Sasha - Invol2ver
Invol2ver coverI've been listening to Sasha's deep, dark but blissful DJ mixes since around 1994's inaugural Renaissance Mix Collection Vol.1 (with John Digweed) and remember absolutely loving his Voyage of Ima which made up a large portion of the BT (Brian Transeau) album Ima the following year. 2000's Communicate, again with Digweed, is arguably my favourite DJ mix album alongside 2004's Involver. With that mix Sasha raised the bar for compilation DJ mixes fairly high and it withstands many many repeat listens. The official follow up to Involver would have its work cut out to be able to bear any sort of comparison to its forerunner. If truth be told, some of Sasha's recent releases have been a little underwhelming, given his reputation and undoubted enormous talent.

So, has the 4-year wait been worth it? The short answer in this case would have to be yes. Invol2ver is stuffed full of multi-layered, beautifully manicured soundscapes, swirling, effects-heavy vocals and head-nodding kick drums. 2004s Involver does contain perhaps more variation in style and is probably the better of the two releases, but there is a lot to enjoy in the 2008 follow up.

The album starts off in very promising style with a swirling atmospheric opening which blends seamlessly into Sasha's remixed version of Telefon Tel Aviv's You Are The Worst Thing In The World. The tempo is slow and steady and you are fondly reminded of Involver's fantastic opening version of Grand National's Talk Amongst Yourselves. The transition from the Telefon Tel Aviv track through Rone's Flesh and Sasha's own, fairly anonymous tracks Eclipse and Lowlife to the fantastic mid-section of the album perhaps takes a shade too long, but you are rewarded for your patience.

Remixes of Charlie May's Midnight and Apparat's Arcadia combine to darkly hypnotic effect and the album takes off again. The Invol2ver mix of Ladytron's Destroy Everything You Touch throbs along nicely and before you notice it you are being immersed in M83's anthemic Couleurs, a high point for the album which is enhanced as the vocal for Thom Yorke's The Eraser is worked into the M83 track with a deftness of touch.

The penultimate track is another of Sasha's own, 3 Little Piggys, and it is with some of his own tracks that I feel Sasha lets his compilation mixes down a little. I find them to be a little same-y and not really that interesting. He is, in my opinion, much much more successful when working with the music of other artists who have obviously moved him to the point of choosing them over any others and re-working them for inclusion on his mixes.

The closing track, Sometimes I Realise by Engineers does lift things again and provides an epic close to another job well done from the pride of Wales, Alexander Coe (AKA Sasha).

Track list:

1. Badger - Intro
2. Telefon Tel Aviv - You Are The Worst Thing In The World (Invol2ver Remix)
3. Rone - Flesh (Invol2ver Remix)
4. Sasha Vs Ray LaMontagne - Eclipse (Ray LaMontagne Vocal Version)
5. Sasha Vs Adam Parker - Lowlife (Adam Parker Vocal Sample)
6. Charlie May - Midnight (Adam Parker Vocal Sample)
7. Apparat - Arcadia (Invol2ver Remix)
8. Home Video - That You Might (Invol2ver Remix)
9. Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch (Invol2ver Remix)
10. M83 - Couleurs (Invol2ver Remix)
11. Thom Yorke - The Eraser (Invol2ver Remix)
12. Sasha - 3 Little Piggys
13. Engineers - Sometimes I Realise (Invol2ver Remix)
Written by Kevin
Thursday, 11 September 2008
 
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