Sasha plays at Nangang 101 tomorrow night. As someone who’s been regularly voted among the top 10 DJs in the world by readers of DJMag (he placed first in 2000), the British superstar is practically a household name among electronic dance music fans. He last graced these shores in 2006, after having performed here on New Year’s Eve 2002/2003 in a gig that was beset by sound issues and a police bust.
Despite his love of traveling, Sasha (real name Alexander Paul Coe) probably won’t get to experience much of Taiwan this time round as he’s scheduled to fly out less than 18 hours after he arrives.
The DJ’s gig at Nangang 101, which holds up to 5,000 people and used to be a disco pub, is the first party by a new events/production company named Odyssey, which was started by record-industry executives and club veterans including Jimmy Chen (real name Chen I-cheng, 陳怡成).
photo courtesy of SASHA
“We feel that it’s about time for us to step out and do something for Taipei’s dance music scene,” Chen said. “There really should be something else besides those trance parties. We’re planning on throwing a big party every month. The next one, next month, will feature Darren Emerson, Dave Seaman and Nick Warren. You wouldn’t know how hard it was to get these guys to play on the same night. We’re in it for the long run.”
Though Sasha was often categorized as a “progressive house DJ,” he prefers not to be associated with a specific genre of music. Everything from house and electro to breaks and techno can be heard in his sets. Perhaps that’s why when asked to name his top three artists he couldn’t, but he did quickly name check Lee Burridge and Chris Milo as his favorite DJs.
Does he feel compelled to play more commercial music when in Asia? “It depends on the gig,” he said. “If you’re playing a smaller venue you can play something deeper, but if you’re playing somewhere bigger, you kind of have to play a little more commercial, a little bigger sound that fits the venue … It’s about getting people hooked into your world when you deejay, but at the same time you need to make sure that the parties are rocking.”
Besides touring Asia — Taipei is the last stop — he’s also busy launching a record label and in the studio working on tracks that include a remix for Moby.
‧ Sasha, Tiger and East Collective at Nangang 101 (南港101), 71 Xingnan St, Taipei City (台北市興南街71號), tomorrow from 9pm to 4am
‧ Tickets are NT$1,350 in advance (available from ERA ticketing outlets and www.ticket.com.tw) and NT$1,500 at the door, which includes bottomless mixed drinks. Tel: 0935-101-115. On the Net: www.odyssey.cc or www.facebook.com/odyssey.tw
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