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It finally arrived, it took 5 years to finally get here, but that’s not important anymore, IT’S HERE! i:Vibes is proud to be among the first sites to present you a detailed review. Read on for the full review-details…
What has been called ‘One of the most anticipated artist albums (of the dance/trance scene)’ finally arrived. Although the album has been in the making for 5 years, it was in fact during the last 18 months that Sasha got down to business with partner-in-crime Charlie May.
Also involved in this project were Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL who remixed Elvis Presley not too long ago) and the young James Holden who is already a household name.
Sasha is one of those guys who done it all, played everywhere, reached places where no man has set foot. With residencies such as the Hacienda, the legendary Twilo (together with John Digweed).
Embarking on a new mission in 2002 with the Delta Heavy Tour, playing for thousands of people with the phenomal Phazon Soundsystem. Having remixed The Pet Shop Boys, The Chemical Brothers, BT, Madonna, … Sasha is not just not a DJ, he’s more then that.
And now, his first (and hopefully not his last) artist album has arrived. 11 tracks spread over 69 minutes, bringing you what is already called as a masterpiece.
Tracklisting:
1. Dremples
2. Mr Tiddles
3. Magnetic North
4. Cloud Cuckoo
5. Immortal
6. Fundamental
7. Boileroom
8. Bloodlock
9. Requiem
10. Golden Arm
11. Wavy Gravy
Starting of with what I’d like to call a ‘moodsetter’, it showcases the entire feeling you get while listening to the album. Dreamy synths and sounds that aren’t from planet Earth. Dremples is the perfect start to this album.
Beats start to come through your speakers and headphones, joined with an enchanting melody, which only makes you wonder what those sounds are? Repeating that same melody, making you move your head. So far it’s all basic, but this couldn’t be done in any other way. This is Mr Tiddles
Reoccuring sounds set the moment for Magnetic North to kick in. Followed shortly. Breakbeat beats start to erupt together with the melody. Soft drums follow the other sounds, and changing melody. Slowly fading away at the end, leaving just a few seconds, till another set of sounds emerge…
A voice that could be used by ‘Enigma’ echoes, some background noises, and nu-skool breaks. Cloud Cuckoo is the name of this little masterpiece.
A subtle melody takes you away on ‘Sasha’s voyage of Heaven’. A guitar riff that has been added to this song, makes it to be very diverse. Little sounds add that ‘Sasha-touch’ to this song, making Cloud Cuckoo one of the highlights of this album. Leaving you enough time to gain enough strength before the next song starts.
A bassline which screams nu-skool set the scenery for Immortal. Rapidly changing touches of sound represent the melody. Different elements are present: a mindblowing bassline, a spine-tingling melody, hi-hats sounding a bit like scratching, add to that different effects, and you get a great track. This track is immortal indeed. Going on to the next song: Fundamental, bringing us to the half of our trip. Silent, creeping noises that roam the room if they were flies. Again, this comes with a beat that is perfect for this track. The breakdown in this part uses the same sounds as used in Jakatta’s American, only better, much better… It has that wood-wind noise… (get me?)
Creeping from within your speakers, this is Boileroom. Starting with low, changing accordion sounds. A slow loop of those sounds are shortly joined by a really light beat, and extra background sounds. It keeps building and building, till it reaches another level, and then you hear the true melody behind this gem. Changing into another killer, Boileroom becomes Bloodlock, a track co-produced by James Holden. The influences of James are very clear, he always seizes the opportunity to make a mix with different ingredients, those ingredients being, a subtle beat, an uplifting, dreamy melody, and elements which add that little bit to make it stand out. This song isn’t any different.
The next stop is Requiem. This song is far from unoriginal, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was used in some movie, cause it would be perfect for a scene with lots of drama in it. This is a perfect track near the end of the CD. The breakdown in this song is so basic, but yet effective, so simple, but so meaningful, so soft, but it hits you hard…
Two more tracks to go before this journey ends at its destination. Golden Arm is the first one of those two. A 4/4 beat (normal beat, steady pace), some extra noises that join the beat, a slowly louder getting sound, and the melody, which consists of deep bass sounds (a bit like a bassguitar), but soon after that, you get to the last song of this album: Wavy Gravy. Just creating an atmosphere in the first few seconds, an atmosphere which sets the mood for the last beat and melody of this album.
Wavy Gravy can’t be overlooked cause it’s the last song on the album, it should get extra attention, and its already getting that. Being premiered on Pete Tong’s Essential Selection, and currently on a few acetates. This will be the new Sasha song.
This song will have a great impact on much of us, simply cause it’s so good. A perfect song to end with, a song to drop near the end of a set, to destroy the dancefloor…
Conclusion: Sasha didn’t fail to deliver what a lot of people have hoped for, no fillers, no bad attempts at making music. But all songs which surpass the quality of all those other songs that are being released like people breathing air. The long wait was certainly worth it, will this become a classic like Leftfield’s Leftism? Only time can tell.
Something Sasha said to conclude this review:
“I haven't felt the need to have any massive collaborations with guest singers and other artists on this album - it's an album that's true to me and true to all the people who have heard me DJ or bought my mix albums over the years. This album is for them. ".
Release date is: august 5th.
Conclusion:
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