New Forms

Considered by many to be a classic drum 'n' bass artist album, Roni Size & Reprazent's New Forms perfected a blend of jazz and trip-hop background with a future-leaning breakbeat structure that was both edgy and accessible. It earned the group the Mercury Music Prize in 1997. Alongside fellow producers DJ Die, DJ Suv, and Krust, Size was flanked by an extensive crew of vocalists and performers, drawing out an impressive double disc perhaps best coined by the seminal hit "Brown Paper Bag"—an unmistakable standup-bass and guitar riff joined by icy atmospheric chords and an echo of hip-hop. Much more than a vehicle for a single, New Forms is a journey of a record that can't be replicated. It brought drum 'n' bass to the public eye on a scale most wouldn't have thought possible at the time and changed the world's perception of electronic music.