Born: October 29, 1969, Bristol, EnglandBristol native Roni Size is one of the U.K. jungle scene's most respected names, with production credits spanning dozens of labels, projects and releases. Size's influence as a producer, label owner, and committed underground magnate figured him as one of the emerging sound's true pioneers. The breakout success of his debut album New Forms finally confirmed his stature and vaulted him to a greater degree of popularity than any drum'n'bass producer. 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 area's sounds systems, house parties, and underground clubs. Expelled from school 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 Size's longest running musical commitment to date: his own Full Cycle label. 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 Size's "It's a Jazz Thing," Krust's "Jazz Note," and Reprazent's Reasons for Sharing EP, the crew's first outing through major label subsidiary Talkin' Loud. The success of 1997's New Forms launched Size to the top of the electronica genre, and the Dope Dragon label also continues to rise in the ranks of dubplate hysteria, with tracks from Selector Owoy, Gang Related, and Mask consistently passing muster on most DJ's 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 Mode, boasting sit-ins from Method Man and ex-Rage Against the Machine's Zack De La Rocha.
Roni Size & Reprazent Facebook Fan Page
Roni started on the path of production when he was thrown out of school aged 16, but music had always been a part of his life. Born and raised in Bristol, the sounds of the 70s blues parties and sound-systems happening in the St Pauls area of the city infected Roni's bones.
Meeting up with Krust in the early 90s brought two musically compatible minds together, subsequently creating Full Cycle in 1993 and a new direction for electronic music.
Having built a name for himself through Full Cycle and other labels, such as Talkin? Loud, 'Roni Size & Reprazent' took the world by storm in 1997 with their New Forms LP. Winning the Mercury Music Prize boosted their international status and the world awoke to the sound of Roni Size and Full Cycle. Thanks to such modern day classics as ?Watching Windows?, ?Heroes? and ?Brown Paper Bag?, the album quickly went platinum.
In 1999 with Die, Roni produced the highly acclaimed Breakbeat Era album and later that year released the long awaited second project from Reprazent, 'In the Mode' which included collaborations with hip-hop legend Method Man, Rage Against The Macine's Zac de la Rocha and beat-box master Rahzel.
2002 saw the release of 'Touching Down', Roni?s first truly solo album and one of the biggest selling independent d&b albums to date. Then in 2005 Roni came back to 'V' with the release of 'Return To V' which included the top 20 hit 'No More' with Beverley Knight.
Roni Size resurrected Reprazent in 2008 with the release of a deluxe edition of his Mercury Music Prize winning album 'New Forms' on Universal in 2008. Reforming the band, they toured the biggest festivals in Europe and were amongst the nominations for best dance act from the UK Festival Awards.
Roni & Reprazent recently collaborated with the BBC?s Nature?s Great Events composer, William Goodchild, to play a landmark gig with an Orchestra and Choir to mark the re-opening of Bristol?s Colston Hall. The night was rightly dubbed as the ?show that we'll be talking about for years to come.?
With so much already accomplished in his career, its no surprise that the 2010 is set to be a busy time for Roni. Currently in the studio producing his next Roni Size album, whilst also working with the band on a new Roni & Reprazent album, stay tuned to hear about these soon.
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From Wikipedia:Roni Size (born Ryan Williams, 29 October 1969, Bristol) is a British record producer and DJ, who came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and leader of Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. That year they won the Mercury Prize for their album New Forms.
He resurrected Reprazent in 2008 with the release of a deluxe edition of´New Forms on Universal.