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October 26 - Nov. 2, 2000

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Roni Size/Reprazent

IN THE MODE

(Island/Def Jam)

A lot has changed in the three years since Roni Size’s genre-defining New Forms snagged the Bristol beatmeister critical props and an international fan base. Drums ’n’ bass is no longer the darling of the British dance scene (that title belongs to two-step garage now), and house music is the appropriate soundtrack for the dot-com boom. Yet whereas other jungle dons have adapted their style accordingly, Size and his Reprazent crew sound as resolute as ever: In the Mode may rub against dancehall reggae, brutal techno, and sultry R&B, but it bounces back sounding like both the epitome of d’n’b and something bigger. Scuttling New Forms’ fusion dreams and jazz flirtations for angular polyrhythms and roughneck rhymes, Size and Reprazent have produced a tightly phrased missive that compels the mainstream to come battle in Bristol. So guest spots from Method Man and Zack de la Rocha aren’t hip-hop crossover attempts, they’re high-speed chases, as the American mike masters attempt to keep pace with Size’s frenetic rhythm tracks. And by allowing his Reprazent team (producers Die, Suv, and Krust plus MC Dynamite and singer Onalee) equal time in the spotlight, Size creates a multi-pronged attack that goes straight for the jugular.

-- Michael Endelman

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