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Globalunderground : Sasha Signs Up For New Series
| quote: | Sasha is set to bring a fresh twist to the DJ mix CD concept with a unique album series for the acclaimed Global Underground label, promising a very welcome return to the label that released his world renowned, award winning San Francisco and Ibiza albums a few years ago.
The first CD of his new multi-album deal with the label is due out Spring 2004, and it will be no ordinary DJ album, it will blur the lines between artist album and DJ mix. Sasha will write, remix, re-produce or re-edit all the tracks on the album, making each song an exclusive contribution to this mix.
“By doing it like this, I really feel it’s a step forward, it gets my creative juices flowing and it feels like a natural continuation from my artist album,” says Sasha. “There are lots of gems promised for the album including some brand new original Sasha productions.
This also marks Sasha's first release since his groundbreaking 2002 debut artist album Airdrawndagger which has sold over 150,000 copies worldwide. “Airdrawndagger took up so much of my time, such a chunk of my life, so I’m really excited about giving my DJing some attention,” Sasha says. “I’m looking forward to showing people out there where my head is at musically.”
Sasha is currently in the studio working on the finishing stages of his mix. “I want it to be a bit more eclectic than my other CDs. And I’m not necessarily worried about this super smooth continuous club mix. I’m interested in something that jumps tempo and vibe, it’s not going to sound like a standard club mix.”
Sasha is recognised as one of the worlds’s most innovative and iconic DJs and it comes as no surprise that his first mix album in almost four years is certain to attract international attention. Music-lovers deserve something more creative from compilation albums--and that’s exactly what this new Sasha work is all about : exclusive tracks especially prepared by the man himself that you can’t get anywhere else and mixed in his inimitable style.
Sasha knew there was only one label he could work with for his new mix album which is why he signed an extensive deal with Global Underground. “I think Global Underground is a really important brand for dance music,” he says. “They’ve been really important in my career. And they continue to be an essential part of spreading DJ culture around the world. When I wanted to do a mix compilation, they were the first people I thought of.”
Andy Horsfield – director of GU commented “This is a massive project for GU, it's an amazing opportunity for us to work with Sasha again and give his fans worldwide a unique listening experience.”
The new Sasha album will be released in Spring 2004 with tour dates throughout the spring/summer in Australia, Asia, North America, the UK and Europe.
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Interview :
| quote: | The big news is this: Sasha’s back, planning a new mix for Global Underground. And he’s going to remix, re-produce and recreate every single damn track on there. We caught up with him during a rare studio break to find out where his head’s at.
Tell us about what you’re planning for this new Global Underground mix.
“I thought it would be a more interesting project if everything was to be re-edited, produced or remixed by me. It blurs the lines between artist album and mix album - and makes it more interesting from everyone’s point of view. Some of the tracks are going to be remixes, others will be bootlegs – just taking tracks and re-editing. By doing it like this, I really feel it’s a step forward, it gets my creative juices flowing - and it feels like a natural continuation from my artist album.”
This is your first mix album for three years. Why now?
“I feel like it’s time. ‘Airdrawndagger’ [his solo artist album] took up so much of my time, such a chunk of my life, I feel like this part of my career needed attention. I feel like people out there needed to know where my head’s at.”
So where is your head at?
“It’s been a strange year for electronic music and DJ culture. Worldwide things are very healthy, but the view the press are taking, especially in the UK, is that they’ve given up on it all. There’s definitely been a backlash against superstar DJ and superclubs, but people have jumped on the bandwagon to give us a bit of a pasting. I think that will pass. The culture won’t go away. But the honeymoon period is definitely over. Electronic music and DJ culture has permeated so much stuff it’s become invisible. People are ready to say, ‘Rock music’s back, DJ culture is dead.’ But you have to keep reinventing yourself - one chapter is over, and the next phase is kicking in now. The best club’s around right now are all the little clubs, all the out of the way places.”
Why did this happen?
“The culture shift is one. The superclubs building these empires and not paying attention to what was going on on their doorsteps. DJs playing abroad. It was just an adjustment. Things were out of hand around 2000. The fees were out of hand. Everyone assumed it was going to go on forever, they didn’t look at what people’s experiences were like when they came through the door.”
Where do you feel the music is at right now?
“Listening to music right now, I think there’s some very exciting music out there. There’s a lot of exciting producers. Right now, the 80s influence is pretty mental. Ulrich Schnauss is a good example – his album is between Charlie May, Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine. This last year has been the year of the bootleg, there’s been brilliant soundclash bootlegs. People haven’t been afraid to shove different genres together.”
So dance music is moving on.
“Music’s lightened up, it’s moved on from the chin stroking progressive days. That dark sound when we were doing Twilo has definitely moved on.”
How will your Global Underground mix reflect this?
“I want it to be a bit more eclectic than perhaps my other CDs. And not necessarily be worried about this super smooth continuous club mix. I’m interested in something that jumps tempos and stuff, it’s not going to sound like a standard club mix.”
Are you still jetting off all over the world?
“Worldwide, things are busy as hell. I’m pretty much booked ‘til next Summer. I’ve pretty much got the next 18 months planned out.”
How did ‘Airdrawndagger’ do?
“For an instrumental album without any singles, it did well. It did about 150,000, which is pretty fucking good. The press were really behind it in a lot of places.”
How do you feel about coming fourth in the DJ Magazine Top 100 poll?
“The top three DJs play a certain stadium filling trance sound, I don’t think my music comes close to that, so I’m really happy about it. There is definitely a gulf, perhaps even in age group, between who Tiesto and Van Buren play to and the people John [Digweed] and I play to. Tiesto’s playing stadium gigs to 25,000 and selling them out. I think in general we’re holding our own, considering the state of affairs out there. I’m quite happy to be up there. Every year I think this year they’re going to turn on me, but it hasn’t happened yet!”
Finally – why Global?
“I think Global is a really important brand for dance music. They’ve been really important in my career. Global Underground were a really important part of putting DJ culture around the world. Anytime anyone does a GU CD they pull out all the stops. The series has got a real quality to it. It’s an important brand for dance music. When I wanted to do a mix compilation they were the first people I thought of.”
Interview: Richard Murphy
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La progressive revient en force mes amis et Sasha avec 
Entre nous son projet c'est du PvD avec Politics of Dancing. PvD avait frappé un énorme coup avec ce disque. Sachant que Sasha n'est pas connu comme étant une perle en prod et en remix... J'attends ça avec impatiente. Il a la pression dorénavant mais il va sortir un bon truc, je le sens !!!!
Interessant sa remarque sur Tiesto et Armin, sauf qu'on peut aimer les deux et il oublie de le dire. En clair ils touchent plus de monde avec leur concert énorme et moi moins mais je suis 4ème ce qui me met à la 2ème place. Aucun mot sur PvD, la classe, ils s'apprécient, forcément ce sont les deux meilleurs DJs du monde (Il respecte Cox, Seaman et Garnier). Les techniciens s'aiment entre eux  .
Au niveau de l'âge des gens qui écoutent, on a l'impression qu'il est écouté par des gens plus agés. Ce n'est pas forcément faux non plus.
Last edited by choukri on Jan-15-2004 at 16:54
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