Step on Step
by Charles Stepney
jiristepan
jiristepan
Fantastic music that should have come out sometime in the seventies, but has not aged at all, rather it illuminates and underlines contexts and meanings.
Sarah
Sarah
Is it just me or does the Earth Wind & Fire demo make you cry every time oh it's just me okay
Favorite track: That's The Way Of The World.
Patrick Ganley
ah!gnomes
matty_johnson
chicagorilla
Steve Reidell
gshoknyc
engei.
jirksen
mattsz
tschmid88
jafal
WheelsHaveEyes
la8nitesun
Paul Suwan
Daniel Bryan Nava
neutrinokun
Layne Lebahn
Dubpreciation
Ricardo Paris
natsume
Tom
TwoLazyEyes
lenbester
Neal
Solenodon
Ekendall
The Vile Violater
kurnat86
Nicholas Lucci
jhilax
mimi kawa
Hip Hops
Tomin
Dirk Damaschun
bovy_sculpture
mprsnd
ohjoe
Jim W
Bill Karnation
Ed Webb
AJ.
viperskimwild
p9wood
bmcbcmb
brian1green
Ma'at Moorish
Myriagon
Cameron Ballinger
Buddy Peace
janadam
monkeyp
chrstvrs
Jamie Tregurtha
Psplat
bender23
John Priest
Benjamin Endres
battleapple
cbull16
Pär
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Black Gold
00:00
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02:56
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
IARC0055 - Digital Album - any format you like including hi-res lossless audioPurchasable with gift cardDownload available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.$11 USD or more
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Record/Vinyl + Digital AlbumTwo *limited edition* Certified Gold color vinyl LPs inside a heavyweight reverse-board gatefold jacket, with IARC obi strip and dome-patterned inner-sleeves.
*Ships from US, UK, & EU*
Orders shipping from US are pressed by Smashed Plastic in Chicago with lacquers cut by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Sevice; orders shipping from EU/UK are pressed by Pallas in Germany with lacquers cut by Daniel Krieger at SST.
Includes unlimited streaming of Step on Step via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.ships out within 7 daysedition of 555Purchasable with gift card$35 USD or more
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Record/Vinyl + Digital AlbumTwo Classic Black vinyl LPs inside a heavyweight reverse-board gatefold jacket, with IARC obi strip and dome-patterned inner-sleeves.
*Ships from US & UK. Sold out in the EU*
Orders shipping from US are pressed by Smashed Plastic in Chicago with lacquers cut by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Sevice; orders shipping from EU/UK are pressed by Pallas in Germany with lacquers cut by Daniel Krieger at SST.
Includes unlimited streaming of Step on Step via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.ships out within 7 daysPurchasable with gift card$30 USD or more
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumShiny compact disk in a deluxe 6-panel digipack.
*Ships from US, UK, & EU*
Includes unlimited streaming of Step on Step via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.ships out within 7 daysPurchasable with gift card$15 USD or more
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IARC0055 Limited Edition Cassette
Cassette + Digital Album*Ships from US Only*
Includes unlimited streaming of Step on Step via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.Sold Out
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IARC0055 Test Pressing
Record/Vinyl + Digital AlbumOriginal 2xLP Test Pressing. First pressing.
*Ships from Chicago. All sales final*
Includes unlimited streaming of Step on Step via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.Sold Out
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1. |
Roll Tape
00:19
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2. |
Gimme Some Sugar
02:33
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3. |
Daddy's Diddies
02:00
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4. |
Gotta Dig It To Dig It
03:31
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5. |
No Credit For This
03:29
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6. |
Roadtrip
05:18
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7. |
On Your Face
02:39
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9. |
Imagination
05:52
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10. |
In The Basement
05:12
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11. |
Business
01:24
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12. |
Look B4U Leap
05:58
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13. |
Around The House
04:14
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14. |
Funky Sci Fi
04:10
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15. |
Mini Mugg
02:26
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16. |
Chicago Independent
01:31
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17. |
Surround Stereo
00:46
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18. |
Black Gold
02:56
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19. |
Denim Groove
04:13
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20. |
Notes From Dad
04:40
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21. |
Rubie & Charles
04:42
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22. |
Greatness
01:29
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23. |
Step on Step
04:02
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about
International Anthem is proud to present 'Step on Step', a double LP collection of home recordings marking the de-facto eponymous debut album by enigmatic producer, arranger, and composer Charles Stepney (1931-1976). The music that makes up Step on Step was created by Stepney alone, in the basement of his home on the Southside of Chicago, sometime in the late 1960s and early 1970s, before his untimely death in 1976.
