Airdrawndagger

Sasha | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 6, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kinetic Records
• ASIN: B00006BXG5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,951 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Drempels

2. Mr. Tiddles

3. Magnetic North

4. Cloud Cuckoo

5. Immortal

6. Fundamental

7. Boileroom

8. Bloodlock

9. Requiem

10. Golden Arm

11. Wavy Gravy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fire your psychiatrist and listen to this album., October 7, 2004

By 

J. File (Newport Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Airdrawndagger (Audio CD)

To even try to describe the gravity of emotion and that this album exudes is absolutely impossible. Sasha has clearly done something that few artists are ever able to accomplish. He has painted a very powerful expression of soul and emotion that enters your ears and soaks deeply into the fibers of your spiritual canvas. Not to sound nauseatingly esoterical, but when I first listened to this album, it was as if I became privy to a new cosmic level of music appreciation. This is music that does not require the nostalgic associations of one's environment to produce emotion. On its own, every timeless note and arrangement builds deep inside of you, painting an extraordinarily haunting feeling that seems to be so parallel with others, yet so indescribable and personal at the same time. Is this album incredible? No doubt about it. Is this album the cure for all the problems of the world? Of course not. Does this album contain something incredibly unique and positive? Absolutely, and that's why it's totally worth checking out.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning debut from an allready amazing dj., August 12, 2002

By 

Jarrod Leda (Tarentum, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Airdrawndagger (Audio CD)

Anyone familiar with electronic music has allready heard of Sasha. From his constant dj work with(and without) John Digweed, to his writing tracks for sony's 'Wipeout 3' psx game, to his amazing global underground 'Ibiza', he has helped define what trance , and 'electronic' music can be. In 1999 he released the Xpander Ep and created a classic. Now with 'Airdrawndagger' he has upped the ante for his debut full length of original material. This album is both diverse and consistent with his sound. The beats are very tight, while the sonic tension of his dj sets resonates throughout. There are more than a few nods to classic Orbital, and even a bit of bjork can be heard in the atmosperic 'Magnetic North'. Much of the middle is served up through breakbeats as opposed to 4 on the floor, producer Junkie XL keeping the low end tight as the synth ebbs and flows over top. The songs themselves often dont follow typical song structures, and quite often I found myself wondering what twist the track(and indeed the album) would take next. The 2 ending tracks 'Golden arm' and 'Wavy Gravy' are nearly bittersweet pop with the sonic attention to detail only Sasha could produce. Throughout his trance origins shine, but in that muted afterhours way of referencing but never going back. I have listend to this so many times allready, and rarely have I heard such a MUSICAL quality over these types of beats.. this album is fresh enough to almost be something... dare I say...New. If you are tired of the same old club mixes, this just may be the answer.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, August 8, 2002

By 

Matt Ford (Venice, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Airdrawndagger (Audio CD)

Sasha's new album is brilliant, and a superb testament to the unique skill, vision, and sophistication of this genre-defining artist. A calculated departure from his definitive high-energy, club-friendly sets (GU San Francisco and GU Ibiza both come to mind), Airdrawndagger is a somewhat subdued yet extremely vivid journey through lush, unseen places. Sasha masterfully controls a complex and diverse web of finely-crafted, richly-textured layers, often exploring the interplay between opposing sonic elements (biological and mechanical, restraint and fluidity, aggression and calm, etc.)

The album starts out mellow and simple and slowly builds to a menacing, bio-mechanical crest, after which it resolves into a warm, satisfying ending. At times the material can be a bit challenging, as probably only half the tracks will lend themselves well to a club environment. But the ever-changing, ever-evolving sounds and rhythms never get slow or weak; similarly its intense and aggressive moments never become abrasive, anthemic, or cheesy. Throughout the album there is an overwhelming sense of sophistication and control, though the music never feels contrived or suppressed. Airdrawndagger grows and breathes as if alive, and at times seems like it actually might be.

In some ways Airdrawndagger is reminiscent of the recent work of other leading electronic artists - it's beautiful, intellectual, and subtle like Charles Webster; it's highly personified, organic, and playful like Richie Hawtin; it's deep, hazy, and sinister like John Digweed. But ultimately this is a truly original work, an unprecedented blend of power, control, vision, and restraint. Sasha has moved us a step or two forward on the evolutionary scale of modern music.