If you like Drum ’n’ Bass, then the man from Bristol needs no introduction. Harking from the city that brought us Massive Attack, Goldie and Portishead; Roni Size has reformed himself for 2018, as he has done consistently since he won the Mercury Music Prize 22 years ago for his pioneering album ‘New Forms’.
Growing up with reggae, funk and early electronic music, Roni was expelled from school at 16 because – well – they preferred the sound of violins to drums. And this may well have been his saving grace – for the youth club that he attended believed in his passion and talents and provided him mixing and sampling equipment which led to him forming his influential recording studios, the Basement Project.
Through the early rave scene of the late 80’s and early 90’s, and mixing with the great and the good of the hardcore electronic scene, he met his lifelong friends and collaborators DJ Krust and DJ Die.
By ‘92 Jungle was one of the prevalent styles in the area. The sound they liked was finding the break in the beat, the sub bass, then enhancing and extending it. This is when he started to experiment and create his innovative style.
From here he went from strength to strength, forming his own imprint Full Cycle Recordings, signing with major labels and going on to form the live drum n’ bass band, Reprazent.
He has always been about inventing and evolving, reforming and adapting to the style and circumstances around him.
He has always been about inventing and evolving, reforming and adapting to the style and circumstances around him. Even when he won the Mercury music prize in ‘97 he managed to ride the wave and keep one foot in the underground while embarking on a world tour.
Since then he has moved back to his roots, exploring and redefining the sound he loves, while always enjoying what he does best – DJ’ing. Since 2015 he has once again been playing at music festivals and clubs all over the world. Throughout 2017 he has been touring with his huge live audio-visual show.
It could be said that he reflects the very essence of modern British music, and with 2018 he is once again taking drum n’ bass to new heights.
