Sasha

Involver (Global Underground)

Comments (0) Thursday, Jul 15 2004

Though he deserves many of the accolades that come with being a world-renowned DJ, Sasha hasn't reveled in the glory lately. Having achieved just moderate success with 2002's uneven Airdrawndagger, Sasha couldn't garner the same level of respect for his full-length labor of love than he does for an eight-hour set behind the decks. After a string of high-profile gigs with part-time cohort John Digweed, a strobe-light bulb must've flashed for the vinyl maestro.

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Five years after his first two Global Underground releases, Sasha's returned, discovering a medium to blend his conceptual indulgences with his knack for marathon mixes. With the aptly coined Involver, he's again evolved GU's template by not only creating a cohesive set but also remixing and reediting every track. His trademark deep-house output invites electro and breakbeat dalliance here, allowing tracks like Petter's "These Days" to step comfortably into UNKLE's "What Are You to Me?" The second half focuses on epic tomes like Lostep's 12-minute "Burma" and the processed, guitar-driven bounce of Felix Da Housecat's "Watching Cars Go By."

Clocking in at 77 minutes, Involver has plenty of time to build. It's not instantly noticeable where Sasha's fingerprints lie in these productions, but listen for the expanded timings and dance floor-oriented ebbs and flows; Sasha's not only involved but evolved DJing again. -- Kiran Aditham