Gorilla Tactics Music is an urban electronic record label in Perth, Australia releasing predominantly Drum & Bass, Hip Hop and other Bass Music genres. It publishes and manages a number of artists including it's name-sake, the group Gorilla Tactics.

Gorilla Tactics the artist and the associated record label are the brainchild of Scotty "MC Assassin" Schmid. Almost two decades in the game, Scotty Assassin grew up in the 80s in a small town in North Queensland surrounded by Reggae, Hip Hop, the best Rugby League Origin team and people with three toes.

Moving with his family to Perth as a teenager, he began writing hip hop and performing at events with scene legends like DJ Cut Nice, Criminal Force and Sugar Ray. As a young, angsty, uncontrollable 18 year old little shit, he attended a rave in the late 90s and listened as the MCs bubbled over the Jungle and Drum & Bass tracks. 

That was it. He found where he wanted to be.

Since asking for "a go on the mic" in 1999, he has toured the world with Drum & Bass royalty Ray Keith, Ragga Twins, Kenny Ken, Fearless, Tee Bee, Bad Company and Dieselboy. He's taken out 8 Perth Dance Music Best MC Awards, released over 30 tracks with Greg Packer, MC Top Cat, Stamina and more. He's also a complete fucking nerd and none of his family actually think he is cool because they know better.

In 2012, Scotty created his independent record label and solo project: Gorilla Tactics. Releasing a few bangers and a few shit ones, 2017 has seen the Gorilla family settle into it's groove and added to the one-man wolf pack:

MC Kronic D
A childhood mate of Scotty's, MC Kronic D co-founded the group "Karnal Knowledge" with Assassin in 1994. Shortly afterwards, they turned 18 and it seemed a little creepy, changing the name to the legendary RPG, convincing about 20 Rockingham yobbos to get it tattooed on their arms and necks. Well played, boys.

In the 2000's Kronic released his first solo album "Rank & File" bringing strong political subjects to the fore in his highly unique, razor sharp, Cypress-Hillesque style that sets him apart from any other Australian Hip Hop artist. With his background in both Hip Hop and Jungle, Kronic has reunited with Scotty, joining the Gorilla Family into it's rebirth in 2017.

Dj Jools
Born into the conflict of Central America, Julio Garcia aka Dj Jools moved to Perth Australia in 1991, so you know the guy is a badass. In 1994 he was introduced to Hardcore Techno by a school friend and in 1996 attended his first rave and instantly fell for the lure for the sound of Jungle. Known for his legendary diverse musical spectrum and versatility, Jools is a staple on the Perth circuit at both events & radio shows, representing the sounds of House, Electro, Techno, Trance, Hard House, Rave, Hardcore, Jungle and Drum & Bass.

With a large influence from the sounds of Jungle you will often find Dj Jools mixing up the sounds of Old Skool, Dubstep, Breaks and Drum & Bass somewhere in the city almost every weekend of the Perth calendar. 2016 saw Dj Jools hitting the studio producing some big sounds of Drum & Bass on a Jungle tip, his debut single High Rolling EP is out now on Little Rascal Records. In 2017, without even a shadow of doubt, Scotty Assassin asked Jools to add the finishing touch to the Gorilla Tactics war machine.

