- The problem with writing about Sasha is that he’s as impossible to put into words as the allure of a gossamer full moon. Sasha evokes magic, like a huge secret that you can’t reveal, one that deepens with anticipation. The energy grows until you can barely contain yourself. You just have to tell someone, but nothing comes out, because words are inadequate. It’s an experience that must be shared.
That experience is a Sasha party-- a hybrid of music, passion, creativity, and other-worldly intent. The music is part Sasha, part Universal: and within the sparks where those two entities meet, is the space that we—as party-goers, inhabit for the night. Like any superstar DJ, Sasha seduces the audience with music. He understands the value of patience, and by expertly responding to the audience, he becomes a part of us, a part of a celebration that not only extends energy, but brings it back in, and inspires us to go out and create our own stories. And inspire he did. To understand the excitement behind this visit to Los Angeles, you must first grasp the fact that many of us had been stuck in LA for the last few years, with no chance of catching Sasha at Winter Music Conference, or on the road, and a Sasha fix was long overdue. It had been almost three years since Sasha last came to L.A., and more importantly, it had been even longer since we last experienced the Sasha Magic.
Although Airdrawndagger was a beautiful foray, it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi that Northern Exposure held so richly. No other compilation, not even Communicate, had touched people as deeply as Northern Exposure. That album was much like one’s first E: a high that is sought after again and again, but never quite replicated. With Involver, however, the Sasha Magic had returned.
Involver is perhaps the most brilliant album I’ve heard in the last four years The man behind the beats is rare and raw, and at the same time, lilting, sexy, beautiful and compassionate, as was his performance last Saturday, at Avalon, L.A. (Giantclub.com). Although the performance scored an A, the venue scored much lower due to a total lack of communication between the promoters and the security.
Although I had no problems getting in the door (thank you, Alden!) , all the evening’s bugs began with the security. All of the press and everyone in Sasha’s party were given black wristbands, which were valid for All Area Access,…but according to the security guards, weren’t valid for anything but the Spider Room – a private club upstairs. For curiosity’s sake, I ventured up to the Spider Room, just to see if they were valid there: they weren’t. Back downstairs, I confirmed that all press were wearing the same black wristband, and although the guards weren’t letting me backstage, they were letting others in with the same black wristband. One of the guards told me that I needed to get a blue and yellow wristband, which I actually got from Damin Murphy (Liquified.com) Thanks to Damian, I finally had all the access I would need,…but evidently, the schizophrenic security guards couldn’t keep their facts straight, and the issue just kept worsening.
Throghout the night, the security became more and more schizophrenic. Either they would make these horrific sweeps of the backstage area, gutting anyone they felt like – any color wristband or not; or, they wouldn’t let you back into the backstage area once you left to use the restroom, or have a drink outside. The reasoning was inane. At one point, one of the guards was yelling at a group of us with very valid, multi-wristbanded hands, telling us that the only people being let upstairs were those with red wristbands. Mind you, no one had a red wristband—not even Sasha.
So the security that night was definitely a D-, perhaps even an F. Annoying, rude, and a most definite buzz killer.
The visuals, the sound, and the vibe, however, couldn’t be drowned out by bad security, and to that, I give credit to Dave Dean, Jonny Jos, and the Giant production crew. Great job. Thank you, gentlemen.
The newest thing at Giant is an all-encompassing evening adventure called “Avaland,” – a multi-room experience, with the addition of a hosted Townhouse where tired feet can chill out, sit down, and have a drink. The townhouse is adjacent to the stage, just off of the outdoor patio, and it’s hosted by chillmasters and L.A.’s best, Freddy Be and Mick Cole (BudBrothes.) If you’ve never sat down to hear the funkified, beats of these two, make it a priority your next visit to Giant. They’re absolutely amazing, and the vibe is always clean, lovely, and clear.
And so, despite the nasty guard vibes, we made the best of the night – VIP access or not, because, in the end, when Sasha’s in town, it’s a party. His presence and his music inspires a cathartic release and passionate inhalation of joy and celebration. The party becomes this collaboration of a very long-kept secret, by a group of people who know just how amazing a Sasha night can be.
So many familiar faces were there: Alex Greenberg, publicist extraordinaire; DJ’s Taylor, Luke Fair, Mark Tabberner, Freddy Be, Mick Cole, and DJ/friend/business-partner to Sasha, Jimmy Van M; Jen Harrison and Trina, the Umix.net gals, Liquified friends Jamie and Ron Bush, former Giant peeps like David Mauzey, LA club videographer Travis, and on and on. All the old faces who used to gather, who’d maybe gone off and done “grown up things” like get a job and work…well, we’d all come back to gather, party our booties off, and honor that which we loved so much—community, and dance, and music.
And to be perfectly honest, when it came to music, I was stumped. I barely recognized half of the tracks Sasha played. Sure, Involver was in there, but most of the tracks beautifully new to my ears. Maybe it’s because Sasha had moved to spinning CD’s, rather than vinyl, and because the majority of the CD’s in his folder were blank, burns -- unreleased tracks in the making. Or maybe because it’s just one of those things that Sasha does so well—makes a familiar track sound absolutely out of this world.
It’s too bad that the party ended early. The fliers and websites advertised Sasha until 5am, but he quit at 4:20. At first, we thought it was a sublime tribute to all the smokahs of the world, but no,…even after chanting, yelling out his name, and cheering, the man left the stage.
Maybe next time.
Giant @ Avalon - 7.5/10
Sasha - 10/10