2001: A DRUM N BASS ODYSSEY
Feb 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Chris Gill
The Newcastle University student union looks more like a bomb shelter than a place where college kids gather to socialize. Giving the hall a bunkerlike vibe, stout concrete pillars buttress the low ceiling that makes the windowless basement structure feel as if it's at least 100 feet underground. The wartime atmosphere is amplified as Reprazent takes the stage to the sounds of a foundation-shaking bass frequency while servo-controlled spotlights swirl their beams throughout the room like searchlights scanning the skies for bombers. But whereas war is hell, this is pure drum ’n’ bass heaven.
From the first note of Reprazent's entry tune, “Horns,” to the fading tones of their encore, “Share the Fall,” the audience remains enthralled. Although this is only the second show of Reprazent's first tour in three years, the group performs a brisk, polished set. The four central members of Reprazent's brain trust — Roni Size, Krust, Die, and Suv — spend the entire set hovering over their keyboards and monitors, triggering samples and manipulating sounds like crazed NASA engineers. Directly in front of them, singer Onallee and MC Dynamite work the crowd and provide that vital human connection essential for live performance. Anchoring opposite sides of the stage, drummer Rob Merrill and bassist Si John keep the rhythm flowing smoothly, even as the tempo surges to a furious 180 bpm.
Reprazent's set list consists primarily of material from their new album, In the Mode, and the new songs elicit a hearty welcome even though the show takes place a few days before the album's release. The biggest cheers accompany such hits as “Brown Paper Bag” and “Heroes” from Reprazent's previous effort, New Forms, while surprises like “Mega Mix,” “It's Jazzy,” and “Balance Chaos” satisfy the hard-core fans. Throughout the night the energy level remains high, with new songs like “In and Out” and “Dirty Beats” motivating the amped-up crowd to shake their hips and thrust their arms in the air. But the peak of the evening comes when Reprazent chills out during “Play the Game,” as Size caresses a lyrical piano melody and Onallee soothes the crowd with her steamy, sexy vocals. By the end of the evening, the hall seems less like a bunker and more like a sauna.
Only a handful of drum ’n’ bass artists have attempted to bring this fierce musical style to the stage, and among those few, Reprazent is the most successful. Back in 1997 when the Bristol, England-based group released their debut album, New Forms, Reprazent overcame long-shot odds to beat the likes of the Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, and the Spice Girls and win Britain's prestigious Mercury Music Prize. This caused music-industry observers to herald Reprazent as the new messiahs of drum ’n’ bass — as a group that would summon the genre's long-awaited mainstream breakthrough. Those who experienced Reprazent's funky, high-energy live shows during the band's worldwide tour later that year echoed those sentiments. Reprazent proved that, with the right elements, drum ’n’ bass could work in a live-performance context, and many who saw their shows felt the same excitement and anticipation at witnessing the next big thing that audiences must have felt when they first saw Elvis Presley, the Beatles, or Public Enemy.
“Once we have our big studio, then we'll be
rollin'.”
Unfortunately, drum ’n’ bass didn't win the breakthrough battle, and most of the genre's leading artists entrenched themselves in their studios to focus on creating harder, darker sounds rather than making the transition to the stage. Just as the movement began to pick up momentum in the United States, interest in the genre started to fade in the United Kingdom, and many clubs that had sponsored drum ’n’ bass nights started booking speed-garage, two-step, or even trance DJs instead. Casual fans moved on to the next new trend, driving drum ’n’ bass even further underground.
After completing Reprazent's tour in 1998, Size, Krust, Die, and Suv scattered to pursue individual endeavors and produce various side projects for their self-owned record labels, Full Cycle and Dope Dragon. Size teamed up with Die and vocalist Lennie Laws, as Breakbeat Era, to record the Ultra-Obscene album (1500 Records) and Krust released a solo album, Coded Language (Island). Although Krust and Breakbeat Era both toured in 1999, the shows failed to generate the kind of buzz that had propelled Reprazent to new heights. But Size, Krust, Die, Suv, and MC Dynamite renewed listeners' hopes for the future of drum ’n’ bass when they got together to debut several Reprazent tunes during a DJ set at the 2000 Winter Music Conference in Miami.
