FOUNDATIONS: NEW FORMS

Roni Size, Reprazent, Full Cycle crew and the roots of the Bristol Sound.

Ben Rubin

Mar 27, 2026

Friends.

It’s Friday.

We’re relaying the foundations of dance music culture.

No time to waste »

REPRAZENT

I’ve been revisiting ‘New Forms’, the 1997 long player from legendary Bristol collective Reprazent. This release did more than any other to thrust Drum and Bass out of the underground and into the mainstream, multi-national limelight.

Without compromising on quality, I should add.

It really is very good.

A deserving Winner of the Mercury Prize in 1997.

And one of the defining releases of the decade.

It has definitely stood the test of time.

Let’s have a listen »

Opening shot ‘Railing’ sets a ‘different pace’ with razor-sharp breaks setting the foundation for what is probably the best MC performance on a Drum and Bass track, courtesy of Dynamite:

After which we’re dropped straight into one of dance music’s most iconic bass licks ‘Brown Paper Bag’:

Amazing music.

And a statement of intent.

Because from that point on it’s wall-to-wall heaters and, as I sit here writing this, it’s actually really hard to select standout tracks.

Of course, special mention has to be made of the extraordinary vocal contributions of Onallee (aka Tracey Bowen). This previously unknown artist stamps her mark on almost half the album, and really helps elevate the project from a collection of high quality rhythm tracks into a timeless soul record.

I love her appearances on ‘New Forms’, ‘Digital’ and ‘Watching Windows’. Today I want to highlight ‘Share The Fall’:

And the all time classic ‘Heroes’ which will always remind me of standing in Virgin Megastore in Nottingham listening to the future open up in front of me:

It’s also impossible to ignore the group’s pioneering blend of live bass (Si John) and drums (Clive Deamer) with the hardware and production core of Roni Size, Krust, Die and Suv.

This uniqe formulation (especially in a DJ-driven culture like Jungle) made them one of the most compelling live acts to come out of the UK in the past 30 years:

Era-defining sounds and vibes.

Make sure to check out the whole thing for yourself.

But Reprazent didn’t appear from nowhere, fully formed in 1997.

Where did this extraordinary burst of creativity come from?

BRISTOL

Bristol has always played a central role in UK sound system culture.

Since the arrival of the first Jamaican immigrants in the 1950s and ‘60s, social gatherings focused around highly-amplifed reggae, funk and soul music have been a vital gathering point for communities going through social and economic hardship.

By the late 1970s, Bristol's scene had solidified with dedicated crews operating dub and reggae-focused sound systems, including prominent selectors like Jah Lokko, Enterprise, Sir Bastian, and Excalibur.

The ‘80s saw the arrival of hip-hop crews like Wild Bunch, a project of Robert Del Naja (3D), Grant Marshall (Daddy G) and Andrew Vowles (Mushroom) who would go on to form Massive Attack.

The Wild Bunch performing at the Dug-Out Club, 1984. Left to right: Milo, Daddy G, Nellee Hooper, Willie Wee, 3D. © Beezer Photos

Nelle Hooper, also part of the Wild Bunch, would go on to produce for Soul II Soul, Sinead O’Connor, Bjork and many others. He was on the buttons for Massive Attack’s classic second LP ‘Protection’ (a personal favourite of mine).

And of course we can’t forget Smith & Mighty, or trip-hop originators like Portishead and Tricky amongst many others.

All of whom were integral players in the rich cultural lineage from which Reprazent would emerge in the mid-90s, driven by the creative force of a core crew of producers centred around Roni Size, Krust, Die and Suv.

Either working alone, or collaborating across a huge range of aliases, the crew released an extraordinary amount of music music on their own labels Full Cycle and Dope Dragon, as well as on iconic imprints like Chronic, V and many others.

I’ve picked a few standouts.

RONI SIZE

Roni is widely viewed as one of the three most important artists in Drum and Bass, alongside Goldie and LTJ Bukem. Definitely the leader and most prolific member of the Full Cycle crew.

Inch by Inch (1993)

Both tracks on Roni’s debut release are great. What I love most is that one side is hardcore and the other jungle. This was the exact moment (1993) when the scenes split, with the 4x4 hardcore crew going in one direction and the junglists in another. Check it:

‘Kiss’

Straight kick drum, definitely hardcore.

Compared to the low slung broken jungle steppa ‘Soul’:

It’s a Jazz Thing (1994)

By ‘94, Mr Size was already rolling out scene defining riddims and establishing his signature deep jazz and funk sound.

Firefox & 4-Tree - Warning (1994)

Pure fiya jungle. Nothing better.

Roni Size - ‘All the Crew Big Up’ (1995)

Yet another scene anthem and defining tune of jungle.

KRUST

Krust is a big thinker and serious artist, responsible for many defining records of the era.

Jazz Note (1994)

Sublime elegance and simplicity, should be in any discerning jungle lover’s arsenal.

Set Speed (1995)

One of my first introductions to jungle. A classic roller with killer samples.

Maximum Style - The Teacher (Krust Remix) (1995)

A personal favourite. The perfect blend of deep intelligence and ruffneck tearout rudeness.

Towards the end of the 90s, Krust would take Drum and Bass to new heights with a series of pioneering, cinematic long-form tracks.

Memories (1996)

Brief Encounters (1997)

Soul in Motion (1997)

True Stories (1998)

DIE

A Devon native who arrived in Bristol in 1985 and went on to become one of the city’s most cherished musical sons.

Play It For Me (1996)

All about that bassline. The classic Bristol Sound, perfectly balancing the dark and light and delivering with soul.

Music Box (1996)

Glistening and shimmering perfection in this collab with ROni Size, which formed part of the seminal complication of the same name released by Full Cycle in 1996.

The Music Box lp also included this collab between Roni and Die under their Scorpio alias, alongside vocalist Leonie Laws.

Scorpio - Breakbeat Era

The trio would go on to record and perform as Breakbeat Era, as I’ll come back to shortly.

Clear Skyz (1998)

One of the all time classic tracks of Drum and Bass. There was a period in the late 90s when this track would be dropped at every single rave, often by multiple DJs.

Clear Skyz VIP (1996)

Alternate version discovered on an old DAT and released in 2022. Probably one of the only good things about lockdown was all the old heads digging out their archives.

Reprazent - Watching Windows (DJ Die Gnarly Vocal Mix)

The best remix to come out of the New Forms album. Used to cause absolute murders on the dancefloor when the LFO drops. IYKYK.

SUV

The least prolific of the crew, but with some real heaters in the bag nonetheless. Here’s a couple:

Get On Down (1996)

A wicked collab with Die on V Recordings which formed part of the Randall Dreamscape mix I shared a couple of weeks ago.

Parklands (2000)

Just epic from start to finish. Possibly the best release on Full Cycle, NGL.

BREAKBEAT ERA

I definitely have to mention the other group Roni and Die were part of alongside vocalist Leonie Laws.

Breakbeat Era was formed out of an early collab on the Music Box LP (as mentioned earlier), with a series of 12s and an LP dropping through 1998 and 2000. There are some gems.

Breakbeat Era (1998)

Little jazz funk roller very much in the Reprazent vein.

Our Disease Tera (1999)

One of the all time rinse out DnB tunes. My mate went to Planet V at the Que Club in Birmingham around this time and Roni Size opened with this on dubplate. Apparently half the crowd thought the soundsystem had blown before the drop came in and the place went completey mental. Killer track.