Sasha – Global Underground 013: Ibiza

To understand CD2 you have to have been there back at the turn of the decade to understand what Sasha did. The last hour or so of his sets were filled hard hitting energetic records which he was largely responsible for putting out there. They were very fresh at the time and often played at a much higher tempo (listen to his Homelands set back in ‘99 when he drops quite a few of these tracks). Other DJs followed because they wanted to be in the same league as Sasha however because of this, the tracks that were once fresh became anthems and were simply overplayed. By that stage, bar Xpander, he had moved on from the majority of them anyway. But make no mistake, they were Sasha records.

CD1, certainly the first two thirds of it anyway, is how I a Sasha set on the terrace at Space (generally ‘We Love’ on a Sunday evening). I was lucky to have lived those moments back then and it’s probably why I hold GU013 so dear. It was a fantastic era for electronic music and that transition into the progressive stage was monumental. It is arguable that the tougher, darker sound that both he and Digweed championed at New York’s Twilo was a major influence.

Sasha was a huge draw back then and probably one of the best, if not they best, technically gifted DJs of that period. I hope he writes a book about it all some day!

Tracks are kept too long in the mix, Smith & Selway "Move!" is a DJ tool at best, nothing to play out for 6 minutes.
The mix lacks a feeling of a journey, CD1 pumps and pumps and ends with "Natious - Amber (Silk Mix)" not a classic in anyone's book
Cass And Slide "Perception" is a stand out track on CD2 that should have been mixed straight into Sasha's own Xpander too keep the momentum going, instead it is broken up with "The Fly"
This is not one of Sasha's best mixes in my opinion.

as others stated one of GU's finest moment....a definitive mix that captures perfectly the Balearic spirit of the late 90's. The selection of tracks is faultess but the main essense is the sequences Sasha blends like no other (ok maybe Diggers). Check out the transition from Bluefish into BT and then into Aquilla and imagine yourself in Space dancefloor lost into the groove.

One of my two Sasha double cassette tape GU comps which I played to a literal, and figurative death lol. The other being his Boxed 1996 GU which I’m not sure was ever a proper release… 🤔

https://www.discogs.sie.com/release/1906093-Sasha-Global-Underground-96-Mix

Oh and Renaissance mix#1 ( still the pinacle lol )

Mix one is a great brooding, deeper affair. Mix two lights the fires and moves through the gears into some excellent prog house/ trance, but with some nice little segways. Inimitable Sasha sprinkling his magic - great track selection, fine mixing, great production. Best in the GU series for me

Personally, I rate this as hands down far superior to San Francisco which I felt was a bit disted - started well then became a bit of a prog trance slugfest (right, I’ll get my coat). Ibiza was a welcome return to form after that borefest extraordinaire he made with his pal - NE Expeditions

Classic just classic! Likley the best GU of all the series, but many good ones from this era.

The version of Heaven Scent seems a bit different from the one that was released on BED1 a month beforehand. The ending is obviously different, but that probably could've been some Pro Tools foolery after the fact. But some of the synths in the first 3 minutes seem a bit different, plus there's a breakdown at 2:09 that isn't there in the released version. I'm guessing either it's some Pro Tools foolery with the original stems and the Junkie XL track, or Sasha was working with some sort of demo of Heaven Scent.

Can anyone recommend another DJ mix that approximates the vibe of CD1 (the deep house half)? To this day, I haven't found another mix that's as deep and summery. Who else was playing this music at the time? I was 14 when this was released and it blew my mind back then.

Blimey. Haven't listened to this in for ever and CD1 is still out of this world banging.

This is the holy grail of Electronic Music. One that will stand the test of all time.

Why have I never been able to find the version of Fibonacci Sequence that is on CD2 here?! As I understand it, it's a version/mix by The Light who co-produced the track with BT, but any commercially available version I have ever come across is different, specifically in the drop that occurs about 5 minutes in. The version on Sasha's mix is a euphoric, chord driven monster whereas all the available to buy options I've ever found are bassy and grimy. Any help in tracking down the one on this mix would be so greatly received!

ps. amazing CD this, one of my favourites ever.