Roni Size

Some cities have a wealth of gold and diamonds; others have vast quantities of oil. Bristol, England is a city rich in musical pioneers. In the same way that their fellow Bristol-bred comrades Massive Attack, Tricky, Soul II Soul’s Nellee Hooper, and Smith & Mighty rewrote the rules of their chosen genres, Reprazent – the mighty drum n’ bass collective composed of Roni Size, DJ Krust, Suv, Die and vocalist Onallee – are responsible for leading a rumble in the jungle courtesy of their strong-minded, eclectic ethos. The result is a new twist on drum n’ bass which bathes itself in a kitchen sink of sounds and is fearlessly uncompromising. No wonder Roni says that “you can’t do the Bristol sound justice by saying that it’s one thing. It’s many things – a party vibe, a deep vibe – it changes, and we want to represent all vibes.”

And represent they certainly do. Their non-stop musical charisma forms the spiritual essence for Reprazent’s full length Mercury debut, “Newforms”. These junglists don’t just make music – they eat, breathe and sleep it – and that sharpens their edge.

“For me, what this album does is reflect on an era: the 80s, when we were influenced by all these different types of music,” explains Roni. “We went into the studio to try and recreate it with real vocalists, a drummer and a bass player.”

Precisely achieved by gritty, abrasive drums, caustic basslines, jazz licks and silky vocals that slide into chasms of darkness, the rough breakbeats are balanced by the soulful optimism that’s innate in the human spirit. It is here in this expanse where disparate energies are harnessed, tamed and used to shape the soundscape for what will be the soundtrack for the 21st century. Welcome to the sound of post-millennium tension.

At the forefront of Reprazent is Roni Size, a musical obsessive, who was raised on a schizoid diet of pop, soul, hip-hop, reggae, dub and DJ and breakdance culture. Regarded as one of the world’s leading pioneers in drum n’ bass, Size has found his kindred spirits in partners Krust, Die and Suv, who share his passion for music. Size and Krust met years ago when Size’s sound system was hired by Krust’s crew for a party; the two later became friends, and eventually started producing tracks together. In the meantime, Die, who grew up listening to Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix, moved to Bristol at age 10, and dove head first into a scene filled with hip-hoppers, skate kids and punks. He met Size at a local record store in the early ’90s, they clicked and later bumped into each other at a rave, and soon started working together in the studio. Suv, a childhood friend of Krust’s, who had left Bristol at age 6, later returned to the city and started hanging around with his old friend. And, as they say, the rest is history

By 1992, Size was releasing his early breakbeat records on Bryan Gee and “Jumping” Jack Frost’s influential V Recordings label and later launched the Full Cycle label with Krust. Together these prolific master blasters have blazed trails in uncharted areas of the subterranean world of jazz fusion drum n’ bass and have made their fair share of vinyl history.

All of their years of individual and collective experimentation and struggle culminates on “New Forms.” Not just a set of wicked, disposable singles, the album is laden with sly grooves whose breakbeats are seasoned with ten lifetimes’ worth of musical exploration. “Brown Paper Bag” sets the tone with its frenetic acoustic double-bass work and hardstep breaks, fueled by nine minutes worth of jazz syncopation , showing unequaled musicianship. “New Forms” with its raps by Philadelphia MC Bahamadia take it all into a very different, yet logical direction, mixing languid raps with Onallee’s smooth vocals.

“New Forms” is the sonic portrait of a crew of artists on the verge. In their world there are no rules, just endless musical possibilities. Where others find salvation in the norm, Reprazent has only scratched the surface of their artistic possibilities.