Sasha
There's been a lot of rubbish talked about Djs, dance music and remixing in the last couple of years. Cutting through the bullshit, some facts are undeniable: dance music is currently the UK's (the world's) most cutting edge music form; DJs play the key role in the promotion of this music; and the age of the DJ
producer has arrived.
The UK is always particularly fickle about such things. Hype up a trend, then destroy it and move on to the next one. A result of this is that the cumbersome UK record industry and the flighty UK media view dance music as a series of short-term fads, each one with less staying power than the last. Unfortunately for these people, they're wrong. Dance music (unlike rock) is global. It is being made in bedrooms and studios the world over. And each new dance genre, rather than being here today gone tomorrow, is constantly evolving in new and exciting directions.
All of which brings us to Sasha. His undoubted talents as a DJ have taken him round the world and back, and also put him in a recording studio. He is arguably the most hyped of the UK's much-hyped DJ vanguard. It's been a long, strange trip, and for Sasha, not a lover of the spotlight, it's often not been easy. The media love a star, and in dance music they're slowly coming to terms with the fact that the DJ is the star. Consequently Sasha, a good-looking bloke who seems to inspire particular devotion amongst his followers, received much press which had little to do with his ability behind the decks or in the studio.
Such press can often unnerve the subject and alienate the public. Yet Sasha has come through relatively unscathed. The
reason is his constant ability to progress, to be one step ahead of the crowd (or often more). His DJing style has always been distinctive, striking that perfect balance between educating and entertaining a crowd. The approach he patented at legendary nights like Shelley's and Shaboo, where seamlessly mixed techno suddenly gave way to a wild concoction of euro screamers, uplifting house, breakdowns and accapellas, was much copied. Rather than cash in, Sasha kept moving on - ever more experimental with sounds and textures, a master in creating atmosphere whilst still effortlessly reading the pulse of the dancefloor.
Niek Goroton Grown (Mixmag/Stress Records) 1993
Compilation: Sasha- The Remixes
[KOLDCD 017]
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Released 1993 Arctic Records. Sasha is living proof of the dictum that DJs, as dance music's prime movers, are ideally placed to take that music to new levels as producers. Witness the sounds on this collection. Listen to the remix of Creative Thieves 'Nasty Rhythm', an immense builder of a mix, whose atmospheric intro leads to a beautifully melodic middle section before its highly charged dub finale - it sounds strikingly contemporary, but was in fact only Sasha's second ever remix, recorded late 1990. Relive the official no.1 club tune of 1991, Sasha's masterly mix of Urban Soul's 'Alright', as mock-classical intro gives way to New Jersey put through the UK blender. Hear how the Sasha style adapts to the restrictions of a traditional song on Rusty's 'Everything Is Gonna Change' (mission accomplished and later put into Top 10 effect for M-People and D:ream). And hear the birth of Sasha the artist, masquerading as B.m.ex. and putting the sound of Sasha at Renaissance onto vinyl.
The lines between DJs and artists, remixers and producers, are getting ever more blurred. It's a problem for the record industry and the media - after 30 years of using rock 'n' roll's well-thumbed rule book, they're confused. For the likes of Sasha, there's no problem. They're in control, working to their own rules and no one else's. As this album showcases, it's an exciting time as a bastard musical genre comes of age. It's DJ culture in full living colour. Keep living the dream.
Niek Goroton Grown (Mixmag/Stress Records) 1993
Compilation: Sasha- The Remixes
[KOLDCD 002]
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Released 1993 Arctic Records. It seems strange that Arctic Records would release this twice in the same year, with the same cover and title, but with a different catalog number and tracklisting. Thanks to Brian Harris for this information.
Album: The Qat Collection
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Released in '94.
