Roni Size | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Bristol native Roni Size is one of the most respected junglists, with production credits spanning dozens of labels, projects, and releases, from stripped-down underground classics like "Time Stretch" to the smoothly sophisticated Top 20 U.K. pop hit "Brown Paper Bag." Although not as quick to rise to acclaim as peers such as Goldie and LTJ Bukem, Sizes influence as a producer, label owner, and committed underground magnate figured him as one of the emerging sounds true pioneers. The breakout success of his debut album New Forms -- a Top Ten hit in the U.K., where it also won the Mercury Prize -- vaulted him to a greater degree of popularity than any other drumnbass producer. After a break during the early 2000s, Size resumed activity with new productions, a reworked version of New Forms, and performances that continued to fuse electronic and analog elements. Born to Jamaican immigrant parents, Roni grew up in the Bristolean suburb of St. Andrews (home to Tricky, Massive Attack, and Smith & Mighty), where he learned the fundamentals of hip-hop through the areas sounds systems, house parties, and underground clubs. Expelled from school in his mid-teens and running game through his neighborhood until risk became greater than reward, Size started dabbling with house and reggae production in the late 80s. He hooked up with labelmates DJ Krust, Suv, and DJ Die at the 1990 Glastonbury Festival, and the four stayed in contact, eventually forming Sizes longest-running musical commitment to date: his own Full Cycle label. Formed simply as an outlet for the fours entree into the nascent drumnbass scene (Krust and brother Flynn [of Flynn & Flora] were already working with Smith & Mighty, while Die was producing hardcore tracks as Sub Love), Full Cycle eventually grew into a label group, releasing a steady flow of 12"s (on both Full Cycle and Dope Dragon), and a label comp, Music Box, in 1995. Oft duplicated, the Full Cycle sound is a subtle mix of jazz and soul with jump-up rhythms and worldbeat references spanning from Sizes Jamaican roots to 50s bop and the Motown sound. Although hardly popular in the days before ragga (then jump-up) ruled the decks, the crew now counts a number of classics among their credits, including Sizes "Its a Jazz Thing," Krusts "Jazz Note," and Reprazents Reasons for Sharing EP, the crews first outing through Gilles Petersons major-label subsidiary Talkin Loud. The success of 1997s New Forms launched Size to the top of the electronica genre, and the Dope Dragon label continued to rise in the ranks of dubplate hysteria, with tracks from Selector Owoy, Gang Related, and Mask consistently passing muster on most DJs decks. After a relatively silent 1998, Size returned in 1999 with a new project -- Breakbeat Era, with DJ Die and vocalist Leonie Laws. The trio released Ultra-Obscene in the fall of that year. In 2000, Size returned to the Reprazent project with In the Møde, boasting sit-ins from Method Man and Rage Against the Machines Zack De La Rocha. Though it did chart in the U.S. for one week, it failed to truly cross over or build his fan base. That year, Size also mixed the Full Cycle release Through the Eyes. Following a period of inactivity, Size returned to solo productions with 2002s Touching Down, a primarily solitary affair, and 2005s Return to V, with vocals contributed by the likes of Jocelyn Brown, Beverley Knight, and Reprazents Dynamite MC. Both of these albums were presented as DJ sets. Size re-edited much of New Forms and combined the results with new cuts as New Forms 2, released in 2008. He and Reprazent continued to tour and played at European festivals such as Glastonbury and Bestival. After a Roni Size/Reprazent performance with William Goodchild and the Emerald Ensemble was documented with Live at Colston Hall, New Forms was expanded and reissued in celebration of its 20th anniversary. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 7 Title: Size of Things to Come Released: 1994 Tracks: 2 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Its a Jazz Thing (Electric Boogie mix) (?) 2 The Calling (?) |
 | Album: 2 of 7 Title: Exer-Size EP Released: 1994 Tracks: 2 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Time Stretch (93 mix) (?) 2 Phizical (?) |
 | Album: 3 of 7 Title: Through the Eyes Presented by Roni Size Released: 2000 Tracks: 14 Duration: 2:22:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 On Point (05:31) 2 Mine (05:20) 3 Bad Intentions (06:18) 4 Hop Scotch (04:57) 5 Space Horn (05:35) 6 Rip Curl (05:58) 7 Kloakin Device (06:33) 8 Timing Mechanism (06:38) 9 Tube Hats (06:12) 10 Dark Angel (06:21) 11 Cisco (05:47) 12 Jitta Bug (remix) (06:15) 13 Breaks (05:54) 1 The Mix (1:05:20) |
