artist: Sasha country of origin: UK style(s): Progressive house/trance/breaks essential releases: Airdrawndagger (BMG Music, 2002)

As one of the leading lights in progressive dance music since the early 1990's, Sasha's role as a DJ, remixer and producer has been wide-ranging and influential. I would be the first to suggest that discussion of his life and music is best left to websites and books on club culture...except, that is, for this debut album of his own compositions.

In both Sasha's seamless DJ mixes and on his own club singles (like "Xpander") there has always been an element of dreaminess, complexity and subtlety. That's why the understatement on Airdrawndagger is not surprising. What is surprising is that as a composer he's sustained that understatement for most of the album's 70 minute running time. It's intense but strangely chilled, epic without being pretentious, complex but always accessible. Uplifting melodies aren't outlawed, just hidden from idle ears. But lets not call it progressive house, progressive trance, progressive breaks or anything else so limiting. Let's just call it a modern electronic record.

Airdrawndagger is without question a home listening experience. Only about two-thirds of the way through the album on the storming "Bloodlock" does the music reach the kind of dancefloor intensity that resembles a progressive house DJ set. It's also one of the few tracks on the album powered by a 4/4 kick drum. The rest of the music is carried by a variety of broken beats, melodic pulses and rich ambient textures all held together by sound design that's weirdly crisp and soft at the same time. It's also entirely instrumental and, looking back, its modest sales upon release only reinforce the notion that this is one for the true believers.

As dance producers Sasha and his cohorts Charlie May and Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL) have aimed very high, wanting to create something that would stand the test time and still be selling in ten years. By releasing a work that so brilliantly charts its own path and is removed from disposable dancefloor trends, they may well succeed.

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