Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. That year they won the Mercury Prize for their debut studio album "New Forms".
(Read more at Wikipedia).
Links to Peel[]
A big supporter of Drum & Bass, Peel first played then little-known Bristol-based Roni Size on his radio shows in 1994. Ten years later, the Mercury Prize-winning chart star was among those who paid tribute to the DJ after his death, on the BBC Four TV programme Dear John:
"I think he voiced his love and showed his appreciation by playing your music. That’s how I think he knew me. I would be in my house and I’d switch the radio on … and he’d play one of my records and he’d be talking about it as if he knew me. And I think that’s the personal touch, because he actually listened to my music, and I’m proud of that."
In fact, Roni Size did meet Peel in person at least once, when he was interviewed by him in Peel's BBC radio studio before Size's first and only session, toward the end of 1996, before the huge commercial success of the "New Forms" album with Reprazent the following year, released on the Talkin' Loud label co-founded by Peel's future R1 colleague Gilles Peterson. Available playlists suggest JP didn't play any tracks from the album on his shows, perhaps feeling it was receiving plenty of airtime elsewhere.
Peel would subsequently introduce the D&B collective in BBC radio and TV coverage of Glastonbury in 1998.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
One sessions. No known release.
- 14 December 1996: live set in studio (& Peel interviews RS)
- unknown tracks (Peel says some material may be released on upcoming Share The Fall (12", Talkin' Loud, 1997))
Live[]
- 28 June 1998: Live at Glastonbury
- Heroes
- unknown
- Share The Fall
- Brown Paper Bag
Other Shows Played[]
- 1994
- 30 December 1994: Time Stretch (12 inch – Exer-size EP) V Recordings
- 31 December 1994 (BBC World Service): Time Stretch (93 Mix) (12"-Exer-Size E.P.) V Recordings
- 1995
- 14 July 1995: Daylight (12 inch – Touch Of Daylight) Full Cycle
- 14 January 1995: Time Stretch [95 Re-Lick] (12 inch - Timestretch/Phizical [Remixes]) V Recordings
- 05 August 1995: Timestretch (Origin Unknown Remix) (12" - Timestretch / Phyzical (Remixes)) V Recordings
- 1996
- 13 April 1996: (with DJ Krust & DJ Die): I Remember (v/a album - Music Box: A New Era In Drum & Bass) Full Cycle
- 27 April 1996 (with DJ Krust & DJ Die): I Remember (v/a album - Music Box: A New Era In Drum & Bass) Full Cycle
- 27 October 1996 (& Reprazent): Down (2x12" – Reasons For Sharing ) Talkin’ Loud
- 17 November 1996 (& Reprazent): Down (2x12 inch – Reasons For Sharing )’ Talking Loud
- 1997
- 28 October 1997: Brown Paper Bag (single) Talkie' Loud (show co-hosted with Steve Lamacq)
- 2000
- 10 August 2000 (& Reprazent):Who Told You (Single) Talkin' Loud
- 16 August 2000 (& Reprazent): Who Told You' (Single) Talkin' Loud