'Communicate'

'Communicate'

Enormously popular and apparently indefatigable, trance DJ duo Sasha and John Digweed's <i>Communicate</i> risks market saturation given the number of CDs they've already produced separately this year. Along with Digweed's involvement in a long list of projects, including his astonishing double discs <i>Bedrock</i> and <i>Global Underground: Hong Kong</i>, Sasha's name has become omnipresent on compilations and mix records all over the world thanks to his own GU contribution <i>Ibiza</i> and its ubiquitous club hit <i>Xpander</i>. Still, one feels only gratitude for <i>Communicate</i>, as these two globetrotting turntablists once again show off the unique stylistic differences that produce their trademark twists, dizzying turns, and wide-open flights of rhythmic intensity. Sasha is the straightforward one, putting a heavy hand to use on the turntable, maximizing bass lines and beats while keeping a sharp eye on the fader, forever attentive to the dance floor's whims. His gifted ear pits Killhurtz' "West on 27th" mix against Breeder's "Tyrantanic" with forceful execution, providing sublime closure on the first disc. Meanwhile, Digweed's world is more subtle, filled with shady crevices, slippery transitions, and subliminal melodic touches. The ghostly sample work on Digweed's haunting "Voices: Freelance Icebreakers Mix" from the second disc slices into the Orb's "Once More" with the delicacy of a surgeon. Pieces of songs ebb and flow throughout with unpredictable grace, provoking the sweaty, timeless, eyes-shut-tight club-going experiences that exist in many a hipster's fondest dreams. All in all, this might be the best example yet of Sasha and Digweed's incomparable appeal. <i>--Matthew Cooke</i>