 | Album: 4 of 7 Title: Touching Down Released: 2002-10-21 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:02:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sound Advice (04:25) 2 Forget Me Knots (04:16) 3 Playtime (00:53) 4 Scrambled Eggs (02:29) 5 Uncensored (05:01) 6 At the Movies (02:50) 7 Vocoda Funk (04:15) 8 Sorry for You (06:03) 9 Feel the Heat (04:52) 10 Siren Sounds (03:22) 11 Keep Strong (02:00) 12 Find Myself (01:55) 13 Reel Dark One (04:57) 14 Swings and Roundabouts (05:40) 15 Zak Attak (04:24) 16 Snapshot 3 (05:25) |
| Touching Down : Allmusic album Review : Roni Sizes first "solo record" after two as the head of the Reprazent collective comes at a curious time for drumnbass. After a long lull, when jungle was criticized (often rightly) as the refuge of antisocial listeners and an increasingly stale sound, a comeback led by a few surprising chart hits (from Shy FX and others) helped push club fans back into the music. Though its a sure bet at least three or four tracks from Touching Down will get their spins in the sets of jungles top DJs, theres not much room here for a crossover on the level of his 1997 record, New Forms. With no vocalists, no collaborators, not even a co-producer in sight (and obviously no Die or Krust or Suv in the credits), the album simply powers its way through 16 tracks of seamlessly mixed high-velocity drumnbass. True, theres barely a hook to be found ("At the Movies" and "Feel the Heat" are two great exceptions), but theres a bit of next-level programming in place to ease the way. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 7 Title: Return to V Released: 2004-10-04 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:12:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bump n Grind (05:31) 2 Shoulder to Shoulder (02:28) 3 Fassyhole (02:34) 4 Pull Up (02:55) 5 Groove on / Come and Play (03:17) 6 Cheeky Monkey (04:04) 7 Time (03:03) 8 Problems (03:15) 9 Rise Up (03:19) 10 Want Your Body (04:33) 11 No Trouble (04:17) 12 No More (04:28) 13 On and On (06:07) 14 Sing (05:34) 15 Thirsty (03:23) 16 The Streets (03:49) 17 Out of Breath (05:35) 18 Give Me a Reason (04:10) |
| Return to V : Allmusic album Review : Not only a seminal producer in drumnbass, Roni Size also led the mainstream assault with excellent vocal crossovers like Reprazents New Forms and Breakbeat Eras Ultra-Obscene. The first earned him the Mercury prize and the second stands as the best blending of aggro drumnbass with dedicated vocals ever heard (apologies to Lamb). Two years after a tracks-only record (Touching Down) that easily satisfied his fan base, Size returned as a commercial force with the "100% Vocal" Return to V. V Recordings, the hardcore label run by Jumpin Jack Frost and Bryan Gee, was the home of Sizes early classics "Timestretch" and "Its a Jazz Thing," so jungle fans could be easily forgiven for salivating at the prospect of another jungle landmark. Unfortunately though, Return to V isnt a back-to-basics record, and there isnt a single landmark to pick out from its 18 tracks. Size invited at least one different guest for each track, and the roster provides a look at the many styles influencing British club culture at the dawn of the millennium: hip-hop, R&B;, ragga, jungle, 2-step, and house. The rub is that Size forces each of his guests into his technoid drumnbass format, fails to provide most of them with a hook, and relies on his production smarts -- as well as a heavy coating of fuzz -- to carry these tracks. The distance between ragga chatter Sweetie Irie and Marvin Gaye disciple Joe Roberts is neatly erased, which certainly allows for a unified album, but also one in which zero tracks stand out. Size dips out of jungle only once, for a solid hip-hop production with rapper Darrison as the feature, and rolls right over two world-class British MCs, Rodney P and Fallacy. (Fallacy is cut to exactly six words: "break it down" and "take it down"; fortunately, both of them have solo records of their own.) House vocalist Jocelyn Brown, whos been a musician for as long as Roni Size has been alive, is the only feature who escapes from this record with personality intact. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 7 Title: Size Matters Released: 2014-08-17 Tracks: 6 Duration: 27:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Final Day (04:33) 2 Mish Mash (03:49) 3 Power (05:16) 4 Made in Korea (06:26) 5 Time Out (2014 remix) (03:52) 6 Take Kontrol (03:51) |
 | Album: 7 of 7 Title: Take Kontrol Released: 2014-08-25 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:09:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Final Day (04:35) 2 Made in Korea (06:26) 3 She Rocks (04:03) 4 Take Kontrol (03:51) 5 Power (05:17) 6 Big Bashy (04:12) 7 Time Out (2014 remix) (03:52) 8 Complicated (04:30) 9 Mish Mash (03:48) 10 Running Around My Head (03:08) 11 Silent Strings (06:03) 12 Freaky (04:08) 13 The Big Hurt (04:12) 14 Funny Bone (04:00) 15 Just A Little (03:07) 16 Good Times (04:09) |