Lanze who entertains by his government name was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 9th, 1987. Lanze first developed a passion for music and entertaining when his mother and father would play VHS tapes of Michael & Janet Jackson, LL Cool J, and his favorite R&B group which was from his hometown of Boston, New Edition. At the age of 3 Lanze, which everyone in the family called L.J., would watch their videos every day imitating their moves and reciting their lyrics. At all the family functions and cookouts little L.J. would be the one entertaining his family with his passion for music and dance. Lanze did his first talent show at the age of 5 at his school with his best friend Cyrus. Ever since that first performance he loved being on the stage. Lanze later developed his skill of rhyming from both his biological father, who he calls dad, and step-father, who he calls paps. His father was a very talented poet which is where he learned the true meaning in how to create a visual world with his words that the reader could feel and see at the same time. From his paps he learned how to freestyle when he was 9 when they were in the car and he seen how fun it was to try and rhyme of the top his head and still try to make sense. 
At age 12 Lanze moved with his mother and step-father to Chandler, Arizona. Age 16 Lanze started recording music with his best friends in high school. They first started making songs on his friends computer on a program called Cool Edit Pro. At this time Lanze was going by his nickname that they gave him in high school, L.jizzle. L.jizzle was in a rap group that he is still a part of called Y.O. which stands for Young’nz Official. Y.O.’s other 2 members consist of Sleep and Jaybo. Young’nz Official became known around the city of Chandler by performing in talent shows and releasing their first mixtape in 2004 self titled, Young’nz Official. Y.O. went around the city handing out their mixtape for free to all their friends, family, and people they did not know. They realized that people actually liked the young and energetic music that they were creating and decided to record an actual album in a professional studio. The albulm was titled “It’s Official” and had 13 original tracks produced by Mayham a.k.a. Mister Hampton in 2005. 
Summer of 2006 Lanze’s life took a change that no one could have predicted for his future. Lanze was diagnosed Bi-Polar in the summer of 2006 because he started having manic episodes. Lanze was checked in more than several times in a mental psychiatric ward hospital between the years 2006 -2009. In 2007 L.jizzle released his first mixtape titled Bi-Polar. L.jizzle decided to make the best out of his situation and mental illness by titling his mixtape Bi-Polar because he was not ashamed of his mental illness and knew that there are a lot of people who have been diagnosed with this illness who can relate. Bi-Polar consisted of 19 tracks which were all recorded in another one of his best friend’s home studio. Bi-Polar was produced by Mayham a.k.a. Mister Hampton. L.jizzle and Mayham burned 700 copies of Bi-Polar by themselves and handed them out for free all over the city. The response from the mixtape was taken in very well. 2010 L.jizzle decided to switch his stage name to his real first name, Lanze. He decided to go by Lanze because he was convinced by two of his friends that Lanze is more original and has a unique sound to it when you say it. To this day Lanze is still in the studio working and getting ready to release his second mixtape titled “Bi-Polar vol.2.” Be on the lookout to see him and his rap group Y.O. become the next artists out of Arizona to make it big.

With a ‘revolutionary voice’ (Il Messagero), ‘an extensive vocal range’ (Le Figaro) ’marked by intelligence and taste’ (New York Times), ‘an interpreters knowledge that amazes’ (Corriere della Sera),  ‘exquisite timbre, polished musicality and sweetness of emission’ (Le Monde de la Musique),  this is a voice, 'superbly produced in every facet' with its sound coming "directly from the heart" (The Australian). Combined with her ‘obvious humanity’ (The Age), Markella Hatziano, 'authoritative of voice and of dramatic presence’ (La Repubblica) is unequivocally a ‘star of dazzlingly bright magnitude’ (Daily Telegraph)

Markella Hatziano made her professional operatic debut at the National Opera of Greece at the age of 23 singing Eboli in Don Carlos. She debuted on the international stage at the Opera Company of Boston singing Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Neris in Medée, Amneris in Aida and Azucena in Il Trovatore.

She achieved international recognition in December of 1993 when she stepped in at the last minute to sing the gargantuan role of Didon in Les Troyens in concert performances with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis. “On this evening a star was surely born” Opera Magazine.

She has been singing her core dramatic mezzo repertoire of Dalila, Amneris, Eboli, Azucena, Didon, Marguerite, Charlotte, Santuzza and Judith with opera houses including the Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala, Salzburg Festival, San Francisco Opera, Baltimore Opera, Opera Company of Boston, Bayerische Staatsoper, Trieste, Deutsche Staatsoper, New Israeli Opera, Teatro Sao Carlos in Lisbon, Norwegian Opera, the Festival de Radio France in Montpelier and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

With her core concert repertoire of Verdi, Chausson, Ravel, Berlioz, Beethoven and Mahler, she is appearing with virtually every major symphony orchestra, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra of Wales, Mozarteum Salzburg Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Oslo Philharmonic.

Markella Hatziano’s discography includes the Verdi Requiem with the London Symphony Orchestra: Gramophone Magazine “The best of the quartet is undoubtedly Hatziano who, in her first major recording, fulfills all the hopes one has for her, singing with firm tone, warm, well-schooled style, no mannerisms – her ‘Liber Scriptus’ cannot be faulted”.

Her recording of the Macbeth of Ernst Bloch with the Orchestre de Montpelier was awarded the Grand Prix de l’Académia Charles Cros.

