I always start with the bassdrum & the subbase, and i always drink alot of coffee to ;)
I start off by taking a coffee, then i putting out the bassdrum & the bass, i put them in a subchannel and then i compress it. Actually i like to use the L2 Ultramaximizer for this.
Sometimes I just take a loop that i have done the day before (a loop without bass & kick of course) and put it together with the bassdrum & the bass just to get a "ground loop" to stand on. Then, i drink coffee, later i program the rest.
I often use self-made loops just so that i can keep on going with the track.
Often i take them away later on.

And Mark; it seems to me that we love the same gear! Haha.
Sehnheiser hd25 s & Mackie mixing console. If i remember correctly, dont you have the 1604 Vlz? That would be the difference then, cause i´ve got a 24:4 istead.