anyone who knows me knows how much i love this particular genre of music, and it all started with roni size‘s new forms.
i was at home wrestling with a particularly nasty essay, and my then-boyfriend had come over to give me moral support. he’d been to the record store the day before and brought his purchases over for me to listen to. “tell me what you think of this”, he said in a tone i couldn’t read, popping new forms into my stereo.
i had never heard anything like it. i was not prepared for what came out of those speakers, much less the very visceral effect it had on me. each slight shift in rhythm, the tiniest modulation in the syncopation, or a new melodic element, fired off another spark of interest that sent a wave of euphoric energy through me. it was a palpable rhythmic bliss.
my boyfriend had been watching me with a somewhat bemused look on his face. “you can keep it if you like”, he offered. the way my face lit up was all the answer he needed. “don’t you want it?” i asked. “nah, i don’t really like it”, a slightly curled lip and a shake of the head, “it’s too random.” too random? i couldn’t believe my ears, but i was too happy to care.
since then there have been other artists and other albums – from bukem to bricolage – but new forms still energises me in a way no other album can.
(want to hear a bit? click here. and listen to the shift that happens halfway through the track here.)