Global Underground 013: Ibiza
Sasha and his fellow turntable conspiratorsJohn DigweedandPaul Oakenfeldhave been on impressive winning streaks since the mid- to late '90s, particularly with their increasingly popular and influentialGlobal Undergroundseries. This addition to the cycle, a live set recorded in the Spanish dance-music haven Ibiza, comes close to setting a new standard. Sasha is working solo here, and in addition to showing off his prodigious live mixing skills and inventive use of source material, he creates an undeniable identity for himself. Digweed accomplished the same thing with the masterfulBedrock, but where that record was elegantly light and airy, this one burns with a sharper, more manic energy. Throwing out resolute rhythms and melting house samples bathed in dreamy backdrops, Sasha cuts through dense structures and clever transitions with superhuman alacrity. It does take him a little while, as his use of trance-inducing repetition strays a bit while he establishes a groove on the first disc. Disc 2, however, simply tears into an incredibly danceable vibe. Mixing together melodic snippets and varying moods, from the dark trance of "Fibonacci Sequence" to the ecstatic release of "Xpander" (from hisEPof the same name), Sasha mainlines rhythm and creativity through to a satisfyingly exhausted conclusion.--Matthew Cooke