Sasha with DJ John Debo

From playing acid house at the famous Hacienda club in Manchester, England, in the '80s to the infamous trancey nights at Twilo in New York City in the '90s, Sasha (né Alexander Coe) has remixed, performed and evolved his way into stardom with partner John Digweed. The pair canceled a date at Pop's earlier this year, but disappointed fans in the middle of America will soon have a chance to catch half of the dynamic duo next week, when Sasha steps up to the Technics sans Digweed to celebrate his most recent release, Airdrawndagger.

Although parts of the lyricless, sometimes-brooding album are less lively than they could be, the complete work is a success that was well worth the wait. Sasha's artist-disc debut sonically personifies him by demonstrating what he wants to hear when he's not playing other people's records and what he has to say about the future of electronica. And who are we to question the guy who's worked with everyone from Madonna to BT? And for you indie-rockers open-minded enough to try something new (all two of you), word is that Bob Mould himself has given him props. In less experienced hands, the somber Airdrawndagger might not translate to the dance floor, but it's a safe bet that if anyone can make it work, it's the master. Sasha's taken time off from his Ibiza-Miami-UK-Asia puddle-jumping to open our minds here in the heartland; the least we can do is humble ourselves and bow before the DJ -- and now composer -- king.