Xpander [EP]

Amazon.com
DJs Sasha and Digweed are known throughout the world for their sublime mixes and clever choice of material popularized by their Northern Exposure CD series. Beyond the interminable techno and house of their contemporaries, S&D have found some magic key with which they make real music out of monotonous dance-floor detritus. Their mixes breathe, travel, and reflect, making armchair listening a resplendent journey in the head. Those of us who would rather endure an evening with Sugar Ray than get caught in some ear-shattering dance dungeon find solace in the mercurial, near shamanic sounds of S&D. But can solo Sasha match the muse? Xpander follows the S&D formula to a T, leaving you wondering who is the genie and who is the master in that partnership. Almost subliminally, the Sasha tracks "Xpander," "Belfunk," "Rabbitweed," and "Baja" unwind as much in the air as in your head. The beat, of course, is omnipotent, but Sasha adds touches of glowing ambient, experimental house, soundtrack surrealism, and trippy, Warpish techno. Remember that scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey where our hero, Dave, travels light years in a single moment, only to find himself looking at his own aged body eating eggs? Xpander is the eerie modern soundtrack to a heightened aging process, one where the mind gets lost in the void while the body either shuts down or dances. --Ken Micallef

Product Description
Five track EP from the reputed house artist. Contains 'X pander' (Edit), 'Xpander', 'Belfunk', 'Rabbitweed' and 'Baja'. Available domestically for the first time & at a cheaper price than the import. Standard jewel case. 1999 release.

Tracks:

Xpander Edit
Xpander
Belfunk
Rabbitweed
Baja

Amazon.com

DJs Sasha and Digweed are known throughout the world for their sublime mixes and clever choice of material popularized by their Northern Exposure CD series. Beyond the interminable techno and house of their contemporaries, S&D have found some magic key with which they make real music out of monotonous dance-floor detritus. Their mixes breathe, travel, and reflect, making armchair listening a resplendent journey in the head. Those of us who would rather endure an evening with Sugar Ray than get caught in some ear-shattering dance dungeon find solace in the mercurial, near shamanic sounds of S&D. But can solo Sasha match the muse? Xpander follows the S&D formula to a T, leaving you wondering who is the genie and who is the master in that partnership. Almost subliminally, the Sasha tracks "Xpander," "Belfunk," "Rabbitweed," and "Baja" unwind as much in the air as in your head. The beat, of course, is omnipotent, but Sasha adds touches of glowing ambient, experimental house, soundtrack surrealism, and trippy, Warpish techno. Remember that scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey where our hero, Dave, travels light years in a single moment, only to find himself looking at his own aged body eating eggs? Xpander is the eerie modern soundtrack to a heightened aging process, one where the mind gets lost in the void while the body either shuts down or dances. --Ken Micallef

Album Description

Five track EP from the reputed house artist. Contains 'X pander' (Edit), 'Xpander', 'Belfunk', 'Rabbitweed' and 'Baja'. Available domestically for the first time & at a cheaper price than the import. Standard jewel case. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

what I think............2007-01-26

First off again I'm not writing a book here to quantify my authority upon the subject of electronica...I read the reviews "f-ing" christ just shut your pie hole and listen to the CD already...what? you think your Mozart's wet dream or something ??
...Benjamin T. Young "Skillz McGavern" --you are a blowhard...christ I read your other reviews...( yawning ) boring...thanks but no thanks music is music..other people want insightful reviews not your goddamned thesis paper on it...
onward and upward...sorry I had to go off like that..

The CD is excellent, I cut my teeth with electrica with this CD...I recommend it..get the full version...

The first Electronica CD I purchased, and still the best.......2006-12-31

This is just one of those CD's that stands alone, above the rest. I agree with everybody else, the Full cut of Xpander is better than the cut, but it's not bad in cut form. Xpander and Belfunk get all the play, but really, the other tracks are just as good.

Also, I'm not sure why, but this has my absolute favorite cover of any CD. It's incredibly fitting with the sound, especially Belfunk.

So, if you don't own this, you need to. It's truly wonderful.

Best EP you can get.......2006-11-05

This should not be called EP, it should have been a LP. I know there are just 4 tracks, but they last over 40 minutes which is more then some punk/pop LPs that contain 10 songs or more.

I always skip edit of Xpander as the original mix is so much better. When you got thourgh a journey that starts with many will agree, best progressive trance tune of all time Xpander and continues on my fav track from the album Belfunk. Belfunk is just so great, so driving and emotional that can not be described by words.

Rabbitweed and Baja are phenomenal tracks too, and I can reccomend anyone who likes music to spend 40 mins of their life on this tunes. Once you gave this CD 40 mins, you will give it much more time as it just screams for a repeat.

And if you worry about date of releease - tracks sound so fresh even 4 years after.

Essential buy for electronic music fans, and even people that are not genre related, can relate to this.

God Touches The Few.......2006-10-25

The best use of 3 minutes 50 seconds on any cd. The first song on this is the first and last in Trance setting a benchmark that will be tested for years. The first song can be extended, remixed, meshed simultaneously and amphlified by the same producer on a 12 minute musical set and reissued as a classic remastered cd for this year. I mean screw his stupid maven mixer i'll send him my version of this song he can keep the loot and property rights just re-release it in all its glory the way it sounds on this cd. The sound is 20 years ahead of its time which makes you wonder how brilliant is this prodigy.

Milestone in progessive history.......2006-05-26

This cd is not easy to listen to. I mean what is the use in buying a car you already know how to drive or marrying a girl you already...
But it is still worth picking up. Certain tracks here are a rarity for even the Sasha fan such as Baja and Rabbitweed. I am sure we all know and are almost sick of Xpander and Belfunk. Too overplayed because of their brilliance.

Still worth picking up though.
Interesting aside: This cd helped confirm my long held suspicion that Sasha has a soft spot for the middle eastern sound. Virtually all his major mixes have at least the second opening track with just a trace of that ultra cool raj like vibe with despondent male vocals.

Highest recommendation.