How STLNDRMS Used Videos to Test Out Songs and Get Feedback for His 'Veggie tacos' Album
A look at the Atlanta producer's savvy use of videos across platforms.
In 2001 Atlanda-based producer and Controllerise co-founder STLNDRMS made his first beat while stationed in Italy as a United States Air Force senior airman and cable/satellite technician.
In 2006 he and his family relocated to Tokyo, Japan, where he recorded tracks for the video games MadWorld and the sequel Anarchy Reigns as an MC named Ox.
Though the good times in Tokyo seemed destined to last, a global recession coupled with an outrageous cost of living created an unsustainable situation. He and his family went back to the states in 2009 and he took a five-year hiatus from producing from 2011-2016.
As STLNDRMS eased his way back into beatmaking four years ago, he first shot videos of his productions and texted them to friends. This eventually led to the Facebook live video series Beats+Chill and a significant presence on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
When he started to work on his April 2017 album Veggie tacos, STLNDRMS realized he could upload performances of the songs on the album to test out tracks and get audience feedback.
This kind of input proved very beneficial. “I’ve been able to find out what people like and don’t like in real time vs. trying to figure out after a release, ‘Was that a good record or bad record?’” he told me in a 2017 Micro-Chop interview.
During the recording of Veggie tacos he continued to upload full-length videos of compositions like “Raw” while sticking to a set formula.
Though his production setup has evolved in the three years since, this approach worked well for the debut effort in the Veggie tacos series.
It all started with the chops and drums. “I chop directly into the MPC,” STLNDRMS told Micro-Chop. “My drums are in there too. I really got one drum kit, and it has 15 drums in it, and that’s it. Half of those 15 are just variations of the same one.”
The Akai MPC remained integral to his process throughout the creation of each song. “I construct it in the MPC, then it comes out through the mixer and I can EQ it and put some more FX on it,” he told Micro-Chop. “I got eight outputs, I use four. I use two for the sample and two for the drums. It’s the simplest stuff ever.”
Though he used a bit of EQ and effects for his instrumentals, he tried not to overdo it. “It’s all on a board, it’s within each individual channel. I’m not using plugins or anything fancy,” he told Micro-Chop. “It’s an old school hundred dollar or two hundred dollar mixer.”
STLNDRMS also employed a Roland SP-404 for stutters and dropouts and a 303 for the vinyl sim FX. “The 303 smashes everything ‘cause I use the world-famous vinyl sim compressor,” he told Micro-Chop.
Throughout the making of Veggie tacos, a beat wasn’t considered done until it traveled through the 303 to get the sound just right. “I don’t care what I’m doing, it has to go through the 303 before I’m finished,” he told Micro-Chop. “After that it goes straight to the camera or straight to the computer depending on what I’m doing, then out into the world.”
Although STLNDRMS has since moved on to sequels like Veggie tacos 2, Veggie tacos III, and other projects, sharing videos of his work remains an important part of his creative process.
