ICONS : SASHA
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[BBC Radio One : Essential Mix Of The Year 2005]
Biography
The best DJs know that Djing is first about being able to read people and then about being able to tap into that human experience and take it on a journey. Sasha has always been noted for being a master at this, and although his style is described as “Progressive Trance” with a good presence of House and break beat elements; his music has always reached beyond those record store titles, thus separating him from his contemporaries. Sasha creates and plays music that gives emotion a chance to speak. It is this universal appeal that he has tapped into that has established his strong fanbase around the globe.
This ability to capture sounds on a universal level was most recently called upon when he was asked to write all the music for Sony Playstation¹s biggest game release of 1999, “Wipeout 3″. Sasha wrote 5 original tracks to soundscape the game. “Wipeout 3″ won not only the best racing game award, but best game of the whole show.
His special touch has also recently been called upon by The Chemical Brothers, who singled him out as the only artist asked to remix a track (“Out Of Control”) from their new album. “I just dubbed it out to a style like I would play, the elements and sounds that the Chems used were so good that I didn’t want to change them at all”, Sasha reports on making the mix. Sasha’s resume of chart topping remixes also earned him a request from Madonna in 1998 when he was asked to remix “Ray Of Light” and “Substitute For Love/ Drowned World”.
Do not be mistaken, this kind of recognition does not happen overnight. Born and raised in a small town in Wales, Sasha was exposed to Motown records when he was just a baby and it was in the home that his talent for playing the piano was developed. His first exposure to house music was at Manchester’s Hacienda; just as dance music exploded into the summer of love. This impact encouraged his move from Wales to Manchester. His first exploration into Djing was when a DJ in a local pub announced he was looking for people to play club dates. Sasha volunteered and now says that he “had about 30 records and basically just blagged it”.
After honing his deck technique, Sasha’s first big break came when he was offered a residency at Stokes legendary club Shelly¹s. When all the other DJ’s were playing US House, Sasha’s style was much more uplifting, and he encapsulated clubbers with his mixture of piano led Italian House whilst playing acapella tracks over the top. This combination alongside a wide variety of anthems kept dancefloors full and elevated Sasha to hero status.
Shelly¹s was the launch pad for the residency at Renaissance, where Sasha created his niche and helped forge a new style in UK house music. At Renaissance two major things happened; Sasha mixed the first ever UK DJ mix album and he met John Digweed which cemented the partnership known as “Northern Exposure”. Over the past couple of years, Sasha and John have played together on five continents, have mixed 3 “Northern Exposure” albums which have sold to over 1 million people worldwide.
This special brother like relationship that Sasha and Digweed have on the decks, is what landed them the monthly residency at New York¹s “Twilo”, following in the footsteps of Vasquez and Tenaglia. This residency reached cult status in New York, until the closing of Twilo in 2001.
Although Sasha has clearly reached a celebrity status, it¹s his generous personality, his love for his peers and of course his completely candid humour that has enabled him to maintain such a likeable high profile in the often-fickle world of club culture. Always one to share what comes his way, Sasha invited long time friend and collaborator BT to take part in what he called “one of the most amazing musical experiences in my life”. He is referring to his experience out at Peter Gabrielle¹s Real World studio in 1998 where Sasha explains in a mixer article, “we were in there for a week and were just going to do one track (during Real World¹s annual recording week where artists from all over the world are invited to Bath to record at the famous studios). “There were so many talented musicians around and the vibe down there was incredible. People were walking in, hitting things, strumming things, and slapping their goats! There were mad African people everywhere. We ended up recording five tracks and finishing four”.
Since then of course, Sasha has gone from DJ to superstar status in America, where “Sarsha” is a household name for many teenagers and his and John’s residency has continued to provide the launchpad for British dance music into New York and beyond. The sound of Twilo: deep, pumping late night .h.o.u.s.e. is encapsulated on ‘Communicate’, Sasha and John’s joint mix album for INCredible. Modern club anthems like Trancesetters ‘Roaches’ and Trisco’s Muzak all blended in the late night, early morning way that New York’s clubbers have come know and love.
For Sasha, music is his first love, and what gives him a buzz is being able to share his music with others. From his presence at those all too talked about after hour parties where his special impromptu sets are heard, to his signature always present child like antics that leave people wondering if he has modelled his life after Peter Pan, to his DJ sets at clubs around the world, all lined with the backdrop of his own productions, Sasha leaves trails of memories, melodies and stories wherever he goes. These are the things that have been, and will continue to be remembered and passed on for years. And that is what legends are made of.
