Following the intense activity (a track per day) of the DAS album 'X' (there was even a session on the final Saturday morning of our Easter break, when we thought the album was already finished), 'XI' follows on from where 'X' left off; 'Macbeth'/'Merlin's Funeral' is a cauldron of sound inspired by the three witches & the Third Ear Band, & was recorded during the same sessions, using the same instruments as 'X'. (Moogs Prodigy & Rogue, Pro-1 & Casiotone 202)

Over the course of the rest of 1984 we recorded sporadically, probably too busy socialising & drinking XB at the Middle House. 'Grass' was recorded downstairs in the music rooms, where Duncan's mother taught piano, & where we could put two pianos & various percussion instruments through their paces a little. The opening & closing pieces 'A long way to go' & 'T.E.' were recorded with live radio signals as part of the mix, to create a one-off sonic picture.

For some of these pieces, only the Moog Prodigy was available, & we were back to doing sequencing by hand. The Pro-1 & Casio heard on 'X' had been borrowed from James Barclay, who had since disappeared somewhere else into the depths of Sheffield Poly along with his gear. But Duncan had also acquired a decent bass at last, a smaller Casio (which was immediately subjected to some circuit-bending), & the Moog Rogue from the 'X' sessions had made a permanent return. These latter keyboards worked together to produce the filtered arpeggios of 'Apostrophe' & 'Better Things', while the bass & the Casio also feature on 'Adjective'.