It wasn't as if Sasha needed to prove anything when his original Involver release came out. No one was expecting it to be anything but slick, although those who hadn't quite caught the vision of his artist album Airdrawndagger might have been hesitant.
But after it released to near-universal acclaim, he suddenly faced the challenge of having to live up to a modern classic of DJ mixing. So it's no envious task to have to follow it up with a 2. And it's therfore a fortunate thing indeed - not just for Sasha, but also for fans who have been anxiously waiting four years for the sequel - that his latest installment, Invol2ver succeeds so handily. Although perhaps in its own unique way.
After an "Intro," things start off in a similar manner to the original Involver, with a broodingly dense track, this time the excellent reworking of Telefon Tel Aviv's "You Are The Worst Thing In The World." It's a pulsing, minimal, vibey headtrip of a track, with complementary stylistic underpinnings to Sasha's re-imagining of Grand National's "Talk Amongst Yourselves." The difference this time is that the rest of the album largely stays there, instead of venturing off into all manner of exploratory sounds.
It's this cohesiveness of style that is its main selling point. Because unlike many who might wallow in a familiar style out of comfort or necessity, Sasha applies his trademark skills to exploring it as fully as he can. He doesn't lean on the style, but builds it from the ground up. But it's also this same unifying element that might bewilder those looking for another globetrotting excusion around the Involver universe.
In fact, you could best sum up the record with the word hypnotic. It effortlessly glides from one track to the next with a seamless touch missing the first time around. But it's also more dark and serious. Gone are the more up dancefloor touches of "Watching Cars Go By", "On My Own" or even "Dorset Perception." Here the singular vibe never breaks. With Involver this was also present, but in a different sense. Before the focus seemed to be taking different elements and re-engineering everything until it became distinctly Sasha. Invol2ver continues that and simply adds a stylistic consistency.
Article comments
1 - A.T.
Personally, I am not a fan of Invol2ver. I am one of those who likes early Sasha and absolutely loved Involver. I was interested to see what he would do for this album, as I recently gave the Emfire Collection a try and was not impressed at all. I know artists are always trying to branch out and blend genres and progress their sounds and all that, but this mix of ambient minimal tech trance just didn't do it for me. Having said that, it definitely has its moments, and perhaps it will grow on me.
2 - David R. Perry
A.T.
Yes, the new record is definitely a departure from the previous mix, and stylistically have less in common than some of his other mixes. Personally, I think that if Involver is to become a series, which it seems to have done, then each release really does need to be distinct in its approach, otherwise it becomes just another mix series.
Give it a chance, though. I think you'll enjoy it more as time goes on. And who knows, maybe we'll all look back at this one when Involv3r comes out with some nostalgia.
3 - Ryan J.
the review should say, "Invol2ver was better than Involver" that's all you need to know
folks this is a highly addictive substance so make sure to pass it out to your friends and family
oh, and you will orgasm when the last track comes in