ICONS : Armand Van Helden
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[Invasion on Area 33 : 26th Nov 2005]
Biography
For the man supposedly named after a French porn star, Armand Van Helden has had quiet a spectacular rise to the top of the producer/DJ ladder. From his early days as a lowly assistant at a recording studio to reportedly commanding up to $60,000 for a remix, the success of Armand Van Helden has come with a refreshing lack of interest in the celebrity packed glamour world.
As Armand’s father was in the US Armed Forces, the family moved regularly, spending time in Holland, Italy and Turkey. His first DJ set came at the age of 13, when he debuted at high school, employing the classic L-plated DJ trick of hooking together two tape decks in order to provide a basic method of looping grooves.
Still, Armand’s take on Hip Hop proved to be truly international – not only was he the best break dancer in his school in Italy, but he also entered the Italian DMC Mixing Championships.
Whilst at college in Boston, Armand began to DJ and soon had a residency at the Loft. With his Djing building quiet a buzz, the Loft became the club to go in Boston. Around this time, Armand was putting together his first demo tapes, and despite a lack of confidence, attracted the interest of Gladys Pizzarro at Nervous, who was interested in releasing it.
Over the next few years, Armand released a few singles, but it was 1994′s now legendary “Witch Doktor” which first attracted a larger audience to Armand’s work. With remix work pouring in , courtesy of artists such as Tori Amos’ “Professional Widow” that earned Armand mainstream recognition. Not only was it a club smash, but it also topped the charts, selling 350,000 copies.
Suddenly, Armand became the the man to be Remixed by. Whilst the likes CJ Bolland, Sneaker Pimps and Daft Punk were obvious choices to remix, artists such as The Rolling Stones and Janet Jackson were slightly more unpredictable. Armand would later turn down most remix work, publicly attacking the concept of chart orientated remixes.
Not that it mattered one bit to Armand, who released the mini-album “Old School Junkies” at around the same time. Mixing up old school hip-hop, funk and an element of house, the album was as far removed from his remix work as could be imagined.
Armand continued to work on various singles and mix albums until the release of his 1997 debut full length album, entitled “Enter the Meatmarket” a blend of rap, hip house and Latino house which featured the legendary Funkmaster Flex.
However it was his 1999 album “2Future4U” That propelled Armand from an established DJ and remixer to a chart-topping artist in his own right. The single “You Don’t Know Me” featured Duane Harden and entered the charts at # 1 selling 350,000 copies. Also taken from “2Future4U”, the single “Flowerz” was also a top 20 hit.
In 2000, Armand returned with his new album “Killing Puritans” which featured the #4 hit single “Koochy”. The track reworked Gary Numan’s “Cars” into an altogether darker prospect and set the tone for much of the remainder of the album.
Armand’s most famous DJ set in the UK came with his high profile head to head clashes with Fatboy Slim, in which the duo clashed in the rather unusual confines (and rather unusual costumes for a DJ) of a boxing ring!
Now Armand is back, presenting an eclectic mix of his individual style of house and his trademark perverse sense of humor on the new album “Gandhi Khan”. Throughout the Album Armand has used and sampled his own vocals to try something different, and different this album is. From the Asian inspired vocals on “Gandhi Khan” to the Spanish guitar on DooVoodoo right through the filthy drum powered “I Can Smell U” Armand has come up with something tasty every time.
With “Gandhi Khan”, Armand has come out smelling of “Flowerz” and the new single “Why Can’t You Free Some Time”, may yet surpass the success of “You Don’t Know Me”.
ICONS : Miss Kittin
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[I Love Techno : 11th Nov 2005]
Biography
Born in the French mountains, Grenoble, 1973, Kittin expressed an interest in the visual arts – she studied both contemporary and graphic arts. As time progressed, however, Kittin found herself emulating her parents’ musical tastes by developing an interest in musical genres ranging from classic, jazz, funk & disco to English Pop. Finding her niche in Electronic Music in 1991, Kittin raved all around the country before doing her first mix in April of 1993. Her first set came one year later in 1994, at which time she started her career with Tekmics Booking Agency, playing in the famous Dragon Ball wild parties of Southern France.
In pursuit of other opportunities, Kittin left France in 1996 and relocated to Geneva, Switzerland, where she would join the Mental Groove Record Posse one year later. Through years of an exciting and mobile career as a DJ, Miss Kittin is confident with her own personal sound. She states, “I get quickly bored when I listen to the same sound. DJs have to take risks, without only thinking about what people want to hear. Some people say I’m too technical. That’s true, but this technique also gives me the freedom to concentrate only on music.”