Sasha - Airdrawndagger

This album seems to have aged nicely and the production is top-notch. Many of the tracks cut to vinyl are different/extended in some way (when compared to the CD). Magnetic North has a slightly longer breakdown section for example, and the more breakbeat-orientated tracks have dj-friendly beat intros. It's a shame Requiem or Cloud Cookoo were not included on this vinyl release but the slightly different edits included here are a nice touch. Some of the tracks on the 'New Emissions Of Light And Sound' soundtrack are of a very similar flavour, and may well be leftovers from this album.

Airdrawndagger first got criticized by a big load of fans who probably didn't had enough patience to experience this new piece of electronic music by the hand of Sasha. And I must say that it is a big challenge to listen to the whole album.
But isn't that a little bit what a new album should be about? Sasha took it into a very different direction here. Luckily a lot of people were impressed and especially those ambient heads. The heavenly Wavy Gravy is for sure on of the mans greatest productions. It's a great euphoric peacefull harmonic track with tight, simple and static drums. The whole album is kind of an futuristic ambient experience. Most of the tracks are based on light break beats that just serve as a small foundation. Melody and harmony that's what it is about. For sure the contribution of Junkie Xl's mixing capabilities had it's effect on the phatnes and warmth of the productions. We must conclude this is an (easy) listening album, there are no uptempo dancefloor intentions present. Some terms apposite tot the album are: fresh air, open atmosphere, peace, kindness and even love I think. Yes it is a beauty.

Immortal is an awkward track that ruins the flow of the album. Stylistically it's sticks out against everything, and overall just isn't that great of a track anyway. But everything else is perfect.

Sasha, rather than one guy, is more a collective effort along the lines of The Orb or UNKLE. Its not to say Coe isn't a good producer; it's just he does do his best work with other people, like Charlie May.

Coe was aiming for an album that matched the Wow factor of Leftfield's Leftism. The 2 are completely different animals, Leftism being dub influenced and having vocals, while Airdrawn is pure instrumental prog. But yeah, Sasha & Friends created a classic.

I mean this is a good way, but Sasha's Airdrawn and Expander EP remind me a lot of Vangelis or Tangerine Dream.

I'm trying to bust myths that are placed on discogs-dot-com. So here's my second myth busted...

It is untrue that the album only plays on regular cd players and has security features. However, I got my copy the day it was released, so it could be possible that early prints weren't copy protected.

I've transfered tracks onto my computer and made copies. The cd I have was purchased at a ligitmate store and is a true Kenetic version of the album. On the linernotes it has the same catalogue number as this listing, and the UPC code on the back insert has the catalogue number followed by a 7.

A great album, just press skip right as Immortal beings to start up; or make a cd-r copy with everything but it.

This promo is the probably the reason why Airdrawndagger didn't sell that well. In the words of Sasha, it got leaked on the net a few weeks prior to release. Before I went to Ibiza in July 2002 I downloaded the full mp3 on the then free p2p program Kazaa so I actually was able to listen to this on the balcony of my room at the hotel before the CD came out, and for free. Listening to it in the hot sun was an experience I will never forget. Unlike some promos (like Global Underground) it does not feature samples on the top saying that it is a promo copy only.

However, a few weeks later when I got back from my hols I bought a proper CD copy because I wanted to support Sasha and have a lossless copy. I also bought the unmixed vinyl but was unhappy to see that Cloud Cuckoo was missing from it. You should note that the tracks on the unmixed vinyl are slightly different from the mixed CD, track 3 especially diring the breakdown. Its the same with Involver.

Highly recommended - one of the best electronic CD artist albums of the last decade.

Once again I am making an attempt to describe music - and the feeling it gives me - with words. This CD, just as most of Sasha's production, is close to what I call musical perfection. The track layout is perfect. The album starts up nice and slow, moves on to a harder and more uptempo part, to finish off nice and slow again. Also, all the tracks are made with greatest perfection and musical skill. My personal favourites are 'Mr. Tiddles', 'Cloud Cuckoo' and 'Bloodlock'.

