In today's world, DJs often think it's the other way around. For that reason, it's worthwhile to imagine how it was at first when Sasha was just starting out. He didn't have a lot of money, a lot of direction, or any big dreams. Instead, way off the grid in Wales and, later, in Manchester, he and his pals were just looking for a good time. And being a DJ seemed like an easy way to beat the club's cover charge, meet girls, and get people to buy him free drinks.

It worked. He got the gigs, and the good times. But things have a funny way of working out. In a perfect musical storm, events at the Hacienda club and the rave scene dovetailed with his own development as an artist. Before Sasha knew what hit him, he had become the poster boy for a generation, the face of electronic music.

That, unbelievably, was some 25 years ago. Being at the right place at the right time clearly worked to his advantage back then, but it doesn't explain how he has remained relevant for a quarter of a century. And, again, that goes back to the music. However great "Belfunk" or "Xpander" still sounds, for instance, electronic music is not classic rock. While Pink Floyd can get away with playing The Wall four decades later, Sasha wouldn't be Sasha if he were still playing The Best of Twilo today. Instead, he has consistently shifted genres (trance, progressive, breaks,etc.), experimented with new forms, and taken risks that would have destroyed a lesser artist.

Just as he was feeling stale with progressive house, for instance, he finally finished airdrawndagger, an album fans had been anticipating for years. In hindsight, his team probably should have publicized the release as a departure from his previous work, so people didn't expect dancefloor anthems. And although it is now routinely referenced as Sasha's masterpiece, the initial response from many of his fans was confusion over his change in direction.

A less courageous artist would have bowed to peer pressure and banged out some safe club hits. But he returned to the studio, more determined to pursue his vision than ever before. The result was Involver, a record that was immediately recognized as a game changer by fans, critics, and DJs alike. As a measure of its innovation, Sasha's view of the album as a single composition was important enough to have the Grammy rules rewritten for the best mix album category, just to officially recognize his accomplishment.

When all is said and done, that's not just how a superstar works – it's exactly how you should approach your own music. You've got the basic building blocks in your hand, deconstructed, begging for you to make it your own. Put your personal spin on them, and come up with something we've never heard before. Sasha, I believe, would expect nothing less.

Neil Feineman
Los Angeles 2011
Photos courtesy of Lindsay Barchan