In the Mode (Talkin' Loud/Island Def Jam) came out in late October, but it's still too early to tell whether it will revitalize the drum ’n’ bass movement. “Something has to give when so much music is coming out,” says Size. “All styles of music go through a period of decline, but then they often come back bigger than ever. Hip-hop and R&B went through periods of decline, but both of those styles are going for their guns at the moment. Compared to those styles, drum ’n’ bass is still in its infancy.”
Although it's more a matter of expanding his horizons than a shrewd marketing move, Size has hedged his bets by inviting the Wu Tang Clan's Method Man, the Roots' human-beatbox sensation Rahzel, and Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha to guest-perform on the album. The hip-hop flava provided by these collaborators hints at new directions for Reprazent more than it represents an effort to win over hip-hop audiences. Despite the strength of their performances, Method Man, Rahzel, and de la Rocha reinforce the visions of Size and company instead of stealing the spotlight.
Reprazent's long-awaited return to U.S. shores this spring may be a more crucial factor in determining the future of drum ’n’ bass. Fans agree that the tour is exactly what the scene needs to reenergize it, and Size promises to play in more cities and for bigger audiences this time around. But even if the tour doesn't push drum ’n’ bass beyond its dark days, the future still looks extremely bright for Roni Size and Reprazent.
You've stayed involved in a variety of projects since New Forms came out, but why was there a three-year wait between that album and In the Mode?
We didn't want to put out another record in the ’90s. We always wanted to set it off in 2000. If we had put out this album in 1999, it would have seemed old. Putting it out in 2000 made it seem fresh, and it felt right. But we're really moving now. You're going to get something from us every year for the next 20 years.
Were you concerned about matching the success of New Forms?
We did a lot of things with New Forms and Reprazent back in 1997. We won the Mercury Prize, and we took the bull by the horns and toured the world to bring people this award-winning album. When we got home, we'd left a lot of pages unturned. The first thing we needed to do was make sure our independent record label, Full Cycle, was running correctly. That's working very well now. I also did Breakbeat Era, and Krust did the Coded Language album. We wanted to sort everything out before we went on the road again. We spent about a year thinking about what direction we wanted to go with the album, and about six months recording it. Once we confirmed that we had everyone we wanted involved, it was all systems go.
The songs on In the Mode are relatively short. Most are 3 or 4 minutes long, whereas most tracks designed for the dance floor are 8 to 10 minutes long.
Songs don't need to be that long when you're listening to a CD or an album. We edited all the songs down from longer versions that we'll release as singles. There are longer versions of everything, but we wanted listeners to enjoy the album. It has 18 shorter songs, instead of 10 songs that are 8 minutes long.
How did you edit the songs?
We just made the record like we normally do. Then we listened to it and decided what to cut out. Usually we just cut out the repeated parts. Instead of using 32 bars of drums at the beginning, like you'd do on a record for a DJ, I just go straight into the song. Why waste time? Let's go! Even for my DJ sets, I don't like long intros. I want to be in the mix in seconds. I'm all about the bang.
The mood on this album is a lot fiercer and angrier than that of New Forms, which was more jazz-influenced.
“I want to be in the mix in seconds. I'm all about the
bang.”
I wouldn't say we're angry or aggressive — I would say we're expressive and energetic. New Forms was a testimony to its time. It was a skeleton of different textures, sounds, and vocal ideas. We took some of the ideas from New Forms and from what we learned onstage, and we poured that into In the Mode. Whereas the music on New Forms really didn't work onstage until we did our 100th show, this new record works immediately. What we learned from New Forms and from touring as Reprazent is very different from what the listener learned from our records or the audience learned from our shows.
How did your live experiences influence this record?
We've always had a DJ fan base, so we had to make sure the music on this record worked onstage as well as it would in a DJ set. When you come to see the show, the music has impact. We've got good arrangements, good vocals, and attitude. You can get involved with the lyrics or with the show. You feel like you are part of it.
There are eight of us onstage. [Drummer] Rob Merrill and [bassist] Si John are the core of Reprazent — without them it would be a hard job. I've got to give props to those guys. Onallee and Dynamite take the forefront of the stage. Then there's Die, Krust, Suv, and myself. Everyone who knows what we're about knows that we're concerned with Full Cycle and V Recordings first. These are our own individual outlets, and that is where is our heart is. Then we come together and collect our ideas in Reprazent. When we were working on In the Mode, we made some skeletons of songs and played them as DJs. We went into a rehearsal space and just jammed and created a wall of sound, then we went straight from the rehearsal space into the studio. That's how the album was made.
