Following his debut solo album “SWIFT & BOLD”, we caught up with Yorkshire producer TACTICS to discuss his time with Bad Boy Chiller Crew, dream collaborations and his favourite holiday destination.
Best known as the mastermind DJ and Producer behind bassline and rap trio Bad Boy Chiller Crew, this marks a new chapter for TACTICS as he delves into a solo journey. Having previously produced an Official Dance Chart-topping album, featuring the single “BMW” which has amassed over 48m streams on Spotify and worked with the likes of Bugzy Malone, it’s safe to say he’s no stranger to the game.
Released on 30th October via Afta Party Records, TACTICS’ debut solo album spans a range of electronic music genres that have influenced him from a young age. From UKG and breakbeat to organ and bass house, “SWIFT & BOLD” showcases the man behind the balaclava.
Hey TACTICS, thanks for taking the time to talk to us! Firstly, what is the inspiration behind your name?
So the name came about as I had quite a few things to consider.. Firstly I was quite well known within my local area as a DJ/Producer, playing locally and producing bootlegs simply just to play in sets and have always had a fond love for music.
So with my new alias starting I didn’t want to be judged for what I had done previously in music (people might have been oh look it’s Jonny). I wanted the element of surprise and [people saying] who’s that, hence why I chose in the initial stage to hide my identity.
Also I believe in the music industry you have to be quite tactical in your journey vision and path. As well as that I was in the military for a long career always doing music as a hobby, so part of my life has always been liked from a tactical point. I believe taking all these into account as well as my production skills, I thought Tactics just suited my vision.
You were able to learn the art of music production under the guidance of an industry legend; Shadow Child. How was this experience and did his influence mould your style in any way?
To be honest I already had quite an expansive knowledge of music production. I used to always learn from tutorials online and masterclasses on YouTube but what I thought I was lacking was something from the industry professionals, their outlook and their kind of secrets.
What I can say about my tutors is what they taught me, I never expected. They stopped me from simply overthinking, to have belief in myself and that there was no big secret light bulb moment. It’s just all about having a good idea and running with it. Don’t get me wrong they taught me some very good techniques and gave me a lot of guidance but I would say any massive help was just seeing them having that belief in themselves which helped me with confidence.
You’ve made countless hits and achieved a Number 1 Dance Album working with Bad Boy Chiller Crew. What are the top 3 things you’ve taken away from this part of your musical career?
1. I would simply say celebrate every moment, in context I don’t mean go wild lol. Celebrate the moment with friends and family, enjoy achievement but after that have some time alone to reflect, recalibrate so to speak and think – right let’s go again. Them moments should be used to drive you but remember to celebrate as you may never get them again.
2. I’m always learning, I’ve produced some songs in 40 minutes and I’ve produced some over months, some just happen at different paces. Everything over those songs as a collective, I learnt so much. In terms of what the industry wants, the level of work needed to be put in and sometimes developing as I go along in terms of a producer.
3. I would also say it’s very rewarding to do something like this with your friends, it makes it taste even better. So if you are an artist/producer, whatever it may be, if you’ve got friends to collaborate with, you will develop coming out of a comfort zone and the possibilities are endless. Who knows what could happen!
Your time with BBCC has no doubt produced some memorable moments, have you got any wild stories you can tell us about?
I have way too many and I probably shouldn’t mention them here lol. I think a big wild one has to be one of the UK tours – living in that tour bus is madness. Especially when I am in bed and its 6am, bus rocking all over and GK just comes crawling up corridor with a box of cornflakes and a bottle of Russian vodka. He tips full bottle into a box of cereal and just lays down and tips the full thing into his mouth, I was just laughing my head off. Everyone is an absolute character, what you see is what you get.
You’ve recently toured Australia & New Zealand, how do the Australasian crowds fare vs other parts of the world?
Ahhhhhh the crowd’s wild out there man, I love Australia I hope to get out there again soon. They’re full on which suits me to the ground. I make music they properly love, they’re so reactive to my music and it’s just mental. Proper party vibes and that’s not putting it out there that the rest of the world isn’t but they just seem to go that extra mile in terms of a party.
You’ve just released your debut solo album “Swift & Bold” which features a variety of electronic sounds including organ house, garage and bass music. Talk us through why these sounds resonate with you and why they were important to the album.
I grew up listening to garage and organ house as a kid, and when I got into music production, that’s when I started producing and as I grew as a person. My knowledge became greater in terms of other genres and production and fundamentals of music. I kinda did a hybrid of new & old and made it a new vision in dance. Whilst at the same time, keeping the old school underground house stuff.
I’d say this is simply a piece of work from all my upbringing, all my experiences and knowledge, all formed into one album. I wanted this to be playable at a party, and you feel it travels well. Also you can’t skip any song and they show you the journey I’ve been on as an artist.
The tracks on the album are laced with compelling hooks and melodies, drawing on a range of emotions. How do you approach channelling these different states of mind into your production? Do you find it harder/easier to do with certain genres?
I feel you have to just write as much as possible, the world dictates what’s gonna happen in that given moment. Sometimes I feel it’s been easy in a room with people I connect with well. Sometimes I feel like it’s been better when alone to reflect but I tend to remain solely focused on closing my eyes understanding the song and trying to capture feelings of emotion. Whether that be happy, sad, lonely, depressed, exciting or euphoric. You have to feel something.
What I would say is the slower tempo stuff has more space and space is good. If it’s less busy it can be better for melodies and hooks I feel. I think organ house is harder than garage, simply for that but also I feel I really excel at garage as that also was a big part of my upbringing.
You’ve collaborated with big many artists in the rap scene such as Bugzy Malone, French The Kid, Mist and more whilst working with BBCC. If you could choose one electronic artist to collaborate with on your solo journey, who would you choose and why?
I’ve worked with loads of artists and all of them are unbelievable but if I could choose 1 artist that I think is achievable for me to work with I’d probably have to go with Disclosure. I proper love their sound, they have been a big inspiration, I watched a lot of tutorials and learnt a lot from them. But I would defo have to shout to Chris Lorenzo – he is someone I love and look up to. He did a lot for the UK with the organ scene back in the day.
After bringing out your new album, what’s on the horizon for TACTICS as a solo artist and what would you like to achieve in the next 5 years?
It’s quite a lot but I know the exact things I want over the next 5 years I want to tour UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand as Tactics.
I want UK Top 40s and Top 10s all of this is part of the main goal of basically establishing myself as a producer & DJ within the music industry. I’d love to try and take the sound to America as well.
What’s your favourite holiday destination?
America for sure lol. The food, the people, the weather, the cars lol. Too much to mention, I would love to live there in the future.
Finally, whats your favourite track by another artist, that you wish you’d made?
Disclosure – “Latch” – an unreal song.
Stream and download TACTICS’ debut album here.
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