Sasha & John Digweed

It was an era rife with history, one engraved with the underpinnings of dance culture. Through the early '90s, the U.K. music scene witnessed the dual explosion of Britpop and club music, the latter of which united them both through its carefree, drug-fueled settings. The Renaissance label, which picked up...

By Kiran Aditham

January 20, 2005

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It was an era rife with history, one engraved with the underpinnings of dance culture. Through the early '90s, the U.K. music scene witnessed the dual explosion of Britpop and club music, the latter of which united them both through its carefree, drug-fueled settings. The Renaissance label, which picked up the pieces after the legendary Hacienda dance club shut its doors, was at the epicenter of it all.

Under its Bacchanalian banner, two soon-to-be iconic DJs were staking their claim with marathon sets featuring acid house and epic, progressive beats. Sasha & Digweed are household names today and were already being touted as heroes in their homeland back then. This massive, three-disc anniversary mix sums it all up, from Leftfield's dub breaks and the diva-led frenzy of the first disc to the deep dramatic pulses (including Moby's classic "Go") on the third. Though the high-energy inclinations are slightly out-of-touch, Renaissance is an invigorating account of an influential epoch in techno music and an aural background of its two most significant purveyors. It's a beautifully packaged time capsule for those who don't want to ever forget as well as those who can't actually remember.

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