Electronica music is not a fad. It keeps evolving year after year and Sasha is one of the hottest DJs involved in the evolution. You may be familiar with his work as a solo artist, with John Digweed, or with his remixes for some of today's biggest artists like Madonna, The Chemical Brothers and Pet Shop Boys.
Kidzworld got to chat it up with UK DJ/producer Sasha and here's what he has to say about his solo CD, Airdrawndagger, spinning, and life in the DJ fast lane. Check it out...
KW: Where'd you come up with the name, Airdrawndagger, for your CD?
Sasha: It's a reference from Shakespeare, I found it about five years ago on the internet. It's about a reocurring dream that a character keeps having that haunts him and I thought it was quite a powerful image.
KW: Which track on the the album is your favorite and why?
Sasha: My favorite track is Magnetic North cuz it just has quite an emotion in the melody that's really beautiful.
KW: What's the best thing about being a DJ and Producer?
Sasha: Just the lifestyle that we get to lead - it's just amazing.
KW: What's the worst thing about being a DJ?
Sasha: I don't really think it's got a downside to be honest. I mean, for example, this has been one of the most hectic summers I've had for years and there's been times where I've felt like I'm losing my mind with so much traveling and not enough sleep. If it's a bad thing... I think it's very difficult to turn down offers for gigs and interviews and overwork yourself.
KW: What's the best or craziest present you ever got from a fan?
Sasha: I got a huge Homer Simpson alarm clock (laughs,) cuz somebody read I liked to watch The Simpsons. I get lots of really funny pictures.
KW: How would you describe your style?
Sasha: I get kinda pigeon-holed as playing progressive house but I guess I'm somewhere in the middle of house, trance, progressive house, breaks.
KW: Name one item you always take with you on tour.
Sasha: I never leave home without my laptop. I'm always kinda working on ideas and tracks and stuff with my headphones on the plane. And I can watch DVDs with it as well. So my laptop is my best friend when I'm traveling.
KW: Who is your favorite artist you've done a remix for?
Sasha: It was really flattering to work on the Madonna stuff, Ray of Light remixes. That was really amazing to be asked to do that. It was really great to work on The Chemical Brothers stuff. The thing about both Madonna and The Chemical Brothers is that the source material is so strong already, that it's like a gold mine going through their master tapes and finding noises that you can sample and reuse. The worst thing about doing a remix of a track is when you get the parts and it's difficult to construct something. And early on, that very first remix for BT, that was kind of a landmark mix.
KW: What were your fave subjects in school?
Sasha: I liked English and I liked music class. I definitely liked English cuz we got to read things like Of Mice and Men and The Catcher in the Rye and studied Shakespeare.
KW: If you couldn't play music, what would you be doing?
Sasha: I don't know actually. I was crap at school and I kind of fell into DJing and I loved it. It just became this massive, lucrative career and I really didn't expect that. So, I'm very very lucky to be where I'm at. I love cooking but I couldn't be a chef or anything - it's hard work, full on.
KW: Has anything embarrassing ever happened to you during a show?
Sasha: From things like the sound going out and somebody jumping on the stage and making the records jump or the deck jumping badly during a mix. I find that stuff to be pretty embarrassing cuz, you know people just think you're messing the mix up.
KW: What piece of advice can you give teens wanting to get into DJing?
Sasha: It's hard work, it's dedication, it's hanging around record stores and trying to find those exclusive records and developing your own sound, really. For example, for a 13 year-old who wants to get into it, it's a big investment to try and get hold of decks and stuff. But if you really believe in yourself - then it's definitely worth trying. The people who really end up succeeding are the ones that are so determined to do it.
Sasha signed off with a personal message to our Kidzworld members:
"If you're really into club music then it's a case of someone to sponsor your habit cuz it's expensive. But if you can find someone to help you through that and really believe in it - then DJing can take you around the world. But there's so much competition out there you've really have to be dedicated. A lot goes into the business of keeping a DJ successful."
- For more on Sasha, check out his official site at www.djsasha.com.
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