Sasha

Involver is a good name for this, since producer/DJ Sasha has "involved" himself in each of the tracks. Everything on Involver was exclusively recorded or remixed for the collection by Sasha. His influence isn't always evident, but his involvement in everything keeps the album cohesive, always sounding light, a bit trippy, and a tasteful metallic blue. Involver is mixed, but for headphones rather than the dancefloor. It isn't until Felix da Housecat's "Watching Cars Go By" comes in nine tracks deep that you can seriously shake and shimmy, but with such great productions to get lost in, even the flightiest club kid should be seduced. Sasha puts the echo to Grand Central's wistful "Talk Amongst Yourselves," pulls the beat out from under Petter's "These Days" while slowing it down, and chops up UNKLE's "In a State" just to make it even more otherworldly. Smoother than smooth, the album can act as wallpaper but has enough twists and turns for active listening. Sasha gushes about the tunes and tells you what he did to them in the liner notes, but the mix is just as delicious if you don't give a toss about the concept. [The "Special Edition" of Involver adds a bonus disc of Sasha remixes including his great take on the Chemical Brothers' "Out of Control" and one of his earliest flashes of brilliance, his 1992 dub of D-Ream's "U R the Best Thing."] ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide