Features

Roni creates the film's soundscape

Roni Size - A picture of Britain - West

In A Picture of Britain we explore its roots through an audio tapestry woven by Roni Size - one of the key names in British drum 'n' bass.

Born to Jamaican immigrant parents, Roni grew up in the same areas which were home to Smith & Mighty, Massive Attack and Tricky.

Expelled from school in his teens, Roni joined 'The Basement Project', a musical youth club where he first learnt about production. This is where it all started.

He met up with DJ Krust in the early 90s and the combination of these two musically-harmonised minds, and a lack of outlets for their music, created the nucleus of 'Full Cycle' and 'Dope Dragon' record labels.

A Picture of Britain West is an insightful and energetic film-collage authored by Roni - an ingenious musician.

Combining observational documentary, stills, interviews and live performance, Roni scores a very personal portrait of the physical and cultural landscape that has inspired his creativity.

Reprazent was Roni's drum 'n' bass collective. In 1997, they came to national prominence when he was awarded that year's Mercury Prize for their debut album 'New Forms'.

Meteoric rise for Size

Roni Size - an ingenious musician.

It was a major achievement, as Reprazent had been up against established names in the music industry such as Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and the Spice Girls.

This award success and the quality of the ‘New Forms’ record confirmed his standing and catapulted him to greater popularity than any other drum 'n' bass producer.

This film is a soundscape of the Roni’s Bristol – from St Andrew's to St Paul's to Old Market.

We see Roni at work in his Barton Hill studio, creating sounds and laying down the tracks that colour the film.

His scribbling of lyrics on notepaper from hotels in Japan and Palm Springs give us an understanding of his life and insight into his methods of working.

We experience the vibrant mix of communities that inspire Roni as a producer, a DJ and, importantly, a Bristolian. The early years that had such a formative influence in his life are exposed for us to share.

Despite being a man-of-the-world, Bristol's streets and graffiti marked walls mark out Roni's home.

Nurturing the future

Roni grew up in St Andrews

St. Andrew's, the hilltop neighbourhood where Roni grew up and still lives today, features largely in the film.

Looking across the city from St Andrew's Park he recalls, when he was young, hearing the rumbles of reggae bass-lines and shouts of MCs wafting up from the St Paul's Carnival - an annual celebration of Bristol's multiculturalism.

Today, 'The Basement Project' is alive and still influencing young people in Bristol. He donated much of his Mercury Prize award money so that he could pass on the opportunity for other youngsters to create and experiment with their music.

On the walls of the centre, portraits of the young MCs, rappers and musicians reveal a surprising mix of culture, colour and class.

Music is the unifier.

Memories of Roni's first gigs performed to an audience come flooding back with a visit to the Trinity Church in the Old Market area. Originally donated by the council to the African Caribbean community, it became a popular gig venue.

Roni Size sees himself as being very much a part of the diverse and culturally-rich population in Bristol. Roni's music and Bristol's landscape and inextricably combined.

Open your musical mind and watch A Picture of Britain on Monday 11 July at 7.30pm on BBC THREE.

"I come from Bristol and I've tried to represent the streets of Bristol which I've walked. Hopefully this film will give you a picture of where I come from," said Roni.