Sasha

After achieving success as a producer and DJ, Sasha worked with younger DJs and producers such as BT and James Zabiela, influencing their musical styles and techniques. His use of live audio engineering equipment helped popularise technological innovations among DJs who formerly relied on records and turntables. Despite the changing trends in electronic dance music, Sasha continues to perform in large dance venues. In 2007, he formed a record label with Renaissance Records called emFire, which is the exclusive outlet for his new music. Sasha was born in Bangor, Wales on September 4, 1969, but spent most of his youth with his mother in the Welsh town of Sandycroft, Flintshire, North Wales. Sasha's mother, taught French at Hawarden High School. Sasha's early musical taste was primarily Top 40 pop music like The The and The Police. After an "idyllic childhood", he passed the entrance exam for Epsom College at age 17. However, he did not like Epsom and left before completing his Advanced Level (an academic qualification in England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Instead of continuing his schooling, Sasha moved to Bangor to live with his father and stepmother. Sasha's stepmother forced him to take piano lessons which, although he disliked them at the time, Sasha ultimately found to be beneficial to his music career. Sasha became aware of electronic dance music in 1988 at The Haçienda, a Manchester dance venue. Drawn to the rough sound of acid house music and the rebellious attitude he associated with it, he visited Manchester weekly and soon moved to nearby Disley. Sasha purchased many acid house records and began to teach himself how to mix. A local DJ at a club Sasha frequented announced that he was looking for other DJs to travel with him on a regional tour. Sasha volunteered and made his first live appearance in nearby Stockport. Sasha recalled of his debut, "I'd never even touched a Technics: I thought the pitch control was the volume, I didn't even know where to plug my headphones in! I'm sure I was absolutely horrendous."