Roni Size

Active since the early 1990s in Bristol, Roni Size, born Ryan Owen Granville Williams in 1969, belongs to the generation that moved the local jungle scene toward drum and bass. Coming from a Jamaican family and influenced by sound systems and hip‑hop culture, Roni Size began producing at a young age and released his first maxis in 1993 on the WTP label, before cofounding the Full Cycle and Dope Dragon imprints with other Bristol producers. His work then developed within the collective Roni Size & Reprazent, where the combination of fast drum‑and‑bass rhythms, jazz and soul influences and a strong use of live instrumentation took shape on the album New Forms (1997) and later on In the Mode (2000). Alongside Reprazent, Roni Size pursued a solo career with the albums Touching Down (2002), Return to V (2004) and Take Kontrol (2014), refining a sound centered on prominent bass lines, detailed breaks and a continual link to rap and ragga. Roni Size remains associated with British and international club scenes, alternating DJ sets, studio projects and occasional Reprazent reunions, which keeps his name at the heart of drum‑and‑bass history and the evolution of Bristol’s sound.