New Forms
» Published by szola on Apr 26, 2006
In 1994 Bryan Gee, set up V recordings, and released Krust's 'Deceivers EP', soon followed by Roni Size and Die's 'Agility'.
Full cycle followed on the footsteps of V recordings, and the two labels got noticed by a bigger label, Talkin' Loud.
"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." says Roni Size.
The year is 1997. The drum'n'bass collective Reprazent, including Roni Size, Suv, Die, Onallee and Krust release NewForms. Roni Size is the only one contributing to each track.
The record wins the Mercury Music Prize, and the rest is history.
The year is 2006 and there is one drum'n'bass LP that is still better then the rest. NewForms. Drum'n'bass is music that moves you, dominated by the "12-s, released without much promotion.
A good drum'n'bass LP is hard to come by. The focus does not seem to be on the LP, but rather the EP, or "12 singles. That does not diminish the sheer weight and beauty of NewForms.
Lets take you through so of the highlights of this splendid record .
Railing – It beggings with a simple and hard htting drum beat, followed up by a simple and gently flowing rap (Dominic Smith). The simple drum beat drives this track, together with the minimalistic rapping
Brown paper bag – the bass and guitar melody sets this track off to a soothing start, and in time the bass becomes the dominant aspect of the track, playing a wonderful bass line under a lively drum track that urges the listener to move
New forms – Bahamadia's rapping is intertwined with a good bass line. Her voice is gentle and flowing, whilst the rhtym is not trying to dominate the track, only flowing along. There is no competition for the listeners attention. There is teamwork.
Heroes – Onallee's best contribution on NewForms. Wicked snare druming in the intro, sliding into a gentle flowing drum'n'bass track, with a cool percussion break in the middle of the track.
Watching windows – Antoher track with Onallee, this time with a more hip-hop feel (the record sratching). The beats are slower and more accentuated, making this track swing differently from the others.
There is much to be said about a record, but to get the feel of it one has to listen to the record as well. NewForms should be enjoyed while on the move, be it dancing, pacing or driving. The record is filled with energy, and the steady bass lines that flow through this album make moving one's limbs hard to resist.