Sasha, Digweed Electrify Mayan

The essence of dance music should be the ability to make people dance. As of late, though, many acts associated with the genre have forgotten that the whole point is to get people sharing a communal vibe on a hot, sweaty, sexy dance floor.

Britain’s Sasha & Digweed to the rescue. This dynamic duo (individually, each has frequently been named the top DJ in the world by leading dance publications) shook the foundation of the Mayan Theatre on Thursday with a blissful five-hour effort that reintroduced the art of dancing to dance music.

The duo alternated behind the podium, with John Digweed doing a short intro set, followed by Sasha’s 80-minute trance mix, which threw the dancers into ecstasy with every dramatic rise. Digweed took over with a more earthbound 90-minute trance set, and so on.

As they tag-teamed, subtle differences between the two were noticeable. Sasha utilized bigger rises, coming up from his low-key moments with sweeping keyboard and synth grooves, while Digweed had a more methodical approach in working up to his segues. Digweed also relied on more percussive sounds, such as African beats, while Sasha stuck to a purer trance flow.

Having not played together in the U.S. for almost a year, Sasha & Digweed faced high expectations, but dancers couldn’t have asked for more at the Mayan show than what they got from the pair.