Episode Two

"Alchemy
Turns the swan into a
Salamander abruptly
She feasts on
Heat
And lives in flames
Blood-Red in color
Nourished by the glowing embers
Those who bow to her rule
(Like the Pelican
Who gives all to his young)
Will see the Salamander
Develop their
Strength and Virtue
But she only appears to those who
Understand 7 stars
She opens up
The 7 gates for us"

- 'Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon XII'
"L.C.S." (an unknown philosopher and adept)
Publisher, John Frederick Krebs, Maintz 1752.


Guitar Diaries, Summer 2012 - Winter 2013

Steve Baker - E-bow, guitars & looping

A Steam Abacus production

© Steve Baker 2013

(Full CD packaging artwork included)


What are ‘Guitar Diaries’?

“In my home studio I have a guitar recording set up that I can power up at any time with just the throw of a couple of switches. I don’t even need to start up the computer as I have a minidisc recorder ready to record immediately. I can plug in a guitar and be recording an idea within, literally, seconds. I use a ‘looping’ set up that allows me to layer guitar tracks on top of each other on the fly (based around a Line6 DL4 looping pedal, occasionally I will also employ a small Zoom ST-224 sample player for beats). The emphasis is on spontaneity and creativity. Every 6–12 months I will compile the most interesting of these ‘sketches’ using the computer – the tracks will be edited, cleaned up, mastered and ordered into an archive CD with accompanying artwork. These are my Guitar Diaries.”
- Steve Baker