In The Mode

Still walking that tightrope between seductive soul and fearsome BPM counts, Size and crew grab you by the earlobe and drag you along, whether you like it or not. This time, though, they've polished their sound to a liquid smoothness and brought some friends along, namely Method Man and Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha.... At a time when drum-and-bass has lost its momentum and focus, In the Mode glimmers with brilliance simply because it's everything that drum-and-bass isn't.

The change is clear from the outset with 'In The Mode' sounding like an album made by an act that no longer feels the need to pamper its audience. Gone are the gently loping double bass grooves and feathery vocals, replaced by a feverishly paced percussive assault that challenges both vocalists and live instruments alike to keep up.

His latest returns a sense of urgency to a musical revolution-turned-boutique genre. The vibe's faster and gnarlier... [10/27/2000, p.120]

In The Mode is far from an innovative lyrical masterpiece. But then, it's not supposed to be. The rapping, singing, and general noisemaking of vocalists Dynamite MC, Onallee, and guests Method Man and Rahzel serve a far more critical purpose than merely adding hollow words. Unspectacular in their own right, the vocals here are what bind together the bursts of musical thought into a fluid whole.

Slimmer, leaner, more disciplined than its predecessor.

Dense and relentlessly angry... 'In The Mode' is an example of fierce, righteous, and - despite the American input - fearlessly British innovation.

Like its predecessor, In The Mode is a sprawling tour-de-force, and its 80 minutes contain much that is breathtaking alongside the pleasant if perfunctory. [Nov 2000, p. 112]

Shot through with uncut techno and hip-hop, the grooves on this seventeen-track CD are hard, propulsive and irresistible.

Roni Size has abandoned his grooves for a tougher hip-hop-oriented approach. The results are hit and miss... [Nov. 2000, p.122]

Rather than an abdication, In the Mode is a defiant and defensive statement.... This bristling new approach pays off well for the most part. As on New Forms, some of the best moments come when the crew mixes some soul and R&B stylings into the proceedings... At times the determination to keep the beats pounding hard and heavy leads to a slightly generic feel, especially on the instrumental cuts.

Roni Size and Reprazent come back so fast and furious on In the Mode that their record sounds less like a jungle reinvention than a call to arms. [Nov. 2000, p.207]

In The Mode indicates the importance of Size's gift as both a bandleader and a producer: Because his music combines so many different elements (hip-hop, dub, soul, jazz, rock, ambient, techno), his uncanny ability to juggle everything makes Reprazent go down easy, considering how uniquely frenetic the stuff is.

In The Mode is at its most invigorating when it eschews the now tired-sounding rare groove and cool-jazz format of 'New Forms' for a sound that combines more bounce-friendly radio sounds with a hint of menace. [#79, p.136]

Size earns his crown as he breaks through the jungle unscathed on In the Mode. He rises above mainstream neighbors Tricky and Massive Attack to take credit for an eclectic mix of what would have been one painfully long trip if left to any old Limelight DJ.