Sasha

Born Alexander Coe, Sasha (below) has earned a glowing reputation as a spinner and mixologist via a series of influential collaborations with John Digweed; the impressive Northern Exposure series went a long way toward defining the template of late-'90s dance music. But like many a superstar DJ before him, this...

By Michael Roberts

July 1, 2004

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Born Alexander Coe, Sasha (below) has earned a glowing reputation as a spinner and mixologist via a series of influential collaborations with John Digweed; the impressive Northern Exposure series went a long way toward defining the template of late-'90s dance music. But like many a superstar DJ before him, this native of Northern Wales aches to show that his skills go beyond mere turntable mastery. On Involver, just issued by the Global Underground imprint, he employs a range of techniques -- remixing, rewriting, re-editing and so on -- in an effort to put his personal stamp on tracks that originated with others, and for the most part, he succeeds. He loves to layer trancey drones, washes and melodic swatches over subtly insistent rhythms, and by keeping these stylistic touches consistent, he's able to make disparate offerings from the likes of Shpongle ("Dorset Perception"), UNKLE ("What Are You to Me?") and Spooky ("Belong") seem as if they're cut from the same cloth. The disc builds momentum as it goes along, and its final cuts, Felix Da Housecat's riffy, deadpan "Watching Cars Go By" and Ulrich Schnauss's big-beat "On My Own" bring the proceedings to an appropriately sweaty conclusion. Consider Sasha's glowing reputation enhanced.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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