It was the early, golden Rhythm and Blues sounds of En Vogue, Brandy and Boyz 2 Men along with the lyrical prowess of rappers MC Hammer, Dr. Dre, Warren G. and Snoop Dogg that became Vancouver, WA-based producer Kyle Steckley’s introduction to his paramour with hip hop. “The thing I love the most about being a producer is the ability to shape a track into anything just by changing a drum pattern or a melody. The mood of a song can totally change with the slightest variations”, he explains.
In 2002, Steckley, who goes by the booth alias Terminill, a nickname that was inspired by the idea that you’re dead without a beat, began crafting his first set of catalogued beats which, “sounded like bad Halloween music, to be honest” says Terminill. But this was an important self-education time for Steckley. These preliminary beats were inspired by Jedi Mind Tricks’ LP Violent By Design. “Jedi’s producer Stoupe used music in a way I was unfamiliar with since, at that time, I listened mostly to mainstream hip hop and was just starting to get into underground hip hop,” Terminill remembers. Using a simple laptop and singular turntable set-up, Terminill sold his hand-made beats to the artist Amsterdam to generate enough financial capitol necessary to upgrade his studio gear. In 2007, Steckley began operating his in-house recording studio and used his spare time to hone his professional mixing skills.
Currently armed with FL8, a MPD24 and a MAudio 88ES keyboard controller to lay down beats with, Protools to mix and record vocals and a turntable to sample vinyl, Steckley spends his days meeting with up and coming emcees/singers like Top Shelf, Calmplecks, April Cason, Arjay and Shaolin to assemble signature sounds for their EPs and LPs. He also continues his existing relationships with such established emcees as Cool Nutz and Braille, whose new LP titled, Audibly Enhanced Dreams which will be released later this year, features a Terminill-produced track featuring the rising soul singer Ragen Fykes. Steckley’s relationship with HipHopIsMusic’s label owner Braille began when the NW emcee participated on a Terminill beat for a project that Steckley produced for the Salem, OR hip hop group, The Wright Family.
In 2005, Steckley started Flatline Productions, a production company created to provide people with an “affordable, quality-minded studio to record,” says Terminill. “I’ve always treated all my clients equally. Everyone deserves to get their money’s worth.” In addition to the future success of Flatline, Terminill established Northe’n Lights, a team production effort made possible with Portland emcee/producer Sonny (Willie Horton), a friend who brought a different style to Steckley’s music. Together, the duo plans to release their premier collaborative effort titled, Cut ‘Em or Pay ‘Em, which will be produced by Northe’n Lights. The project will feature music from notable artists Playboy Tre (ATL), Punchline (NYC/ATL), Illmaculate, Luck-One Conscious, and Kenny Mack.
Future work includes album work with Bend, OR singer Lindsey Reightly, veteran Portland rapper Maniac Lok and highly acclaimed emcee Luck-One Conscious from the 7th Science collective.
With an arsenal of ideas, a steel work ethic and a rapidly growing artist, fan and press base, Steckley has no plans of stagnation. A talented producer with an ear for what the picky and volatile future music market holds, Terminill remains behind the mixing boards, tweaking equalizer frequency bands, maintain classic melodies and adjusting mixer faders to push the current, creative envelope, creating new reverberations that will take us into the next phase of hip hop music.
Producer Contributions & Accolades:
• Beats played on Jammin’ 107.5 FM NW Breakout Show, hosted by Cool Nutz
• Mentioned as “Promising Beatsmith” for work produced on Cool Nutz’s King Cool Nutz LP album review in the January 2008 issue of Source Magazine
• Featured on Hyphyrockstar.com
• Featured in Exotic Magazine April 2009
Artist Work:
Cool Nutz
Maniac Lok
Kenny Mack
Arjay
Amsterdam
Mistah Fab
Pigeon John
Braille
Mikey Vegaz
T Soprano
Serge Severe
Theory Hazit
Grayskul
Syndel of Oldominion
Chris Ray
Karim of Boom Bap Project
Pricy
Tha Committee
Bosko
April Cason
Hot in Pursuit
The Kid Espi
Liv Warfield
John Public
Mila Gordana
Iame of Oldominion
Shaolin
The Bams
Punchline
Vic Dastardly
and more.
Written by Sara Moskovitz
http://saramoskovitz.com
Northe'n Lights - Cut Em Or Pay Em. Video By Sebastian Jaramillo.
Produced by Cha$e Freeman.
Senor Azzad Featuring Micaela Mendez - Mi Amor (produced by Terminill)
The making of "Decisions"
Interview with Phillipdrummond
Northe'n Lights interview with www.whatshappeningpdx.com
