British DJ Sasha Looks for His Groove at the Mayan

Sasha’s sold-out appearance Wednesday night at the Mayan Theatre should have been a slam dunk. The British DJ was playing his first set in L.A. since the release earlier this month of his triumphant debut CD of original material, “Airdrawndagger.”

But as Paul Oakenfold did at the Mayan earlier this summer when he celebrated his first “artist” album, Sasha ignored his own material. In fact, the set was uncharacteristic of Sasha in many ways.

He was at a quick disadvantage in starting an hour later than his scheduled midnight show time. Even in the nocturnal world of dance music, that’s unusually late for a Wednesday night.

When he finally did take his place behind the decks, he concentrated on vocal-heavy tunes, an interesting choice given that part of “Airdrawndagger’s” appeal is the way it communicates his vision using no vocals.

In addition to being rich in singing, the early song selection Wednesday reflected more obvious techno and fast-paced beats rather than his usual choice of large, synthesizer-heavy trance grooves.

The set did pick up about 40 minutes in, after Sasha stopped the music for the first time. Perhaps responding to the crowd’s adoration, he appeared to become more interested in the set. Still, his mixing lacked the effortless fluidity his fans have come to expect.