Fair to say that this album genrates wildly varying opinions from it's listeners, which is a good thing as nothing is more boring than everybody singing it's praises, you need to challenge people...and this album does that. Personally, I love it. I don't quite know why; as others have said, it is free from the programming complexity of most progressive/breaks tunes and isn't a purely ambient experience. But what makes it special for me is the feel of the album in it's entirety. The tone of the album is established from Drempels onwards, that of electronic music with influences from trance, ambient, progressive house and breaks. I can't really pigeon-hole it any better than that.

Sasha shipped a hell of alot of criticism on release of this album, at the time I thought it unfair and on reflection I think it was the reaction of his hardcore fanbase, the trance connosueirs finding it too ambient and the progressive fans finding it too laidback. I don't see it as either. Credit to Sasha and his cohorts they attempted to make an album as opposed to a collection of singles or an album of generic proggy bangers. The beauty of this album lies in the journey it takes you through, exquisite production that doesn't suffocate the tracks with effects but allows the melodies and sparse beats room to breathe. I love it, I was unsure when I first bought it 5 years ago but I get something out of it every time I listen to it.
Sasha's recent effort "Involver" doesn't even warrant mention in the same breath as Airdrawndagger for it serves to cater to a narrow seam of the electronic music smorgasboard, generic proggressive house. This is Sahsa's best work and deserves some patience as the album will bring years of pleasure to those willing to revisit it with an older, more experienced and cultured taste in electronica IMHO.

Nope...After at least 20 listenings I now have an opinion that counts. And in my opinion this is perhaps the most overrated electronica-album ever!
We have "cloud cuckoo", "boileroom" and "wavy gravy". Three great tracks, but absolutely not enough for making an album "great". I think people only rates this album high because it is Sasha, mr. Status. And it's not even Sasha who makes the music, on "bloodlock" it is james holden who makes a copy of his own style at that time and at the rest of the songs it is spooky, aka Charlie May.

No, Sasha should stay where he belongs: behind the dj-decks. Because there he is one of the biggest!

Thinking back of the Samothraki Festival in Greece 2003 I think it is fair to say that the most crazy experience music - and otherwise - was when I danced for about an hour and a half with a tree at the chill out stage one night. This is why I am sometimes not quite sure whether a certain type of music should be labelled chill-out, ambient, progressive or psy-trance. I mean, you are supposed to chill at the chill-out stage, right? But play the right, quality, down-beat / chill-out at the right time, and you'll have everyone going crazy. This is what happened at the Samothraki Festival. Down beat music on chill stage with everyone going at it like crazy, things even more wicked than on main stage.

Sasha wasn't at Samothraki but Airdrawndagger represents exactly the sort of music I'm thinking off. I could hear this music in the afternoon at the chill-out stage, roll a splif, relax and enjoy. Maybe dance a little. Or I could hear some of the trax here at night and go dance berserk. My favourite dance track here has to be Fundamental. The kick-in at 8:05. What is this?! Progressive chill-out ...?!? But it's not fair to single one track out. Up-beat, down-beat, they're all fantastic!

And I almost never got to hear this album! Only heard it cause a friend insisted I'd give this Sasha album a chance. "I think you'll like it", he said. Well, thanks buddy! Right on - I love it!

What can I say? Get it get it get it ...

sasha® (aka Alexander Coe, Charlie May, JXL, James Holden, etc. ... I say that because they all deserve credit for the sasha® brand of products, not just Coe) have a knack at programming. This album, while for the most part not being very complex in sound layers, does have the uncanny ability to bring out complex emotions through its simplistic, yet practical layout.

But then it also builds up to a delicious, driving techy climax. I'm sure everyone who hears Bloodlock for the first time will agree that they expected another ambient track...but when its trademark Holden bassline crackles through the speakers (especially after travelling on the entire airdrawndagger® journey), you realise that this album is something special.

well done to sasha®...and I hope to see more of them in the future

This is my favourite house CD of all time. It's so varied, and includes some fabulous breakbeats and ambience. The track "Magnetic North" remains one of my favourite tracks to play for friends or relax to.