A Chicago born and bred arranger, producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Stepney is known for his work with Earth, Wind & Fire, Deniece Williams, and Ramsey Lewis, and as a staff producer for Chess Records in the 1960s, where he was an essential creative force behind seminal recordings by Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton, Marlena Shaw, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Terry Callier, The Dells, The Emotions, and many more. In the decades since his passing, the presence of his name in liner notes and on vinyl labels has become a seal of quality for record collectors, music historians, and aficionados, while his sound has been used by countless samplers in the hip-hop world including Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, The Fugees, MF Doom, and Madlib. But in comparison to the post-mortem renown of his sound, or the music he created and the artists he supported while he was alive, Stepney is a greatly underappreciated figure… a genius relegated to the shadows.
One of the signature elements of his “baroque soul” sound is the epic, expansive, orchestral expression of his horn and string arrangements (in many cases brought to life by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), as heard on Minnie Riperton’s “Les Fleurs,” or Marlena Shaw’s “California Soul,” or Terry Callier’s “What Color Is Love.” Hence making it even more special that his de-facto debut LP Step on Step, which sees its first wide release nearly five decades after his death, is a collection of stripped-down 4-track tape recordings featuring Stepney, alone, performing all instruments with minimal means. It is, as said by Chicago culture historian (and author of Step on Step liner notes) Ayana Contreras, “the uncut funk,” an unprecedented depiction of an imbued composer imagining and conceiving music (some of which would eventually become massive studio productions) in its primal state.
Step on Step features 23 tracks, most of which are original compositions by Stepney that were never again recorded by him or any other artist. It also features prototypical, seedling-style demos of Stepney compositions for Earth, Wind & Fire, including “That’s The Way of The World,” “Imagination,” and “On Your Face,” as well as the original version of “Black Gold,” which would eventually be recorded by Rotary Connection (as “I Am The Black Gold of The Sun,” with lyrics by Richard Rudolph). And in addition to the wordless croons of Stepney original and early single “Daddy’s Diddies,” Stepney’s actual... more
A Chicago born and bred arranger, producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Stepney is known for his work with Earth, Wind & Fire, Deniece Williams, and Ramsey Lewis, and as a staff producer for Chess Records in the 1960s, where he was an essential creative force behind seminal recordings by Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton, Marlena Shaw, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Terry Callier, The Dells, The Emotions, and many more. In the decades since his passing, the presence of his name in liner notes and on vinyl labels has become a seal of quality for record collectors, music historians, and aficionados, while his sound has been used by countless samplers in the hip-hop world including Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, The Fugees, MF Doom, and Madlib. But in comparison to the post-mortem renown of his sound, or the music he created and the artists he supported while he was alive, Stepney is a greatly underappreciated figure… a genius relegated to the shadows.
One of the signature elements of his “baroque soul” sound is the epic, expansive, orchestral expression of his horn and string arrangements (in many cases brought to life by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), as heard on Minnie Riperton’s “Les Fleurs,” or Marlena Shaw’s “California Soul,” or Terry Callier’s “What Color Is Love.” Hence making it even more special that his de-facto debut LP Step on Step, which sees its first wide release nearly five decades after his death, is a collection of stripped-down 4-track tape recordings featuring Stepney, alone, performing all instruments with minimal means. It is, as said by Chicago culture historian (and author of Step on Step liner notes) Ayana Contreras, “the uncut funk,” an unprecedented depiction of an imbued composer imagining and conceiving music (some of which would eventually become massive studio productions) in its primal state.
Step on Step features 23 tracks, most of which are original compositions by Stepney that were never again recorded by him or any other artist. It also features prototypical, seedling-style demos of Stepney compositions for Earth, Wind & Fire, including “That’s The Way of The World,” “Imagination,” and “On Your Face,” as well as the original version of “Black Gold,” which would eventually be recorded by Rotary Connection (as “I Am The Black Gold of The Sun,” with lyrics by Richard Rudolph). And in addition to the wordless croons of Stepney original and early single “Daddy’s Diddies,” Stepney’s actual... more
credits
released September 9, 2022
All instruments performed & recorded by Charles Stepney.
Produced & Narrated by Eibur, Charlene, and Chanté Stepney.
Edited & Sequenced by Scott McNiece.
Additional Recording, Treatment & Mixing by Dave Vettraino.
Mastered by David Allen.
Photos by Rubie Stepney.
Liner Notes by Ayana Contreras.
Design & Layout by Craig Hansen.
All instruments performed & recorded by Charles Stepney.
Produced & Narrated by Eibur, Charlene, and Chanté Stepney.
Edited & Sequenced by Scott McNiece.
Additional Recording, Treatment & Mixing by Dave Vettraino.
Mastered by David Allen.
Photos by Rubie Stepney.
Liner Notes by Ayana Contreras.
Design & Layout by Craig Hansen.
license
all rights reserved
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about
International Anthem Chicago, Illinois
International Anthem is a Chicago-born recording company that produces and promotes progressive
media.
Founded in 2014, the IARC label has grown to embody a global community of like-minded artists, musicians, and cultural workers dedicated to craft as a means of discovering truth and celebrating humanity.
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discography
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Mar 2025 -
Mar 2025 -
Mar 2025 -
Mar 2025
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