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Biographie de Roni Size en français tirée du site Fluctuat.net:

Roni Size a grandit à Bristol en Angleterre. Forcément pour se lancer dans la musique électronique ça aide, surtout quand on a pour camarades de quartier des Tricky, Massive Attack et autres Smith & Mighty à l'aube de leur carrière. Avant de devenir l'un des producteurs de drum & bass les plus reconnus au monde, Roni Size s'entraîne sur du hip hop, de la house et du dub.

A la fin des années 80, il se met à produire quelques galettes house et reggae. En 1990, il fait la connaissance de celui qui deviendra son fidèle compagnon de route : DJ Krust. A ce duo viennent s'ajouter son ami d'enfance Suv et un DJ alors d'avantage attiré par le hardcore : DJ Die. Tous les quatre, ils forment le label Full Cylcle, qui deviendra LA référence en matière de drum & bass. Leur premier disque arrive en 1995, cette compilation baptisée "Music Box" offre un joli panorama de leur son si reconnaissable, mélange de jazz et de soul sur une rythmique syncopée.

L'un des premiers morceaux de Roni Size "It's a jazz thing" (1996) connaît un joli succès dans le cercle des avertis. Bientôt son quatuor devient un quintet quand vient s'y adjoindre la chanteuse Onnalee. Un nouveau collectif naît et il s'appelle Reprazent. Leur premier album - et donc le premier de Roni Size - s'intitule "New Forms" et sort en 1997 sur le label Talkin Loud. Le public aime, Roni Size qui est le "boss" de Reprazent (pas pour rien que la pochette de l'album indique Roni Size & Reprazent) devient l'un des artistes majeurs de la scène électro anglaise.

En 1999, Roni Size fait une infidélité à Reprazent le temps d'un album pour le projet Breakbeat Era avec DJ Die et la chanteuse Leonie Laws. Le trio sort cette même année l'album "Ultra Obscene". L'année suivante, Size a la bonne idée de réintégrer Reprazent pour l'album "In the Mode", concentré ultra boosté de drum & bass haut de gamme : une réussite.

Ses deux derniers disques, Roni Size les a conçu en solo : en 2002 paraît "Touching Down", "Return to V" en 2005. Ce dernier album en date est un bel hommage au label qui l'a soutenu pendant une partie de sa carrière mais aussi et surtout l'une des plus grosses perles à sa couronne de roi de la drum & bass.




Biographie de Roni Size en anglais:

Roni started on the path of musical production when he was thrown out of school aged 16, but music had always been a part of his life. Roni was born and grew up at 'the top of the hill' a.k.a. St Andrew's, Bristol.

From the bottom of this hill came the sounds of the 70s blues parties and sound-systems - the beat infected Roni's bones.

So, after being expelled he walked straight into Sefton Park basement project, which allowed youngsters to try their hand on the decks, the mixing desk, drum machines and samplers.

Here he learned the basics and his brother's comprehensive collection of Studio One records gave him material to work with. After setting up a home studio and buying a sampler, a musical master of production was in the making.

Meeting up with Krust in the early 90s brought two musically compatible minds together, they faced the same dilemma of having no outlet for their music they put their energies into their own label.

With the help of Chris Lewis Roni set up WTP (Where's The Party At?) record label as part of Circus Warp. From that Full Cycle and Dope Dragon were established in 1993.

Bryan Gee was an early admirer, holding on to their tapes whilst at work at RCA recordings. When in 1994 he set up V Recordings, Krust had V001 with 'Deceivers EP' and Roni and Die had V002 with their debut release, 'Agility'.

"We looked at V as the strong brother label, with Full Cycle the sister following in its footsteps... Over the years the two gelled, people associated V and Full Cycle together. Through putting a lot of music out on these two labels we then got noticed by another label, a major - Talkin' Loud."

Roni Size and Full Cycle were one of the first to bring the jazzy elements into the dark jungle of the early 90s.

"We were using more melodies, more jazz orientated loops - sounds that in London only people like Bukem, or maybe Fabio or Peshay were using. But they were still using fat Amens where we were just using toned down breaks."

'It's a Jazz Thing' in 1994 sparked the interest of fellow experimental types James Lavelle and the Mo' Wax posse. Roni Size was picked up by Talkin' Loud and the compilation album Music Box (a fifty/fifty collaboration with Die) was released in 1996. Their varying personal influences helped create the unique Full Cycle sound.

"Suv was more dub, Die was more jazz, I was more ragga or bashment and Krust was definitely more hip-hop but we all had elements of soul and break beat in us, we all had graffiti stains on our hands, we all rode BMXs or skateboards. We all came from the same school - the school of the 80s and 90s. We've always tried to incorporate all those elements into our music. If we could put the sounds from spray can, the sounds from skateboards scraping along the road and of people falling off BMXs, in one record we would."

The following year the crew, now officially called 'Reprazent', took the world by storm 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.

The singles from the album all featured the unmistakable vocals of Onalee whose call for the music in 'Brown Paper Bag' is a signal all ravers still respond to. 'Heroes' and 'Watching Windows' are also classics.

The album went platinum and, surprised by their new massive fan Roni and the boys and returned to the studio. 'It's Jazzy' came out on V Recordings later that same year.

1998 was a year of Dope Dragon tracks. These dance floor smashers were given an outlet through Dope Dragon but after this year it took a back seat to Full Cycle.

"The Dragon's gonna return… trust me," promises Roni.

In 1999 with Die, Roni produced the Breakbeat Era album featuring vocals from Lennie Laws and in July the following year his Through The Eyes compilation showcased tracks from newcomers D-Product and Surge.

Later that year came the long awaited second project from Reprazent. In the Mode delivered a variety of tracks, some featuring vocals from Dynamite, Onalee and some from collaborations with hip-hop legends Method Man and Zac de la Rocha and beat-box master Rahzel.

In 2001, Roni returned to the studio and started working with Tali who had recently arrived from New Zealand. In this time he also produced Touching Down - released in October 2002. This, his first truly solo album, is 16 brand new dance floor smashers mixed into one hour's set and includes the massive singles Playtime and Sound Advice.

In 2003 Roni put together a live show reminding the world of his Full Cycle's presence in the live arena. It featured some of his new tunes from forthcoming Return To V and remixes of old classics like 'Brown Paper Bag' and 'Underneath the Moon'.

The "Roni Size & Tali 'in the mix' Tour" with Bryan Gee was hosted by Dynamite MC and Sweet P with extra vocals from a new generation of Full Cyclists , Hollie Grant and Zaniah.

And the future is just as prolific, now having been in the game over ten years Roni is a veteran. His latest release Return to V on V Recordings which features guests such as Beverley Knight, Rahzel, Jocelyn Brown, Rodney P, Vikter Duplaix and Navigator shows his production skills never fail to vary and adapt.

Roni has recently returned to DJing and has a hectic worldwide touring schedule for the rest of this year. He is also recording lots of new material for the return of the legendary sister label to Full Cycle, Dope Dragon.