The Salford Sound - MC Strategy
From the legendary Broke N English to his stint presenting on Manchester United Television, throwing the best parties in the city at Ballin on A Budget, touring the world with Dub Phizix, creating visual art, and releasing his own productions, a few can compare to Salford’s MC Strategy.
‘Costa Del Salford, brought up in the ‘80s. You think it’s bad now? Back then, it was crazy.’
Strategy – LifeOnTheCostaDelSalford (2011)
Before becoming one of the most recognisable voices in D&B and Bass music, Strategy and Broke N English made an impression on UK Hip Hop in the 2000s. The Manchester Hip Hop crew toured overseas, were said to have the best live set at Glastonbury, released their Subject2Status album with Manchester’s Fat City Recordings and established the innovative Estate Recordings from Strategy’s bedroom. In many ways, Broke N English laid a foundation for current Manchester music, and the trio (MC DRS, Konny Kon & Strategy) have gone on to be recognised globally in their respective fields.
In 2011, Strats released the ‘PreSeason Training’ solo mixtape, which included the bangers LifeOnTheCostaDelSalford, LengBreak and The Bleep Test. Along with his Hip Hop releases, Strategy could be found hosting every week at Manchester’s leading bass music night Hit&Run, as well as at Broke N English’s party night Ballin On A Budget and the late pioneer Marcus Intalex’s monthly liquid D&B night Soul:ution. A mic controller, MC Strategy is one of the most experienced and accomplished in the game; freestyle rapping on topics from the crowd, uniting the dance floor, holding space for the DJ and shellin’ down..’somebody say eeyar!’.
Dub Phizix and Skeptical feat Strategy – Marka (2011)
Then came Marka. Filmed outside his mum’s house by a burning wheelie bin, the video shows Strats in a war bonnet and facepaint, perhaps a nod to when the Sioux Indians visited Salford in 1888. The dark and spacious rhythm produced by Dub Phizix and Skeptical, along with Strategy’s unique dancehall-inspired vocals, received a huge response globally.
In a 2017 interview with UKF, friend and fellow Manchester MC Fox stated, ‘Never underestimate what Marka did for Manchester’ and he’s dead right.
The reception of Marka opened doors for not only Dub Phizix and Strategy but also the rest of the Estate Recordings family and friends, including Fox, Chimpo and Skittles and others. A positive and authentic presence, Strats is a major aspect of Manchester music. If you look back to the first Levelz project (a cypher of some of the city’s finest MCs before the group’s final form) you’ll see Strategy leading the session. Additionally, he’s also been instrumental in the growth of Jack Banner’s Bloc2Bloc and a key player in various youth music projects. I first met Strats myself when he was a guest speaker at my music college.
Along with quality music, the tight-knit Manchester family brought a refreshing attitude to D&B. For example, if you did have a problem with the Manchester sound of Dub Phizix and Strategy, you’d just end up on here https://dubphizixandstrategyarecunts.tumblr.com/.
Speaking to UKF in 2018, Strategy explained, “Thing is, before all this, we were proper moody guys. If it wasn’t hip-hop, it was shit. I’d turn up to places and be scowling. I’d come, do my shit, fuck off. But you get older, you see things and you realise that ain’t the way. I know I keep coming back to Marka but that was a massive turning point for me. It was something I’d never done before, I was branching out and it had such an impact. It took me out of that cloud of ‘this is it’ Why had I narrowed myself down into such a tight musical corner?”
After conquering raves from London to Japan, Strats looked to strengthen his discography and turned his focus solely to production. The release of the Lanterns EP, a complete instrumental project on Dbridge’s Exit Records, was the result of Strategy’s dedication to the studio, creating and refining his sound.
Strategy – Put God First (2018)
Strats also began experimenting with photography and visual art around this time, using acrylic paints and an iPhone to create unique, bold pieces. Next came The Adelphi Lads Clubs EP, conceptually formed around a Salford youth centre that was shut down. Check out the video to Ragged to witness Strategy’s visual and audio work fused.
Strategy – Ragged (2019)
In recent years, the MC, DJ and producer has further elevated creatively on his solo releases and collaborations. His approach to lyricism and an evolved sonic palette have resulted in gripping, perceptive and responsive music. My favourites include his continued work with Dub Phizix on ‘Calm’ and the infectious ‘Deh’, ‘Black Boxes’ with Footsie (proceeds donated to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) and the gritty ‘Premium Grease’ which premiered on GRM Daily.
Dub Phizix and Strategy – Calm (2019)
Dub Phizix and Strategy – Deh (2020)
Since ‘LifeOnTheCostaDelSalford’ Strategy has continued to explore his surroundings in his art and as a creative, with particular insight into local Salford history. Strats often shares images, stories and documentary clips of the city’s working-class history, from Salford Docks to The Cliff and the late playwright Shelagh Delaney, on his socials. He has also worked with the local community to celebrate and preserve iconic Salford buildings, such as the aforementioned Adelphi Lads Club.
Together with being a proud Salfordian, Strats pays tribute to his ancestral heritage, Manchester and the UK’s celebrated multiculturalism. A Strategy quote I recall went along the lines of “half-Jamaican and half-Irish, that’s why I can smoke, drink and still look stylish”. After sharing more on Premium Grease, we now know most of his ‘family’s coming from yard’ and ‘half of the family’s coming from Ireland’ but ‘hold tight his breddah dem in St Lucia’ and St Vincent!
Regents – Greengate Adhesive (2021)
Strats also released the ‘Shegry EP’ in 2021, as one-half of Regents, with producer Cartridge. The EP brought dark, heavy beats, cold lyrics and inspiration from Salford’s inner-city Greengate area and Regent Road. Another instance of Strategy’s connection with time and place, particularly on ‘Greengate Adhesive’ and ‘Heritage, the inspired EP received a massive response, as well as people from around the world reciting lyrics about Salford Precinct.
Strategy and Dub Phizix – Carbon Footprint (2022)
Skillfully moving from rhymes about identity and place to hybrid vehicles and 3D modelling, Strats makes links between the past, present and future. In line with the subject of technology on tracks like ‘Carbon Footprint’ and ‘Hardware’, his approach to writing and delivery also has self-asserted technical restrictions, resulting in a unique, controlled flow that’s precise, almost automated at times and complimentary of his forward sound.
Strategy’s most recent drop, ‘Freezin Cold’ is the second single from the highly-anticipated 2023 album ‘Lower Broughton Health Centre’. Produced by Chimpo and designed for a heavy reload, Freezin Cold further explores the 90s/2000s era of Salford, reflecting on broken heaters, dodgy neighbours, and nighttime excursions as well as how far the MC has come as both an artist and an individual.
Strategy – Freezin’ Cold (2023)
‘Traffic in the mornin’ movin’ mad an’ so I did a jib down Churchill way / man are tryna make some commercial gains now we’re living like rock stars – purple rain’
Representing Strategy, Salford, his heritage, and the rave scene, the complete album is set to be a masterclass in the art of sound and a culmination of 20 years of development and experience as a real and uncompromising artist.
Buy Freezin Cold / Follow @strategyyeah