Delta Heavy DVD

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  • When you consider the problems British pop acts have encountered in trying to conquer America, it’s easy to forget that DJs have been trying to do exactly the same for some time, and few have hit the level of Sasha and John Digweed. The pair’s monthly residence at New York’s Twilo club opened the door, and this documentary looks at the way they capitalised on this success with their Delta Heavy tour of 2002. With eight weeks on the road, playing at twenty venues from Miami to Houston and San Francisco, this is the mother of all road trips. But it’s not exactly rock & roll – as Digweed notes mischievously, “One of us is quite used to missing gigs – not me!” And so Sasha finds that should he go AWOL and miss a gig as a result of an extended bender, he’ll be clobbered for £150,000. A sobering thought! As the two prepare for their opening gig in Miami there are valuable insights behind the scenes. The superb lighting show comes from the same man responsible for the opening credits of Seven, and his style of graphics blends superbly with the music. The music, of course, is key, and is what you’d expect of the pair – rolling breakbeats blended with tight house, spacey synth loops and highly atmospheric washes of sound. That’s not to render it as predictable however, as you know with Sasha & Digweed you’re always getting something fresh, a new slant on the style. It’s why Sasha spent £3,000 on acetates in preparation for the tour, and as he sorts them ahead of the Miami gig there’s a real frisson of nervous tension, the only time you sense he’d rather the crew weren’t around. As the weeks unfold the importance of the stage crew becomes ever more apparent, as does the mostly good-humoured banter between the leading pair. Digweed in particular is extremely amiable, and neither of the DJs suffer from the oversize egos or superstar tantrums that occasionally afflict their peers. For them it’s all about the music, and they even retain a likeable self conscious quality when milking the applause and cheers that inevitably come at 2am and the end of another set. The music and light shows go down an absolute treat, punters travelling far and wide for either their first or tenth Sasha/Digweed experience. The tour’s mastermind, Jimmy Van M, gets the right amount of credit, too, although it would have been good to see more of his warm-up sets. Still, there is a four track visual mix that accompanies the main feature, an outstanding blend of Bedrock and Sasha productions, all widescreen and moody. Delta Heavy is certainly a cut above your average tour DVD, a captivating view and an essential piece of recent dance music history.
RA