Among you, Die, Krust, and Suv, who handles which roles within Reprazent?
Krust is all about the strings — strings, strings, strings, Krust. Die is all about the melodies and the drops. Suv is all about the effects, and he covers some of the basses as well. I play almost all the basses and some instrument sounds. Si John and I both play bass, so we back each other up. Basically we watch what the other is doing and fill in the gaps. When Reprazent went on the road before, we learned so much about one another. We all have to be in tune with each other. We have to be in the mode.
You, Die, Krust, and Suv all have identical rigs onstage with keyboard controllers, samplers, and a CRT. What exactly is each of you doing?
Each song has a set of sampled sounds arranged in a bank. We also control filters, effects, echoes, panning, velocity, whatever. Each person has full control of his sounds. There is no sequencing whatsoever. It's all live, baby! Each sampler has about 20 minutes' worth of sounds, and we fill them up to the brim. Every track from our albums is there. We can do whatever we want with the set list. We could ask anyone what song they want to hear, and we could play it.
It's amazing to watch Rob Merrill play drums at those tempos.
I don't think it's so much a matter of keeping up with the tempo. Jazz and rock drummers have been playing at that tempo for a while. I've seen Rob play effortlessly for 2 hours at 200 bpm. It's more about his endurance — coming off an airplane, jet-lagged, and getting up onstage and doing it.
How did you record the drums?
We recorded a lot of Rob's drums live. We learned plenty about what you can do with live drums. The room where we recorded the drums is a bit hollow sounding, so we resampled the drums a lot to make the kicks and snares sound the best they can. We didn't want it to sound like we just used a lot of breaks. It's okay to use breaks to get a basic groove, but we prefer live drums.
Any tips for getting punchy drum sounds?
I'm still learning myself. There are loads of things I want to learn. I want to see how U.S. artists get their kick drums and snares to sound the way they do. I love the way American vocals sound. I still think American production is the greatest. Even the rim shots seem louder than everyone else's. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the rooms.
Drum ’n’ bass has primarily been a studio-based creation. How did you make the transition of bringing it to the stage?
That's the benefit of being involved in a major record company. With Full Cycle or V Recording, we never could have toured. Being attached to Talkin' Loud, Mercury, and Def Jam has enabled us to put together a show on the scale we wanted.
The sound on In the Mode is a lot bigger.
We have a lot of people involved with our productions, including D-Product, my engineer. We have an SSL mixer now. Rather than using samples, we have our own wall of sound. But we're still babies. We still want our big studio. Once we have our big studio, then we'll be rollin'. I'm Pro Tools-mad. We got our first system in 1997. It has taken us all this time — and the Breakbeat Era and Coded Language projects — to figure out how best to use Pro Tools.
How did you use Pro Tools?
We used it to access our recordings very quickly. In the Mode is not about a bunch of tricks. It has special effects, but you can't hear them. It's like the movies. Remember back in the days when you could see Superman's strings? Now you can't see the strings. The trick with special effects is that you don't realize they're special effects. That's our theory at the moment. On this record we tightened up vocals, we moved them around, we made breaks, layers, and contrasts in our arrangements. It sounds like a straightforward record, but the production techniques are there.
What kind of Pro Tools system do you have?
“Just when you think you know what we're about, we'll
change — and change is good.”
Not enough. I want more. I want 20 Apogees. I don't mix on Pro Tools; I don't use the EQs or effects all that much. I haven't been able to get the sound I want out of Pro Tools yet — I don't know how to get the sound of a big desk out of it. We use an old SSL, but we really want a new one. I'm not even on Pro Tools 5.0 yet. I'm happy with an earlier version, and it's fast enough for me. I've got 64 tracks, which is plenty. As long as I can record 64 tracks, get all my shit down, and transfer it to one or two CDs that I can take to another studio and load straight in, I'm happy. That's what I love about Pro Tools. Before, you had to take your whole fucking studio with you and set it up in the corner. Now you just walk in with a few CDs.
Has Pro Tools replaced your samplers?
Absolutely not. We use one of each brand of sampler — Akai, E-mu, Roland. I use an Akai MPC for the drums. If I have a beat in my head, I can bang it out exactly as I hear it. I use the E-mu for my backup kicks and snares and for all my basses because it has great filters and it sounds fat. I use the Roland for all my instrument sounds — it does things my other samplers can't do. I use my old E-mu SP1200 because it sounds dirty and puts out fat, stinking kicks and snares. I use my synth modules for some extra layers. I use one of everything.
