Reprazent
Encyclopedia
Reprazent is a British
drum and bass
act formed by Roni Size
. Their debut album New Forms won the Mercury Music Prize in 1997. Their follow-up album In The Mode featured artists including Rahzel
, Zack de la Rocha
of Rage Against the Machine
and Method Man
.
Roni Size
resurrected Reprazent in 2008 with the release of a deluxe edition of New Forms on Universal
, but in September 2008 announced his intention to disband the act following a third album.
Reprazent's music has been described as containing “meticulously crafted break-beats that, when slowed down, revealed themselves as hip-hop beats”. The most popular track, “Brown Paper Bag”, was praised in the Guardian
as a “masterpiece: an essay in hyperkinetic pace, it piles up teetering stacks of instrumental layers, their cumulative weight triggering each step in a constant cycle of demolition and reconstruction of its latticework of melody, rhythm and mood".
The singles from New Forms featured the vocals of Onallee, whose call for the music in "Brown Paper Bag" is a signal that became widespread in rave culture. The album went platinum and Roni Size returned to the studio to concentrate on his output for V and Full Cycle
and Dope Dragon.
Reforming the band, complete with original members Dynamite MC, Onallee and the bassist
Si John, alongside Yuval Gabay (Soul Coughing), D Product, Jay Wilcox and Pete Josef; Roni Size and Reprazent toured some of the biggest festivals in Europe including Bestival
, Glastonbury
, Lovebox
, Exit
and Rock Herk. As a result, they were amongst the nominations for best dance act from the UK Festival Awards.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
act formed by Roni Size
Roni Size
Roni Size 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...
. Their debut album New Forms won the Mercury Music Prize in 1997. Their follow-up album In The Mode featured artists including Rahzel
Rahzel
Rahzel M. Brown, also known as simply Rahzel, is an American musician and virtuoso beatboxer, formerly a member of The Roots.Nicknamed the "Godfather of Noyze," Rahzel is known for an ability to sing or rap while simultaneously beatboxing, as evidenced in his performances of "Iron Man" and his...
, Zack de la Rocha
Zack de la Rocha
Zacarías Manuel "Zack" de la Rocha is an American rapper, musician, poet, and activist best known as the vocalist and lyricist of Rage Against the Machine.-Early life and childhood:...
of Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
and Method Man
Method Man
Clifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
.
Roni Size
Roni Size
Roni Size 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...
resurrected Reprazent in 2008 with the release of a deluxe edition of New Forms on Universal
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
, but in September 2008 announced his intention to disband the act following a third album.
Reprazent's music has been described as containing “meticulously crafted break-beats that, when slowed down, revealed themselves as hip-hop beats”. The most popular track, “Brown Paper Bag”, was praised in the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as a “masterpiece: an essay in hyperkinetic pace, it piles up teetering stacks of instrumental layers, their cumulative weight triggering each step in a constant cycle of demolition and reconstruction of its latticework of melody, rhythm and mood".
The singles from New Forms featured the vocals of Onallee, whose call for the music in "Brown Paper Bag" is a signal that became widespread in rave culture. The album went platinum and Roni Size returned to the studio to concentrate on his output for V and Full Cycle
Full Cycle Recordings
Full Cycle Recordings was a record label based in Bristol, England specialising in drum and bass. The label was a sister label of V Recordings and is owned and run by Daniel Kausman , Paul Southey , Keith Thompson and Ryan Williams...
and Dope Dragon.
Reforming the band, complete with original members Dynamite MC, Onallee and the bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Si John, alongside Yuval Gabay (Soul Coughing), D Product, Jay Wilcox and Pete Josef; Roni Size and Reprazent toured some of the biggest festivals in Europe including Bestival
Bestival
Bestival is a four-day music festival held at the Robin Hill country park on the Isle of Wight, England. It has been held annually in late summer since 2004. The event is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial...
, Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, Lovebox
Lovebox
-Charts:-Chart procession and succession:-Recording personnel:* 3rd Productions - production * Beni - lyrics , music * D.O.I...
, Exit
EXIT (festival)
Exit is an annual summer music festival in the Petrovaradin Fortress of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is staged annually since 2000 and usually lasts four days ....
and Rock Herk. As a result, they were amongst the nominations for best dance act from the UK Festival Awards.
Members
- Roni SizeRoni SizeRoni Size 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...
, programming/production - DJ DieDJ DieDJ Die , is a British music producer and DJ. He was a founder of drum and bass label Full Cycle Recordings and a member of acts Reprazent and Breakbeat Era....
, programming/production (original member) - DJ Suv, programming/production (original member)
- KrustKrustKrust or DJ Krust is an English drum and bass producer and DJ who is part of the Bristol based Reprazent collective, as well as releasing his own solo material such as "Burnin" which was released on Kickin Records.Krust was interested in hip hop, acid house and rave music as a youth, and was a...
, programming/production (original member) - Onallee, vocals (original & current member)
- Clive Deamer, drums (original member)
- Dynamite MC, vocals (original & current member)
- Si John, electric bass/double bass (original & current member)
- Rob Merrill, drums (original member)
- Yuval Gabay, drums (current member)
- D Product, synthesiser (current member)
- Jay Wilcox, keyboards (current member)
- Pete Josef, guitar (current member)