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"I don't have butlers handing me vinyl with white gloves, if that's what you mean..."

Interviewing Sasha is a little bit like prising a small child's fingers off a new toy. There is definite resistance. First, an unnecessarily complicated interview set up involving an American PR, despite the fact Sasha is in London. When the American interlocutor finally gets off the line I ask how he is. "Fine," he replies, his voice as flat and grey as cardboard.

Brilliant. This is going to be a joy. I have to remind myself that Sasha, in person, is actually rather charming, comes across as a good egg. I spent an hour in the bar of his local theatre with him once and he was intelligent, self-deprecating and gracious. He told me funny stories and drank beer and talked fondly about John Digweed, Ableton and his wife.

This isn't going as well. I am extra-cheerful; his voice sinks further into monotone. Perhaps it's weariness. He's just come from a 25-date bus tour with partner-in-crime Diggers. (His favourite city is New York because, "it doesn't seem like America" ).

"It was exhausting, but great fun. We've done New York, LA, Miami… all the big cities before but this time we played places like Nashville (Tennessee) and Columbus (Ohio)." America is past though, and the future lies in Ibiza. When we speak Sasha is anticipating his opening night performance at Cream Ibiza, alongside Paul Van Dyk. It will be the first of four appearances on the island; all at Amnesia (arguably the only club with the visual scope to match is trademark 'epic journey' sets).

Is he nervous? Excited? Glad to be back? "I'm ready. This summer is going to see big changes. You can look back and say 'it's not as good as it was' but it's just different. Music has changed, fashion, has changed. Everything moves on," he says. And what of the after hours laws? "The authorities are going to be battling to stop the after-parties. I think it's a question of who has the stronger will. I have a feeling it's the clubbers."

He's not entirely sold on the "freaky" side of Ibiza though. "Ibiza used to be about freedom. The music was very eclectic and there was an amazing, interesting crowd. Now it feels forced. They're paying weird and wonderful people to come to parties," he sighs. "But I don't want to be negative. People sound jaded and I don't want to be like that. I'm still excited about the music I hear every week."

Speaking of which, there is a rumour going around that Sasha has a team of six full-time staff whose job it is simply to screen all the new tunes he's sent. When I tell him this he sounds cross. "I don't have butlers handing me vinyl with white gloves, if that's what you mean," he says. "I go through 150-200 tracks a week."

For the first time, Sasha has his own record label as well, EmFire. Though he insists, "It's not really a record label. We don't have an office and expense accounts and stuff. It's quite a humble project."

The label is intended to showcase Sasha's productions plus collaborations with Barry Jamieson and Charlie May and Duncan Forbes from Spooky. For the recently release EmFire Collection: Mixed, Unmixed & Remixed, which features re-rubs from Radio Slave, Audion, Slam and The Field - all favourites of Sasha. 
Play Coma Music Video Here »

"I'm glad I never did a record label before," he says, "because a lot of record labels took a knock in the last five years and if it'd been my baby it would have been hard, emotionally. Now I have the time and space for it."

Gradually, as he talks about music, Sasha unwinds. He clearly finds doing interviews a horrible chore, but his love for music is absolutely genuine. Ask what the 20^th anniversary of acid house means to him and he gets almost wistful. "I was in Manchester in '88 when it all kicked off in the Hacienda, bouncing around with a smiley face tee-shirt and a silly hat. I never even finished school, but dance music gave me a direction."

So, I ask, what are your thoughts on the Garlands Vs the Hacienda night running at Eden this summer? "What?!" he splutters. "I think that's sacrilegious! The Hacienda means so much to the people who were there and it won't mean anything to the kids in San An. They could never recreate the Hacienda energy. It's better left alone."

A minute later he's composed again, voice carefully flattened. Though interviewing him is a slightly disconcerting experience you have to respect his stubborn single-mindedness. Sasha does the stuff he loves (and does his best to avoid the stuff he doesn't. Wouldn't you, if you could? 

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