Sonny, was born Willie Horton in Memphis TN. A fact that can be traced through his love for music today. Introduced to music through the sounds of Soul greats such as Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Stevie Wonder Gil Scott ect. That surrounded on Sundays yet poignantly offset  by the rebel songs of NWA and Ice Cube his older sibling played in the absence of his parent the love of the lyrical never evaded him, whether the prose of Edgar Alan Poe or the similarly dark ballads of Tupac  the rhyming word made a home in this you mans psyche.



It wasn’t until the the early 2002 when Sonny then known by the Emcee alias Conceit was drafted into to ranks of the Legendary rap super group Seventh Science, who past members include Luck One Conscious, IllA j. Mac Smiff,  that his prowess for lyrical devices was fully embraced on then debut album title “ Live from the Underground”

The groups run was short however, with the loss of two members one hospitalized the other jailed the rising group dwindle ans parted ways. Sonny remained in close contact with life long friend Mac Smiff, recording several unreleased tracks under the group name Known Perfection. It was during this process that turned Sonny on to the production end of the music scene, drawing  almost innately from a past deep rooted in soul music his transition from recording artist to producer was seamless.

It wasn’t until a chance encounter with recording and produce Terminill that the seeds of what is now the production power house Northe’n Lights where planted. The two  soon after from the production duo and know are in full motion to drop the most innovative Compilation in recent memory “ Cutem or Payem “ featuring the crème de la crème of Portland musicians, Braille, Luck One, Kenny Mack, T soprano to name a few. Scheduled to drop the end September this will be like following the white rabbit an experience to remember. 

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), Cause (NYC), Luck-One Conscious, Thrilla Music Group artists 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 

Artist Work:    
Cool Nutz
Maniac Lok
Kenny Mack
Arjay
Amsterdam
Mistah Fab
Abolish
Braille
Onry Ozzborn | Oldominion
Syndel | Siren’s Echo
Chris Ray
Karim | Boom Bap Project
Pricy
Tha Committee
Bosko
April Cason
Hot In Pursuit
The Kid Espi
Calmplecks
John Public
Mila Gordana
Iame | Oldominion
Shaolin
Moodswing
Ragen Fykes

For studio booking:
Myspace.com/terminill

To hear new sounds from Northe’n Lights:
soundcloud.com/terminill