Venue: eleven50

I arrived to eleven50 expecting to find a good vantage point. Wrong! There was already a crowd on hand. Liquified always knows how to throw a party. Everyone seemed enthusiastic about the night, although many of the guests found it too hot and crowded to stay inside during the show.

I, however, managed to stick it out (for the most part). Part of the time was spent pondering why the sound system was so sub par this night... the bass didn't thump, it rumbled; and the highs hissed, lacking that certain crispness.

Acknowledging that I have no control over the sound issues (nobody ever does), I returned my attention to the show. I noticed that Liquified's opener for the evening, Ian James, had the crowd well lubed. His mixes were on, and he maintained a steady groove till he was relieved by the revered feature act. I couldn't see when Sasha took over behind the decks, but you could certainly hear it. The usual roar rose from the floor, and everyone fixated their double vision on the booth as best they could. He teased the crowd for a bit before unleashing his trademark sound on the attendees.

Naturally, the majority of his set featured tracks from his recently released Involver album. There were many cuts that were hot, and then some that were not. If you are a devotee of the 'progressive'/Sasha sound, then it was certainly a night to remember. Otherwise, the night was a testament to the remarkable influence of marketing/branding/promotion of a particular name, and the people (including myself at one time) that will fall victim to the lure of the shiny wrapping paper.

Furthermore, I noticed that at this (and several other of Sasha's appearances) the crowd consisted of the same demographics; namely, the same age group. They tend to be relatively new to the club scene (there's always a few hangers-on) and seem to flock to this particular sound at first. For most, after the initial introduction and a few years of exposure, Sasha's artistry, although remarkable, seems to plateau. He is by no doubt still one of the best, but I am eager to see what other mountains he can climb, as the sound of this night did not stand out from other recent Atlanta appearances.

Sasha - Involver
Track Listing:

1. Grandnational - Talk Amongst Yourselves
2. Shpongle - Devon Perception
3. Petter - These Days
4. UNKLE - What You Mean To Me
5. The Youngsters - Smile
6. DJ Spooky - Belong
7. UNKLE - In A State
8. Lostep - Burma
9. Felix Da Housecat - Watching The Cars Go
10. Ulrich Schauss - On My Own