She collaborates with great conductors including, Zubin Mehta, Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink, Christoph von Dóhnanyi, Seiji Ozawa, Kent Nagano, Sir Colin Davis, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Claudio Scimone, Jacques Delacote, Michel Gielen, Michel Plasson, Andrew Davis, and Semyon Bychkov.

"The most beautiful aria of the evening came from Markella Hatziano, singing Neris's 'Ah, nos peines seront communes.' The purity of her voice, profound grief, and introspective thought it communicated were most affecting" Christian Science Monitor
 
“The evening’s finest singing came from the the Dalila of Markella Hatziano...Hatziano created a long, elegant line with a velvety tone...she unveiled an instrument of considerable size - one that reached big climaxes without a hint of strain, that was filled with feeling and that was compellingly seductive.” Baltimore Sun
 
“ a bright-colored but substantial mezzo of attractive quality, the registers well blended...singing with seduces Samson (and us!) with sunny charm, good command of legato and ready use of caressing mezza voce of a sort nowadays seldom heard in this, or any other ‘international’ house. A real treat!” Opera
 
“Markella Hatziano, a statuesque Dido, was magnificent, with a voice of sumptuous richness and steely strength, focused extremely accurately...She looked like the Queen of Carthage as Jacques Louis David might have painted her.” The Independent
 
“ In lustrous, forwardly emitted, amply voiced, beautiful tones and with a powerful feeling for phrases and words, she sang with grandeur in the civic scenes, with delicacy in the love scenes, finally with noble anger, passion, and despair.” The Observer
 
“Markella Hatziano combined openhearted expression with a startlingly radiant voice.” Montreal Gazette
 
“...This voice is superbly produced in every facet and its sound comes directly from the heart...She caresses her music with such warmth that even though the language might be foreign to the audience, the meaning comes through loud and clear...Through 13 splendid songs by Franz Liszt, she overcame the composer’s penchant for keyboard dominace - a showman-like performance by Steven Larson - to deliver a beautifully rounded collection, highlighting in works such as Der du von dem Himmel bist, the gypsy rhythms of Die drei Zigeuner, and a powerful conclusion in Die Macht der Musik... Her carefully measured mezzo easily filled the concert hall, even when the intimacy of her performance demanded a mezza vode, while her grandest moments on high were never out of focus or character.” The Australian
 
“Deep and dignified of voice, she makes a Dalila who is regally self-composed, confident of getting Samson’s locks wound round her little finger... the sound is grand, unhurried, rich in color...” Financial Times
 
“Markella Hatziano is a formidable Dalila, her lustrous mezzo meshing vengeance and desire with a firm line of gleaming tone. Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix had an irresistible sumptuous appeal. She acts with a smouldering economy.” The Stage
 
“The best of the quartet is undoubtedly Hatziano who, in her first major recording, fulfills all the hopes one has for her, singing with firm tone, warm well-schooled style, no mannerisms - her “Liber scriptus” cannot be faulted.” Gramophone
 
“...she cultivated long, languid phrases that were marked by intelligence and taste.” New York Times
 
“...splendid singing, a gleam hidden within the velvet... Her innate musicianship loomed over anyone the Met has offered in years.” Boston Phoenix
 
“Amneris was sung flawlessly by the alluring Markella Hatziano...not enough can be said about Hatziano;s performance, voluptuous voice, movements, acting” Boston South Look
 
“Among the soloists, Markella Hatziano stands out for her rich, refulgent singing.” The Daily Telegraph
 
“Authoritative of voice and of dramatic presence”  La Repubblica
 
“Grand interpreter, Markella Hatziano, her realizations perfection, also with the gestures, realized wholly the vision of the figuration of Wilson.” La Repubblica
 
“Markella Hatziano brought tears to everyone’s eyes.” Evening Standard
 
“The Greek soprano Markella Hatziano as Dido had a heartfelt and truly imperious eloquence.” The Times
 
“...we gasped at the gleaming voice of Markella Hatziano.” The Times
 
“The storming ovation which overwhelmed her at the end left no doubt that this audience was acclaiming a star of dazzlingly bright magnitude. As imperiou and benevolent queen, infatuated lover and tragic heroine, she encompassed every aspect of the role with singing that was thrilling, moving and profoundly musical.” The Sunday Telegraph
 
