Customer Reviews

In The Mode

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In the Mode is far better than New Forms, first of all, it's not 2 cd's long,second it's not jazzy and intellectual, last but not least it has far more vocals. According to many reviewers that is supposed to be a bad thing, they want drum'n'bass to remain underground. Please! Don't be this narrow-minded, what is the problem if instead of Britney Spears you hear Reprazents "Snapshot"(best track on the album, I believe), but no, Drum'n'Bass should be either like Bad Company (can it be more dark and furious, un-emotional?) or LTJ Bukem (can it be more sleepy?). Kosheens(Also from Bristol, check 'm out) "Hide U" has proven that D&B can be accepted by a the normal audience. Let's be happy Roni attracted (Hip Hop-) Stars like da Meth and Rahzel. After all, it's not about the image, it's about the Music, and I can tell you, after the last track has finished, you're gonna think this cd is the only ting in the world, taking you on a journey of heavenly vocals, dry but hard beats, beatiful piano and fantatsic raps.

Once again Size and Reprazent produce a masterpiece by departing from the traditional forms of dnb and music in general. And that's why this album may not sound like traditional drum and bass... surely it doesn't sound like anything that I've heard before. In this album, Size and Reprazent reinvent themselves and at the same time go back to their roots bringing us more of their truly fresh "Bristol-original dnb" but now with touches of hip-hop\reggae lyrics, breaks and beats, and even disco. The ordered sequence of these songs and sounds make "In the Mode" so special. Listen to this one from start to finsih. Its a flavored mixture of all types of sounds done in the way that only Roni Size and this group of people know how to do: with real musical style. Why compare this album with "New forms"? "New forms" was released in 1997 and "In the Mode" in 2000 and music has to change and develop. "In the Mode" marks yet another landmark in music history with supreme musical style and a set of strong and innovative sounds.

Before I got a chance to listen to "In The Mode" I thought it would be very hard for Roni Size et al. to come close to the debut album "New Forms". However, after having listened to the new album I am simply amazed how much better they have become. "In The Mode" is way more coherent than the debut album. Its sound is denser, its bass is way more powerful, there are some excellent guest stars (amongst other Method Man), and the songs are all fantastic. It is truly amazing to hear how good this album is. If I could I'd give it any amount of stars.

First, this is not New Forms. That was a landmark album that came along when it looked like the town of Bristol could do no less. No, this is a dark agressive collection of sparse DnB beats, anchored by deep industrial bass and bewitching soundscapes hovering above with evil intent. Paraniod vocals provided by both MC Dynamite and Onallee only further this omnious mood set by Size and Co. Method Man's guest apparence I think is a great balance of tradtional Hip-Hop hitting up against the more futuristic tone set by the junglist movement. Rahzel livens up things a bit with some ol' skool fun, but the track really doesn't add much. Why Zack De LaRocha's track made the final cut is anyone's guess (and know you anti coperate music types already have yours.) Like Krust's solo album, In The Mode grows on you with repeated spins. Check out Railing pt.2 System Check and Dirty Beats(my favorite). No, this album is not the artistic masterpiece of New Forms. Its something different, and trust me, there is room for it.

If I could have ranked this album with 10 stars I would have done it.
Why? Because of masterpieces like "Lucky Pressure" and "Dirty Beats" that teach us, instant classics. Because of touching songs like "Gettho Celebrity" or "System Check" and their virtuous lyrics and incredible music. Once you listen and read Saul Williams and dj Krust's "Coded Language" youll get it. Yes, lets have fun with this record. This is art!

Thank you reprazent. I've listened to it hundreds of times and it gets better every one. Just like with New Forms, You made my day. Keep it true (I know you will)

Listen, dont talk,
Think, then act,
Always, control your behavior.

Speaking as someone who owned 'New Forms', I must say that the latest material of Roni Size/Reprazent sounds more confident, louder, and brasher. Lyrics, whether sung or spoken, are more boisterous, and may sound fun and enjoyable at times. One thing I really have to marvel is the way lyrics are wrapped in Roni Size's D&B context. Be they sung or spoken, there are always sudden stop-gap-'gasp!' sequences between words, all in sync with the beatz! 'Who told you' is a terrific example that challenges the basic 'flow' characteristic of rap. This album nevertheless embodies the Reprazent identity. More for Reprazent fans, but I also recommend this to D&B beginners, that is, if they can sustain their listening attention to the typically frantic beatz at album length (otherwise they may start to yawn).

I'm fealing this mostly because of the phat beats roni drops on this CD. Method Man, Rahzel and Zack De La Rocha bless some of the tracks with ill ryhmes. I think his previous work was much better but not to take anything away from this one. This sounds a bit commercialized not the R.Size I'm use to.

oNe

In case anyone's wondering why the reviews are so mixed on this album, I'll clear it all up. Half of us want this album to be "Newforms Part 2" (or Part 3, technically) very badly. The other half of us appreciate the album on its own without the troubling "Newforms" comparison. I'm personally kind of in the middle, as I heard "In the Mode" long before "Newforms." Yes, "In the Mode" is pretty good, yes it's worth buying/ripping/stealing/taping/remixing/whatever, but damn, man. It sure as hell ain't "Newforms." But again, what is?

-Mediakill

P.S. Spell-check your reviews, you're making fools of yourselves.

This is a great album!
For anyone who enjoys
breakbeats of all sorts.
Very minimal but effective!
I recommend this to anyone
who has not explored the
drum and bass world or
is a newbie to the scene.
A great starting album!

This is some average dnb nothing spectacular, some good raps, some good female vocals but nothing that makes this stand out from the rest. Look to Goldie and Dieselboy. Reid Speed is a good up and comer.