Dance music royalty returns to Belfast on April 8, as progressive house stalwarts Sasha and John Digweed team up for a special back-to-back set at the Telegraph Building.
The UK duo have been at the top of their games since the 90s, the era of superstar DJs which in 1994 saw Sasha featured on the cover of the dance magazine Mixmag above the words, “Son of God?”.
Sasha and Digweed released a series of landmark mix CDs together, held a long-standing residency at New York club Twilo and as the 2000s started, were crowned “best DJ in the world” by DJ Magazine in consecutive years.
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All these years later, while the two old friends have their own separate careers, they still make a point of fitting some gigs together into their schedules - and the appetite to see them together and hear their perfectly, patiently blended sets live is clearly still there.
“I think we have one of the most special DJ partnerships in the industry,” Digweed tells Belfast Live, “forged from a love of music and mixing skills.
“That extra bit of magic always seems to happen when we play together. We are completely different personalities but I think that is why the partnership has worked so well and for so long.
“We limit our gigs together these days for special events and playing the Telegraph Building is up there for sure.”
Digweed, who is originally from Hastings (like the battle, as a certain Northern Irish copper might say) in the south-east of England, has been coming to Belfast for many years, and he can attest to the special sauce that crowds here can offer to a visiting DJ.
“Belfast has an incredibly energetic and passionate crowd, it's always a pleasure to play there and I have so much fun every time I go,” he says.
“The last time we played together [outdoors in Belfast], the atmosphere was amazing but the weather was not on our side that day so the rain took the edge off it.
“We both can’t wait to really deliver a special set for the people of Belfast.”
Both men have massive fanbases all over the world - a look at Digweed’s streaming profiles throws up live recordings from Miami, Tokyo and Cordoba, Argentina, each with the whoops and cheers of ecstatic dancers at key moments, allowing listeners to taste the atmosphere wherever they are.
Digweed is experienced and skilled enough to know how to tailor each set to a specific time and place, and so neither he nor his fans know exactly what to expect from each show.
“It’s about reading the crowd correctly, whatever country you are in,” he says of his plans for the Belfast gig. “I play a lot of new music in my sets but it has to be the right new music and for me I always try to push myself musically to give each audience a special set.”
In the meantime, you can get a flavour of the music you might get to hear at the Telegraph Building by following Digweed’s long-running radio show, Transitions.
For more than 20 years, the DJ has been broadcasting a two-hour weekly show featuring mixes by himself and guests, syndicated to 50 countries worldwide. These days it’s available in podcast form too, of course, and Digweed is due to record his 1000th episode later this year. Not that he likes to blow his own trumpet…
“Unfortunately everything these days seems to be about numbers,” he laments. “This many followers, this chart position, this many streams… [There’s] too much bragging and I have never felt comfortable doing that.
“Maybe I should boast more about my achievements, but to be honest to be still doing what I love week after week after all this time: that’s the biggest buzz for me. My fans are incredibly loyal and supportive and I am so lucky to have them by my side.
“As for Transitions 1000, you can’t fake those numbers as it’s over 20 years of radio shows right there. Let's see what happens for show 1000!”
Sasha and John Digweed play The Telegraph Building on Saturday 8th April. Tickets from shine.net
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