Vol. 2-Sasha & Digweed [Import]

John Digweed, Sasha | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Msi
• ASIN: B000006V51
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,853 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Believe

2. Soothe [Chicane Mix]

3. Burn the Elastic

4. Geomantik

5. Cycles of Time

6. Dammerung

7. Blue [LP & Original Mix]

8. Little Bullet, Pt. 1

9. Botz [Synthetik Mix]

10. Reeferendum

11. Distant Voices [Angel Edit]

12. Purple

13. Symphony

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sasha + John Digweed's Finest 2 Hours!, January 10, 2000

By 

"philippio" (Middletown, Connecticut United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vol. 2-Sasha & Digweed (Audio CD)

I would have given this set 5 more stars but there aren't enough stars to give! Diggers and Sasha start out real slow with the melodic sounds of smooth, liquid cool ambient (Gus Gus' Believe and a Chicane Mix of Furry Phreaks' Soothe) which teleports you to an idyllic Ibiza in the afterhours ! And then, before you know it, gargantuan trance monsters in the likes of Gus Gus' Purple and Lost Tribe's Distance Voices are gracing the two dj's decks! A very pronounced mix of Hybrid's Symphony will colour your mind and alter your consciousness as the first cd climaxes to a sweet end. But don't worry, the second disc picks up where the first left off and delivers an energetic suite composed of Speedy J's Fusion, Humate's 3.2, and Sven Vath's Accident in Paradise. I guarrantee that Sasha and Diggers will have you in a tranced out frenzy by the time LSG's Netherworld comes alive (it's a stretched, fuller mix than on Oaky's Resident set). The last climax on the second cd is attributed to an elaborate and fiery Mantra remix of Art of Silence's Teach Me. This whole journey into ambient trance is so smoothly bridged by the two master dj's mixing abilities which seem to hold your hand as they guide you from one song to the next! The box has a mix guide on it which shows the interlacing of the tracks and all the transitions on a graph-type map! So if you weren't so sure whether the Northern Exposure sets were worth the price, let me tell you, I have all three European releases and they are all excellent, especially this second one!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A piece of art., May 11, 2000

By 

gab (Achrafieh, Leb) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vol. 2-Sasha & Digweed (Audio CD)

If you are looking for an "Ibiza" (Sasha) or "Hong Kong" (Digweed) CD style don't pick this one. If you want a spiritual, strong emotional experience, lay down, put the CD on, the volume high, then close your eyes: "Bon voyage". I guarantee you a journey. You have to hear the CD from the first track to the last one. It's a mixture of different styles (you will never recognize the remixs). But at the same time, all the tracks put together constitute a very fluent and homogeneous mixing. The more you hear it, the more you will appreciate the genius of Sasha & Digweed in this incredible piece of art.
Believe me in a decade, this set will be a classical for electronic music, and will always seem fresh and timeless.
CD 1 begins with a superb remix of Gus-Gus' Believe, and goes on, on the same pace: mysterious, lovely, deep and groovy.
CD 2's beat is stronger, but takes on where the first started, as perfect.

I just want to mention that all the Northern Exposures sets are different and can't be compared. So don't expect an "Expedition" or "Communicate" kind of music.

In fact, this CD is different from all what you have already heard, and will surely be a special one. If you know something close, I beg you to tell me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the greatest DJ mix ever?, September 18, 2004

By 

Jia (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vol. 2-Sasha & Digweed (Audio CD)

While this statement may go against popular belief, Northern Exposure 2 is superior to the original Northern Exposure. While neither mix on NE2 quite matches the majestic quality of CD1 of NE1 (but then again, what does?), both mixes are classics in their own right whereas CD2 of NE1 was comparably weaker when compared to other mixes in the NE series.

The first CD is a gorgeous down tempo/break beat mix in the same vein as the first CD of NE1. The mood and atmosphere is different however. Whereas NE1 CD1 was earthy, organic, and spiritual, the first CD of NE2 is jazzier, funkier, more melancholic, and near the end, more euphoric. The mix starts off phenomenally with an ultra chilly mix of Gus Gus' "Believe", which perfectly segues into Chicane's mix of Furry Phreaks' "Soothe". After we're transitioned with Violet's "Burn The Elastic", we're treated to the less memorable funky breaks of Prana's "Geomantik" and Acoustic Hoods "Cycle Of Time". Frontside's "Dammerung" brings a more serious tone back with its beautiful melancholic melody, which sets up for the mixes first and last 4/4 numbers, and also the most amazing numbers on the whole album. The trickling melody of Doi-Oing's "Blue" is perfectly blended with a superb live version of Spooky's classic "Little Bullet". The live version included here is even better than the original with washing synths and several layers melody that bring the album to it's first peak. While both of the tracks are amazing in their own right, this is a case where the expert DJ mixing of these two tracks creates something that is greater than the sum of it's parts.

Having already reached heaven 8 tracks in, the funky breaks of Uberzone's "Botz" is dropped bringing the mix back to the earth before slowly climbing back up with some of the most euphoric electronic tracks ever recorded. The tinkley melody of Fluke's "Reeferendrum" builds perfectly into Lost Tribe's gorgeous "Angel" (incorrectly listed as "Distant Voices" on the back cover), which out of nowhere turns into Gus Gus' mid-tempo masterpiece, "Purple". The final track, Hybrid's "Symphony" is perhaps the most emotional electronic music I've ever heard. A perfect closer to a near perfect mix.

The second CD is the more danceable of the two CDs, with some of the best progressive house tracks of the era/ever. Opening with Cygnus X's "Positron" (incorrectly listed as "Superstrings" on the back cover), a lush, bouncy, euphoric mood is instantly created, only to be torn down by the stabbing melodies and abrasive percussion of Speedy J's "Fusion". Humate's classic "3.2" is mixed in creating a dark, atmospheric sound, that melds perfectly with William Orbit's/Spooky's remix of Sven Vath's techno classic "An Accident In Paradise". The Light's "Panfried" and Third Man's "Solar Cycle" keep the beat steady, before the duo really turn up the energy with L.S.G.'s "Netherworld". The Jules Vern mix heard on this album is the best version of the song I've ever heard emphasizing the best elements of the song, and creating a hard hitting progressive house floor-filler. Taucher's melodic "Waters" is perfectly mixed in holding the peak created by "Netherworld" to over ten minutes of sheer electronic bliss. "Teach Me" by Art Of Silence is a serene break from the energy, but we're soon brought back to 4/4 floor-stomping energy with Transa's anthemic (and somewhat formulaic) "Enervate", before slowly closing with the trance inducing groove of Armin's "Blue Fear".

The weak moments on CD1 are when the mix goes for the more abrasive, funky numbers, but in the scope of the album as a whole and in terms of setting up the more serious melodic songs, they work. CD2 on the other hand, while more immediately accessible and overall consistent, it is ultimately less resonating than it's counterpart. Still, as a whole, this is the strongest entry in the Northern Exposure series, and an essential for any electronic music fan's library.