Kool FM: the pirate station that helped build jungle
It first broadcast on 28 November 1991, on 94.5FM from Clapton, and 35 years on it still plays jungle and drum and bass on DAB and online.
By D-N-B Desk
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New Forms: Roni Size and Reprazent and the 1997 Mercury Prize
Released on 23 June 1997, the debut album by Roni Size and Reprazent won the Mercury Prize and went platinum in the UK.
On 23 June 1997, Roni Size and Reprazent released their debut album, New Forms. It would go on to win the Mercury Prize that year, and it remains one of the best known records in the history of drum and bass.
The album
According to Wikipedia, New Forms was released through Talkin' Loud and later re-released by Mercury Records and Universal Music Group. It was a critical and commercial success, certifying platinum in the UK and often being cited as the group's magnum opus. Production credits go to Roni Size, Krust, DJ Die and Suv.
Four singles were released from the album: Share the Fall, Heroes, Brown Paper Bag and Watching Windows. All four entered the UK singles chart and featured vocals from Onallee.
The prize
The Mercury Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the United Kingdom or Ireland. Wikipedia explains that it was created in 1992 by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the British Phonographic Industry and the British Association of Record Dealers, as an alternative to the Brit Awards. Twelve submitted albums are shortlisted for the prize.
New Forms won in 1997. For a genre that had grown up on pirate radio and in clubs, it was a moment of recognition from the wider music world.
What the album sounds like
New Forms mixes live instruments with drum and bass rhythms. There are double bass and drums, vocals and electronic production, giving the record a warmth that many fans associate with the Bristol scene. It is both a dancefloor album and a listening record, and it works on both levels.
Why it still gets talked about
Records that win major prizes are often remembered for the award alone. New Forms is remembered for the music. Many producers cite it as an influence on how they approach arrangement, and it is a common starting point for new listeners.
If you have never heard it, play it from the start. Then listen to one of the later liquid or soulful drum and bass albums and notice how much the shape of the genre owes to the decisions made on this record.
Sources
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