Roni Size is a man who needs little introduction. A famed DJ, producer and mostly everything in between, his touch is much like King Midas’. And once again, he returns to Australian shores for a bit of a mash up. Who’s ready?
You grew up in Bristol and got thrown out of school at 16. Did you think about getting back into it and applying yourself?
[Laughs] I went to 6th form eventually and did get back into it because I felt like I needed to give myself justice! Back then the music wasn’t even called drum and bass!
OK, your initial hookup was with Krust – how did you guys meet and how, over all these years, have you nurtured and developed your relationship both personally and professionally?
When I first met Krust it was basically a job interview, but I had always known about him and what he was doing musically. I also knew what crew he was a part of and we just both did our thing in Bristol. We were like minded people who had the same goals and we both had the passion to make lots and lots of sacrifices to achieve what we wanted. We used to travel back and forth, back and forth, to London. Over that time, we maintained our relationship by having a true understanding of all things around us. It was 10 pounds to buy weed, 10 pounds to eat and 6 pounds to get to London. We did that for 2 or 3 years and that’s where we come from and that’s what we know. We always had each others back. We also had Die around us and we all pushed each other – as I said, we knew where we came from and where we were going to.
Tell us about the new Collaboration mix you did with Krust and Die.
Well, it’s basically just a bunch the best tunes at the time mixed up and presented with, you know, flavor. It’s a dope mix.
You started with the jazz thing in the early 90s – at a time when jungle was dark and hard. Bukem has persisted with this sound, while you have moved on a little– tell us about the move back to the harder edged sound ?
To be honest, I have always managed to be able to put together different music and I love it all. If you listen to Timestretch, it has no jazz elements. Whereas my later stuff, Reprazent and Collabs is a different style. I love all sorts of music and feel I have always managed to slot my influences into my music depending on how I am feeling at the time. And when I need that inspiration, I listen to my records – whether it’s jazz or funk or whatever. You look at my collection compared to someone born in the 1980s. Actually I don’t have a lot of drum and bass in my record collection and that’s because I haven’t always made 1 style of music, I’ve always managed to use my influences to create different shit, you know.
You’ve always surrounded yourself with like minded people. The whole Reprazent crew – tell us how that came about and what it means to you to have people like that in your corner?
Reprazent is a great point in our time where we got recognised for working really hard, and we can look back and say we toured the world and achieved lots of different things. It’s great to have Krust and Die and the whole crew there on the stage performing with each individual having each of their own ambitions. Each person was involved in a separate way and all of us were doing their own projects, which is a good thing.
Tell me also about how you hooked up with Method Man and Rahzel – and if there are any other people you’d like to work?
I’m pretty open, you know. I cast myself as a producer first, a DJ second and a label boss third. So for me the thing is to work with someone to create a particular sound. Working with Rahzel and Meth, this was a great time and would be every producer’s ambitions and these are great things to have on my CV. As for later, I don’t really have any plans to work with anyone in particular, at the moment I’m just trying to concentrate on where I left off as a DJ and enjoying that right now.
Tell us about the BBC documentary you are doing the moment?
BBC wanted to record a documentary on my influences growing up in Bristol – it’s an honest take on my journey in Bristol and it’s really the first opportunity for me to put together a visual of my life as a kid and how the music inspired me and how I decided to concentrate on it [the music], let’s see how it comes out!
Tell us about the new album – Return To V.
These recordings were the first on a label that took a real gamble with me and I respect that. I enjoyed putting this stuff together and this was my promise to myself – to do lots of different stuff; vocals; instrumentals; It was really to give the listener an idea of what the artist can do and I think it’s achieved that.
Tell us about what I think is one of the grandest coup’s of your career – the hookup with Tali. How did you meet and how did you know she had it?
She’s a good girl, she knows what she wants and at the moment she is living in London and doing some recordings and productions. Her voice is magnificent as are her production skills.
Finally, tell us about your coming gigs in Australia. What can we expect?
Well, I’m going to bring a whole batch of tunes that will make people move!
National tour dates:
Sydney – 28th Sept – Home Nightclub
Melbourne – 29th Sept – Hi Fi Bar & Ballroom
Adelaide – 30th Sept – Earth Nightclub
Perth – 1st Oct – Freemantle Arts Centre (1st Show)
Perth – 1st Oct – Three Bears, Magarette River (2nd show)
hybridgirl says...
so, so, so, so unfair. why two dates in bloody perth and nothing in brisbane.