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.
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