Step On Step

Stepney_„Žs signature _„ñbaroque soul_„ sound is known to many as it_„Žs heard in his prismatic orchestral arrangements for Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton, Howlin Wolf, Terry Callier, Earth, Wind and Fire, and many more. His sound has been used by countless samplers in the hip-hop world including Kanye West, The Fugees, and MF Doom. But in comparison to the post-mortem renown of his sound, or the artists he supported while he was alive, Stepney is a greatly underappreciated figure_„_ a genius relegated to the shadows.

Step on Step is Stepney_„Žs eponymous debut album, featuring 23 bare-bones, demo-style home recordings, most of which are Stepney originals that were never again recorded by him or any other artist. Highlights from those original works include _„ñDenim Groove,_„ which hears Stepney on piano and congas alongside his first instrument (the vibraphone), and _„ñLook B4U Leap,_„ one of several kinetic lo-fi dance numbers that feature Stepney having fun with an early-gen Moog synthesizer. It also features prototypical, seedling-style demos of Stepney compositions for Earth, Wind and Fire, including _„ñThat_„Žs The Way of The World,_„ _„ñImagination,_„ and _„ñOn Your Face,_„ as well as the original version of _„ñBlack Gold,_„ which would eventually be recorded by Rotary Connection (as _„ñI Am The Black Gold of The Sun_„).