St James was a pioneer[citation needed] of techno pop and dance music, using Moog synthesizers, electronic effects, and tape loops.
Early projects included sound-alike promos for Los Angeles radio station KMET, an album of electronic music with a space navigation theme, and a four-song EP featuring Stacey Swain.
The Casbah attracted a variety of talent, including The Righteous Brothers keyboardist and session musician John Van Tongeren, Berlin drummer, synthesist and producer Dan Van Patten, Agent Orange, Minutemen, The Adolescents, rockabilly artists Rocky Burnette, Rip Masters, and Christian glam rockers Stryper.
After the success of Stacey Q's Better Than Heaven album, St. James sold the Casbah to members of Social Distortion and opened the new Formula 1 studio in La Habra.
F1, as the studio is known, has hosted a wide variety of acts, including Allan Holdsworth, Rusty Anderson, Los Angeles guitarist Dale Hauskins of the Swiss progressive rock band Flame Dream, The Vandals, Blink-182, Warren Fitzgerald, Josh Freese, Bleeding Through, Jon Anderson of Yes, No Doubt, and Tenacious D. St. James sold his F1 studio to Thump Records, a Lowrider magazine-financed record label, for which St. James produced many artists.
Recent clients include Kung Fu Records, The Warped Tour, The Used, Mike Ness, Warren Fitzgerald, and Jason Freese of Green Day.