Sunday, August 16, 2009

JW / Electronica Classics 024: Sasha & Digweed Live in Atlanta During 1996 Olympics


This week's selection is the kind that makes you wish you could've witnessed such an evening of music in person. It's a 3 hour monster from two musical legends right at the inflection point towards international prominence for both the artists and a city. And it might be one of the best Sasha & John Digweed performances I've ever heard.

I luckily ran across this set on the Mercury Server forum last month, and it's been a mainstay in my daily music routine ever since. For those of you who may have cut your teeth on their Northern Exposure Series of albums in the late 90's, this set will feel like a familiar friend.

At the time it was recorded in Atlanta, the city was in the final week of the Centennial Olympic games. I'd visited about 5 weeks earlier to watch a Braves vs Giants game at the now-demolished Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. I recall seeing the Michael Johnson Nike ads on the sides of city buses and just perceiving a general electricity in the city as it was about to become the focal point of the world. While this show wasn't directly affiliated with the Olympics (like Tiesto's performance at the 2004 Opening Ceremonies in Athens), I feel the timing is still notable.

What really strikes me about this thirteen year old Sasha & John Digweed set is just how fresh the music sounds even today. 1996 and my memories of the Atlanta Olympic Games seem like a distant time in the past. But 1996 in the context of this performance still seems relatively modern. Probably more of a cognitive disconnect on my part, but it's stuck with me and makes this set all the more personally special.

Sasha & John Digweed - Live in Atlanta Northern Exposure Tour 1996-08-02
Megaupload Link

01. Sasha - Arkham Asylum
02. ID 12
03. Apollo 440 - Krupa (Alcatraz Within The Joint Remix)
04. ID 26
05. ID Nootropic - Cant Stop
06. ID 38 The Music
07. ID 46
08. ID 50
09. ID 54
10. ID 60 Sounds Like A POB Or Origin Track Also On Simon's Set
11. Konya - Come On
12. ID 77 Male Chanting
13. SNS - You Do Me Wrong (Violator Mix)
14. Third Man - Solar Cycle
15. The Light - Panfried (Original / Mind Over Matter Mixes)
16. Third Man - Planet Hunters
17. Universal State of Mind - All Because Of You (Mindsweeper Mix)
18. Pop In Wonderland - Beautiful People
19. Stef, Pako & Frederik - Seaside Atmosphere
20. Paul Van Dyk - Words
21. Goldie vs. RITM - Inner City Life (RITM's Vocalic City Mix)
22. AGH - Yummy
23. LSG - Hidden Sun Of Venus
24. ID 165
25. ID 170
26. BBE - 7 Days & 1 Week

No comments: