- Venue: Chicago, IL.
Eventdate: August 20th, 2002.
With the legendary DJ Sasha getting ready to take over the decks for a four hour set in Chicago, it was hard to determine what the Windy City was anticipating more: The release of his long awaited artist album, “Airdrawndagger”, or a long overdue solo set by one of the top jocks in the world.
Doors opened at 9 p.m. and the evening began with the sounds of Sasha protégé James Zabiela. Zabiela has already garnered a worldwide reputation as one set to join the DJ elite, and after catching his set it’s easy to understand why so many have come to this conclusion. His set began with ambient house sounds, quickly heading toward the funkier side of things. Throwing down some massive bass lines as well as dirty breaks, the man’s track selection was impeccable and perfectly complemented his excellent technical skills. He was able to keep the energy constantly flowing without going overboard for an opening set. It’s no wonder Sasha hand selected Zabiela for this tour.
Roughly 90 minutes into his set, James did some incredible scratching over a monster breakbeat track that would make the most wicked battle DJ’s turn their heads. As Zabiela got ready to turn the decks over to the master, he even dropped Medway’s classic “Resurrection E.P”, off the famed Sasha “Global Underground – San Francisco” release. If nothing else, the track functioned as an ode of gratitude from the leader of the new wave to the man who paved the way for up and coming DJ’s many years ago.
Finally, the moment arrived – Sasha was behind the decks for what was to become a night to remember.
Reports from across the States have noted Sasha looking quite exhausted from the barrage of press combined with a rigorous tour schedule (not to mention his reputation as being among the heaviest partiers), and he didn’t look nearly as animated as he did when playing with Digweed late last year. Also, with a rather thick mass of people surrounding the DJ booth, the pressure to perform was incredible. It was almost as if during every sip Sasha took out of his drink, people were taking mental and physical note.
Regardless, Sasha played an incredible set that was flawlessly mixed and incredibly built. Early on, Dr. Kucho’s disco-tinged “The Chase” filled the club, leading into darker numbers, such as Mara’s “Computer Beats.” As the night progressed, a steady number of breakbeat tunes took over, and then came the hard stuff. Junkie XL’s “Breezer” tore up the place, as well as the sure-to-be-classic “Cowgirl vs. Xpander” that has become a staple in Sasha’s sets.
Unlike his appearance with cohort John Digweed toward the end of 2001, this set took on a more melodic feeling. Sasha’s tracks tend to lean toward the uplifting side of dance music, while Digweed is often credited with being one of the first to bring in the darkness of progressive house. By no means does this indicate that Digweed hinders Sasha’s performance, but merely that one should catch both DJ’s going at it alone to fully understand their distinct styles.
Sasha is a DJ whose greatness is constantly being put to the test by the harshest of critics. However, one look at the packed club (on a Tuesday night, nonetheless), and it’s undeniable that the man is truly the stuff legends are made of.
Spundae has continued to bring in the best talent to Chicago, while also pushing the boundaries in terms of new sounds. Hearing an extended set from the young Zabiela was a perfect compliment to Sasha. As the crowd began to pour out just before 4 a.m. (the night was originally scheduled to end at 3 a.m., but ran over as it would have taken a nuclear bomb to get Sasha off of the decks), the only thing they could have been hoping, if not praying for was another set by the man before the time it takes him to release another album.