1997 was a huge year for music via some major album releases. Just have a look at the nominations for Best Album at the UK’s Mercury Music Awards that year: Radiohead ‘Ok Computer’, Chemical Brothers ‘Dig your Own Hole’, Prodigy’s ‘The Fat of the Land’ were just some of the classics up for the gong. The interest in who might win was hot, everyone had their favourites, and as the night rolled around anticipation reached fever pitch. But there was a unexpected play from a then unknown producer called Roni Size and his band Reprazent. His album ‘New Life’ was nominated too, and with his fresh, organic take on drum n bass the Bristollian went on to beat his more fancied peers. Never doubt yourself hey…

With it’s huge bassline anthem ‘Brown Paper Bag’, ‘New Life’ went on to become one of the Top 20 highest selling albums to have won a Mercury Prize award. Even the BBC acknowledged that it “carved a mainstream niche for drum and bass like no album before it”, and Allmusic describes it as “he major statement on drum’n’bass”. Yeah it’s safe to say this album is an essential part of the drum n bass story…

To celebrate the album’s 20 year anniversary, Size has re-released it and announced a world tour. To make this even more appetising Size will be rolling out his LIVE show for its Australian debut: an ‘A/V experience which promises a combined instrument and hardware show featuring state-of- the-art projection mapping in the form of a ‘light box’. Get some musical history in you and go catch the man when he hits an Australian or a Kiwi venue near you.