 2003, I added the flute solo, which switches from a major key to a minor/blues key. Meanwhile, I had the drums migrate from straight 4/4 into a "swing" beat. At the end of the song, the opening guitar melody returns, but is now swinging to match the new beat. This was my idea of a musical pun: the melody adapts to fit the background, like a chameleon. Get it?

This is a mellow, swinging, organ-based jazz groove, with delayed, triplet-y percussion added later. The recording has some audio glitches; I was having computer problems at the time. Some day I might re-record it; if someone asks me, I'll do it.

This starts trancy and electronic, digresses into cheesy new age piano/synth, and then returns to electronica. The end result is, well, Ugh!!! Some of the drum parts are almost cool, but on the whole this is a sluggish shambles. Next!

I wanted to try the George Benson thing again, as I had done on "Gray Horizon". I found a decent jazz guitar patch, added some organ and bass, but then I blew it by adding sax and non-jazzy drums. There's some nice harmonies, but overall the song sounds like a chaotic remake of "Sungreen" (by IPECAC).

One of my first Triton songs was called "Hard Test". I was trying to emulate hard rock. At some point, I accidentally directed all the MIDI data to the same channel (the drums). The resulting drum pattern actually sounded pretty cool, much "richer" than the actual drum track.

I decided to record two versions of the song. The "real" version was called "Hard Test". The one with all the MIDI data assigned to the drums was "Hard Test Drums". I uploaded them to my website, but didn't bother to put them on In the Margins.

In 2003, when I was creating Baby Steps, I got the idea of mixing together the two "Hard Test" audio files. This song is the result. IMO, it's an improvement over the originals. I also learned something while working on it: that arranging (non-looping) audio is a lot harder than editing MIDI.

This is moody, electronic-sounding trance with relentless toms. I like the snare. The rest is merely okay. I think that's why I called it "Blaa".

I was trying to do post-punk again, but this ended up sounding like heavy metal. The guitars sound fake and the bass drum sounds like a drum machine; what was I thinking??? Thankfully, it's very short.

Originally this just had toms, kick, snare, and the guitar arpeggios. I added the other parts in 2003. It's super-electronic sounding now, but I like it! It has a moody, relentless energy, grooving drums, and some nice tonal changes. I wish I had extended it another couple minutes; it leaves me wanting more.

Ok, this is a weird one. It was my latest attempt to make post-punk (PP), but ended up a chaotic free-for-all. I'm glad I messed up, because I love the first couple minutes of it, when the drums and [fake] guitars are going wild. Gradually, the energy level decreases, until finally all that's left are strings that play in long, slow pulses. In a way, the song represents a person's lifespan, from chaotic youth through orderly old age.

This is a short, simple bluesy improv with an abrupt ending. I guess I didn't like it that much, according to the title. It's okay.

This is jazzy, piano-based funk/reggae; in other words, standard Tripecac fare. Most of the solos are from 2003; I also removed some of the sloppiness. I love the energy, and wish it were longer.

Woah!!! Turn down the bass! I mixed this way too heavy; I have yet to hear a pair of speakers it doesn't buzz. It's also slow, distorted, and aimless, like a drunk hippo.

I wanted to write a "real" song, with chord changes and a verse/chorus structure. I composed the piano bit, which was gentle without being cheesy, but I didn't know how to finish it. Instead of risking screwing it up, I left the song unfinished for almost three years. In 2003 I added the other bits: melody, drums, bass, and sound effects.

It was Halloween night, 2000. I was probably a little hyper from eating candy. Instead of listening for trick-or-treaters (who would take my candy), I hid in my headphones and banged out this peppy jazz/funk. In 2003 I tightened it up a bit.

This is a huge, moody mess of fake guitars, drums, and other effect-drowned sounds. The drums are cool in parts, and some of the harmonies are nice, but overall the song reminds me of somone suffering from the flu: dizzy, conjested, and pained. Maybe that was the point; "junk" could be considered a reference to drugs a/k/a cold medicine.

This short, heavy-handed attempt at gentle new-age was an early candidate for In the Margins. I quickly got tired of it, and regard it as the worst song on the album. Listening to it feels like eating ten spoonfuls of spray cheese. Ugh!

This jazz/funk jam has some neat chords and changes. It feels a bit "flighty" at times, but has an inspiring energy. The title is a reference to my daily routine of having a bowl of cereal (usually raison bran) for breakfast.

Baby Steps winds down with this gentle, driving new age centered around a (keyboard) harp part. It felt a little too wimpy when I was finishing it, so I added the repetitive, throbbing drums at the end.

I assembled this album-ending reprise of "Hard" out of looped audio segments. It was my first attempt at audio looping. I wanted something loud and driving, something that would wake up and compel the listener to immediately put on the next CD (Baby Talk), which was the direct follow-up to Baby Steps.