Brooklyn Daddy Type Blake Leyh is a composer and sound designer by profession. During the sweltering days of last summer, after all the nursery setup, the hospital routes, and the breathing exercises were ready--and with the kid taking her own sweet time--he composed a few ambient and guitar tracks inspired by their daughter's sonogram image. The results, Waiting for Aiko, can be found on Leyh's site.
"When I listen to that music now," Leyh writes, "it seems like a quaint snapshot of pre-parenthood naivetÈ. Calm, ethereal landscapes of sound stretching out to the horizon? As I now know, parenthood would be more appropriately evoked by screeching Heavy Metal, or perhaps John Cage's Fontana Mix."
As for Aiko's own reaction to her inspired songs, "She prefers music with a strong beat and lively female vocals. Missy Elliot, Zap Mama, Rokia Traore, and The New Age Steppers, thanks very much - none of that Ambient rubbish." The first time he played it for her, he continued, "She listened, raised an eyebrow, gave me a sly sideways look and said, gently, 'aaahh gah da-da-da-da.' Probably one of the better reviews I'll ever receive."