What synths did you use on this record?
I've got these old Yamaha CS-20M keyboards that are incredible. But no one gives a shit about these keyboards anymore! People are always reading about what's hot in magazines, but they overlook a lot of great keyboards. These Yamahas are something else. You can hear that synth on the beginning of “Mexican.” When you fuck around with it, it comes up with these crazy sounds you couldn't get from a module. The sounds just came out of the machine, and I went “Damn!” I love that sound.
I noticed that you used a lot of string sounds on In the Mode.
I programmed those sounds myself. There are no music samples or loops on this album. Everything was either played live or created with synth modules. We really worked on the arrangements and scores. There was no string section, but we used a unique string program that gave us all the elements of a 20-piece orchestra. I never use presets — we always create our own special programs. The beginning of “Railing Pt. 2” is a program.
Do you prefer any particular outboard effects devices?
I've got so much Neve and Pultec stuff. Some of the channel-strip modules are great. I'm also into the GRM Tools plug-in, which is amazing.
Rahzel's human-beatbox performance on “In Tune with the Sound” is phenomenal.
“We all have to be in tune with each other. We have to be
in the mode.”
You're telling me, man! I was working in Miami, and I was wondering what was the next best thing beyond “Beatbox,” which Suv and I did on New Forms. We first thought of Doug E. Fresh, and that got us thinking more. I've always been into the Roots — they're about the only modern hip-hop group I know — so I immediately thought of Rahzel. I decided to see what kind of power I had. I got on my bike, went straight to New York, and ran around — I was determined to get Rahzel. We finally hooked up. I let him know how grateful I was for his taking time out from his tour and from seeing his girlfriend to come into the studio that day to record the song. It wasn't easy — in fact, it was really hard for him. I just wanted his first impression, and that's what we got.
Did you do much manipulation of Rahzel's performance?
We did a little bit here and there, but it's 99 percent him.
How did your collaboration with Zack de la Rocha come about?
When people heard we did a track with Zack, it raised a few eyebrows. But when they hear the track, they go “Yeah!” If you ever get in a room with him and me together, you'll see why it worked. We have a common bond. I knew very little about Rage Against the Machine, but I wanted to be educated. My manager knew all about them, and he really liked what they were about. Zack wanted to hook up with us, and when we did, we got along so well. I wanted to let people know we could be political too. We're not all about what most people may think we're about. Just when you think you know what we're about, we'll change — and change is always good. That's what we do.
How did you get Method Man to guest on the album?
When we were working with Redman, I learned a lot about working in the studio with hip-hop artists — about the environment and understanding them. It was very new for me. He showed me straight to the bone what it's like to work in the hip-hop world. When I left the studio after the Redman project, there was a lot I wanted to do. It was obvious that I was going to come back to hip-hop eventually. I did a remix for Method Man, and I had only the tapes of his vocals. I thought, “If only I had him in the studio.” I called my record label and said, “Look, I really want Meth.” They made the phone call for me, and Meth said, “You know what? I'm ready to do this.” Krust, D-Product, and I got on the plane and flew in a blizzard straight to Seattle. We recorded the track for the album there. Reggie [Redman] was there as well. It was a great vibe. We just watched Star Wars and made this track. Even if I had gotten only two words from Method Man, that would have been enough. What we got was great. You can hear how the collaboration works.
Do you foresee a new form of music emerging from the cross-pollination of hip-hop and drum ’n’ bass?
It could happen, but that's not our goal. Onallee has that diva thing going on — which is a lot like Lauryn Hill. Onallee is so soulful. The way she puts the lyrics together for her tracks is unbelievable. It's powerful. I put Dynamite at the forefront this time around, but I have another ten Onallee tracks ready to go for the next project. That's why having Pro Tools is so important.
There is an amazing pool of talent in Bristol.
People in Bristol are starting to get their act together and make it happen for themselves. Bristol's vibe is really glowing. We want to establish our own major record company and video production unit there. Then we can really start making shit happen.
Drum ’n’ bass went through a bit of a decline recently, but In the Mode seems to have given the genre a boost.
