Tactical Thinking (Interview)

Tactical Thinking is the name, but more importantly it’s the method.

When approximately four-ninths of Tactical Thinking came to my home, to have a chat and help me get my head around this huge spaghetti-bowl of influences and styles they have managed to cement into their massive crew, a few questions were raised within minutes of them getting in the door. My, isn’t that an impressive comic book collection? Why yes, thanks for noticing. May we skin up a fatty in your dining room? No, you may not, I’m sorry to say.

Just how many of you guys are there? Just what the hell are you up to?

Chances are, if you’ve been to any gig in the last five years you will have seen at least one member of Tactical Thinking playing at venues, festivals and club nights such as Glastonbury, Shambala, Battle Scars, Love Music Hate Racism, Speakers Corner, Drop Beats Not Bombs, The Rhythm Factory, The Medicine Bar, Music Box, Afro Dizzy Scratch, Heducation, Louis Den Beat Battles and a truckload more. Reviews and articles about Tactical Thinking members in publications such as the Guardian, Hip Hop Connection, Britishhiphop.co.uk, Breakin’ Point Magazine, Rago magazine and many more have been nothing but positive. Hip Hop Connection’s DJ279 called them “a war cry for UK Hip Hop”. October’s edition of up and coming British music magazine Q featured their album ‘Too Broke To Go Solo’ along with a favourable review, and the good noise just keeps coming.

Essentially borne of frustration, Tactical Thinking was formed as a result of the individual members finding the success they each craved wasn’t coming to them as quickly as it might if they banded together into the powerhouse crew they are today. The team now consists of super producer Naïve along with beat making maestro and MC Mr. Dick, accompanied by the vocal talents of Kid Genius, Deadline, Assa, Jay Madden AKA Homicide, Jimmy Raygun, Mic Dyson and Derogatory (who also masquerades as a DJ). They also have the occasional helping hand from RLD’s own L.Lyracist and B.V.A. Each member offers a unique approach to tearing a track into pieces so small they are barely visible to the human eye. Derogatory (aka Stoopid iLL), Homicide and Mr. Dick have been working together for four years under the moniker Surreal Knowledge, since meeting at Preston College and bonding over their love of Hip Hop that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

“We were all solo artists that knew each other”, says Assa, “I was doing some solo stuff, a couple of the other guys were doing their thing, Surreal Knowledge were doing their thing – “

“We still are!” pipes up Derogatory.

“The initial idea behind Tactical Thinking was that it be a label”, offers Homicide, “Somewhere where we could carry our individual releases; Tactical Thinking Records. We ended up collaborating on the album, called it ‘Too Broke To Go Solo’ for obvious reasons…”

“The hope is to recoup a tiny bit of what we spent making the album”, continues Derogatory, “so that we can go back to the original plan and bring our own things out.”

There are six albums waiting in the wings, ready to follow TBTGS in whatever order pleases the group and in whichever way makes most sense and can best capitalize on the impact of the current release. If things go according to plan, ‘Too Broke…’ will pave the way (and pay the bills) for years’ worth of material being released by the TT in countless line-up combinations, dictated only by what mood might take any one, or five, or eight of them at the time.

It may or may not work out that way. For all the freedom enjoyed by today’s Hip Hop artists to switch from crew to crew, a guest spot here, a solo piece there, Tactical Thinking, the nine-piece goliath of cutting edge racket that they are when they’re all together, are getting seriously great reviews. I can’t help wondering, for all their enthusiasm about the days coming when they can again freely bust their own individual nuts with that force that only abstinence can build, for now at least, they might be better off riding this wave they’ve created and seeing where it takes them. Their first single “Superstars” was awarded 5 out of 5 by DJ Mag and given Single of the Month.

“We started this to promote solo artists,” enthuses Assa, “but we’ve had such good feedback from the release, I think there’ll be a second Tactical Thinking album.” Let’s face it; to ignore the success of this experiment would be to do a disservice to their name.

Having met with them, listened to their album and loved the almost accidental nature of their success story so far, I was looking forward to seeing Tactical Thinking live. When they were gracious enough to agree to kick off our first “Fresh Meat” night at Night n Day on October 29th, I was only hoping they didn’t feel too out of place on a bill otherwise full of indie guitar bands. Where a lesser, less confident crew might have felt that way, Tactical Thinking turned that worry on its head and absolutely robbed the night from under the feet of everyone else playing. The first Fresh Meat night was 100% owned by TT’s machine gun rap, Stanley sharp DJ’ing and the incredible feeling of wanting to bang your head at the tunes, laugh it off at the costumes and pack it full of the lyrics. The album is excellent, the method is watertight, but Tactical Thinking Live will blow you to pieces. They own the stage like one big multi-headed lunatic rap octopus and they bounce off each other like only well-honed partners in exactly the same crime could. Those who aren’t rapping their section are mouthing along to every word of the guy who is. They’re offensive without being aggressive, hilarious without ever falling into parody and most importantly, the beats will not let you sit the fuck down.

Enjoy the album. Watch their progress with interest. But for god’s sake do yourself a favour and make sure you see them live. Before they go their separate ways…

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