“Hatziano’s glorious line and flowing projection contrasted still concentration and admirable dynamic control with demanding extremes of vocal resources.” The Herald Sun
 
“It will be some time before I forget Hatziano’s subtle and affectingly gentle singing in music that needs an artist with her exemplary tact, insight and obvious humanity to bring out its innate beauty.” The Age 
 
“Pure beauty when she really sings...the high notes came forth round and brilliant, free of too much pressure on the voice...Applause started timidly then turned into a storm.” O Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
 
“No one has heard a voice of such richness, fullness and beauty of timbre in this role in at least 30 years...the qualities of voice and spirit no one can learn the Creator has lavished on her in abundant plenty.” Boston Globe
 
“The opera belonged to the Judith of the young Greek mezzo Markella Hatziano who brought meaning to every word and caught the restlessness of the character’s searching for her husband’s past. Her tone is lustrous and even throughout its range; she phrases musically.” The Times
 
“The title roles were most engagingly sung..The Greek mezzo’s healthy, firm, youthful tone is exciting in itself...two absolutely spiffing B flats...ideally even in spread...Her stage manner is also healthy...singing so assured and smooth...her forthcoming Amnerises are awaited with impatience.” The Times
 
“She has a formidable chest register and is not afraid to exploit it to the full, arms akimbo like an energetic copper on point-duty. It recalls the extrovert singing of Cossotto and Gorr; nothing wrong with that...an Eboli from Hatziano in Don Carlos could be exciting.” The Times
 
“purity of line and flawless technique” La Provincia
 
“Markella Hatziano shines above the rest - the ‘Lux Aeterna’ is the high point in this whole recording” Hi-Fi News
 
“magnificent and generous voice whose timbre is robust, but whose texture is velvety” Ambito Financiero
 
Markella Hatziano, a voice that unites in the richness of her registers and her exquisite timbre a maturity and an interpreters knowledge that amazed us.” Corriere della Sera
 
“...Markella Hatziano sang breathtakingly” Rheinische Post
 
“exquisite timbre, polished musicality and sweetness of emission” Le Monde de la Musique
 
“the velvety and revolutionary voice of the great Greek mezzo Markella Hatziano” Messaggero del Lunedi
 
“of the highest class, the Marguerite of Markella Hatziano, who fascinated us with the roundness of emission, the apparent ease of domination over the texture, and most of all with the truth of song that seems to flow incessantly, without pause, and like magic” “...Markella Hatziano sang breathtakingly” Il Piccolo
 
“an artist of undeniable notoriety” La Nacion
 
“Markella Hatziano commanded respect for her vocal color, her extension of register, and suppleness in her dynamic shades” Corriere Della Serra
 
“Markella Hatziano is a magnificent mezzo, with an extensive vocal range, that displays a beautiful homogeneity throughout the tessitura with the low sonorities and the piercing trebles. Moreover, her phrasing is impeccable.” Le Figaro
 
“The Greek mezzo-soprano Markella Hatziano accomplished a remarkable task in her performances, convincing as much for her vocal gifts as for her precise interpretative work. An artist of undeniable notoriety. She obtained a resonant success with La Mort de Cleopatre which offered her an opportunity to display her great vocal abilities and her astounding temperament.” La Nacion
 
“Markella Hatziano realized her part irreproachably with an immaculate luxuriant voice.” Kleine Zeitung
 
“Markella Hatziano sant the Judith with considerable power of voice.” Süddeutsche Zeitung
 
“... outstanding performance” Wiener Zeitung
 
“fiery temperament” Los Angeles Times
 
“...there was fine singing from the Greek Amneris Markella Hatziano, whose rich, resonant voice did much to fill out her generous performance: certainly, a singer to watch.” Opera Now
 
“Markella Hatziano sings Lady Macbeth with rich mezzo tone and an understatement which is chilling." Classics Today
 
“Markella Hatziano and Rene Pape, the evening's mezzo-soprano and bass, were strong presences." New York Times
 
“Markella Hatziano was again a dream of a Suzuki." Boston Globe
 
"From Greece, a new Callas?" London Daily Mail
“on this evening a star was surely born.” ~Opera Magazine

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