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Your support makes all the difference.1 'INNER CITY LIFE' Goldie (Ffrr, 1994)
This seminal record was one of the most exciting tracks for me when I first got into music. It was partly because Goldie was part of an identifiable scene, along with 4 Hero and Rufige Kru - they were a unit with a vision and an ideology. That inspired me.
2 'MUSIC' LTJ Bukem (Good Looking, 1993)
This track is one of the origins of drum'n'bass. It's very simple, in a way, with a great bassline and a great clarity of sound. I remember, when this came out, it was the rave track.
3 'INCREDIBLE' (BOOYAKA MIX) M-Beat feat General Levy (Renk, 1994)
This was a record that came more from the jungle scene, but it was so popular, it got about 70,000 rewinds at every night it was played. Wicked track.
4 'PULP FICTION' Alex Reece (Metalheadz, 1995)
This was originally the B-side of "Chill Pill". Again, it was a simple sound, while being inventive and creative at the same time.
5 'IT'S A JAZZ THING' Roni Size (V Recordings, 1996)
First one of mine, this. I think Gilles Peterson was the first person to play it, with Jumpin' Jack Frost, and it just got an amazing reception. I think it was because it didn't sound like anything else out there. It's actually a tribute to Omar and his track "There's Nothing Like This" - it's got the same rhythm.
6 'STAR CHASERS' (MASTERS AT WORK REMIX) 4 Hero (Talkin' Loud, 1998)
I admire the duo's specialist approach to music-making. All their tracks are executed to perfection, with a great attention to detail.
7 'BROWN PAPER BAG' Roni Size/Reprazent (Talkin' Loud, 1997)
I think this was a track that opened people's eyes to a completely different music scene. When our album, New Forms, won the Mercury, it made things more accessible and spread the vibe.
8 'SHAKE UR BODY' Shy FX & T-Power (Positiva, 2002)
This is a brilliant use of vocals and the first track to get lots of radio play. The excellent use of vocals kept it alive on a commercial level. Again, it was well executed, the beats were raw and the tune was phat. A well-deserved success.
9 'CRIMINAL MINDED' Boogie Down Productions (B-Boy, 1987)
Not strictly drum'n'bass but a track that taught me how to be real.
10 'BODY ROCK' Andy C & Shimon (RAM, 2001)
I think that the sound of drum'n'bass had become too structured - it was sort of stagnating - and this offered a whole new groove to d'n'b records. It was one of those tracks that you either got or you didn't: some people hated it, but it offered something totally new.
Roni Size is currently appearing in 'The Joy of Decks' on ITV1 (12.30am, Thursday night)
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