We'll see. I've heard a lot of talking, but I haven't really seen much. It never gets back to me. When Prodigy was doing their thing, techno had the same problem. It was similar to what happened to big beat after the Chemical Brothers did their second album. Regardless of whether people have stopped listening to drum ’n’ bass or started making two-step U.K. garage or whatever, we're still going to be very tight with what we do, and people will want to see that. If people really want us to stop, they can just say the word. But we won't stop.
Remix editor Chris Gill recently completed a drum ‘n’ bass/hip-hop crossover cover of “Jailhouse Rock” with Ol' Dirty Bastard. The single was shelved, however, when ODB sued Gill for eating his Big Mac and fries.
Reprazent Web Resources
www.breakbeatera.co.uk
Check out RealAudio versions of songs on Ultra-Obscene;
QuickTime videos; and photos from Breakbeat Era's tour.
www.dopedragon.co.uk
The animated video clip “Wayz of the Dragon” is mainly
all this site offers, but it's well worth checking out.
www.fullcycle.co.uk
This great Flash-oriented site features video archives, recordings
of DJ sets and live performances, and photos as well as artist
bios.
www.krust.co.uk
This site offers a complete discography, lyrics, videos of live
performances, photos, and merchandise.
www.ronisize.com
The official Reprazent Web site features outstanding Flash graphics
and animation, screen savers, e-cards, Real Video streams, audio
downloads, and other goodies.
Roni Size and Reprazent — A Selected Discography
ALBUMS
RONI SIZE
Music Box (Full Cycle, 1998)
REPRAZENT
New Forms (Mercury, 1997)
In the Mode (Talkin' Loud/Island Def Jam, 2000)
Through the Eyes
(Full Cycle, 2000)
EPs
RONI SIZE
Made to Fit
(V Recordings, 1993)
REPRAZENT
Reasons for Sharing
(Talkin' Loud, 1996)
SINGLES
RONI SIZE
“Kiss” (V Recordings, 1993)
“Brut Force” (Full Cycle, 1995)
“Daylight” (Full Cycle, 1995)
“Calling” (V Recordings, 1997)
“It's Jazzy” (V Recordings, 1997)
“Dayz” (V Recordings, 1998)
“Fashion” (V Recordings, 1998)
“Soul Power” (V Recordings, 1998)
“Time Stretch” (V Recordings, 1998)
“Snapshot” (Full Cycle, 1999)
REPRAZENT
“Brown Paper Bag” (Talkin' Loud, 1997)
“Heroes” (Talkin' Loud, 1997)
“Share the Fall” (Talkin' Loud, 1997)
“Watching Windows” (Talkin' Loud, 1997)
“Who Told You” (Talkin' Loud, 2000)
REMIXES
RONI SIZE
“Echo on My Mind” (Earthling) (Cooltempo,
1995)
“Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness” (The Heads)
(Radioactive/MCA, 1996)
“The Trip” (Skylab) (Eye Q, 1996)
“This Time” (Jonny L) (XL/EMI/Virgin, 1996)
“We Never Know” (Nicolette) (Talkin' Loud, 1996)
“Circles” (Adam F) (F-Jams/Positiva, 1997)
“Fly Life” (Basement Jaxx) (Atlantic Jaxx/Multiply,
1997)
“It's Alright, I Feel It!” (Nu Yorican Soul) (Talkin'
Loud, 1997)
“Meditator” (Progenitor)
(Some Bizarre, 1997)
“Miracle” (Olive)
(RCA/BMG, 1997)
“Mofo” (U2) (Island, 1997)
“Outlaw” (Olive)
(RCA/BMG, 1997)
“Whatever” (En Vogue) (East/West, 1997)
“You're Not Alone” (Olive)
(RCA/BMG, 1997)
“Go Deep” (Janet Jackson) (Virgin, 1998)
“Silently Bad Minded” (Pressure Drop) (Higher Ground,
1998)
“Sweet Surrender” (Sarah McLachlan) (Arista,
1998)
“I Got a Secret” (Redman) (Def Jam, 1999)
“Judgement Day” (Method Man) (Def Jam, 1999)
REPRAZENT
“Post Modern Sleaze” (Sneaker Pimps) (Clean Up, 1997)
Reprazent's Live Gear
Akai MPC2000XL sampler
Dimension Beam controller (Krust)
(3) Glyph Improv dual Zip drives
(4) Roland A-33 MIDI keyboard controllers
(4) Roland S-760 samplers
Tascam DA-320 DAT recorder
Yamaha SU10 sampler
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