Airdrawndagger

The album is named after the term "air-drawn dagger", which was used in William Shakespeare's Macbeth to characterise an emotional outburst. The album is entirely instrumental, and has a different sound from Sasha's other work, such as the Xpander EP. Its tone is more atmospheric and relaxed compared to his mix albums. In a 2013 interview with Dubspot, Sasha stated that the production of this album had relied heavily on use of the Roland JD-800 and the Waldorf WAVE synthesizers, describing them as "the sound of Airdrawndagger". In press releases and marketing, the album was advertised as Sasha's "debut artist album", despite The Qat Collections release in 1994. ==Release==

The album was announced in July 2002 with live performances of it scheduled for 24 and 31 August 2002. A digital download version of the album was issued on 17 May 2010 by Deconstruction Records. The album was re-released on 3xLP vinyl in 2020 and 2023 by Music On Vinyl in limited edition runs. These versions featured all 11 tracks, with "Cloud Cuckoo" and "Requiem" taken directly from the CD master. The album's single, "Wavy Gravy" was released on 19 August 2002 through BMG and Kinetic, and promoted by a remix contest held in 2003. The single charted on the UK Singles Chart at position 64, and on the UK Dance Singles Chart at position 4. ==Critical reception==

Airdrawndagger received generally positive reviews from critics. AllMusic reviewer Glenn Swan gave it four stars out of five, summarising his review with "Airdrawndagger has a sharp blade, and hovers with threat, but it takes almost half the album before it draws blood" although stated that "[when given his mix albums and remixes], Airdrawndagger sounds a bit anticlimactic by comparison". Robbie Y from Resident Advisor wrote a very positive review, rating the album 5.0 out of 5, describing it as "mixed and produced to perfection, not one stone in the making of this album has been left unturned". However, Pitchfork gave the album a negative review, rating it 2.5 out of 10. == Track listing ==

• Alexander Coe (Sasha) – writing, production (all tracks) • Charlie May – writing, production (all tracks except "Immortal", "Fundamental" and "Bloodlock"), piano, organ • Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) – writing, production ("Cloud Cuckoo", "Requiem" and "Golden Arm"), mixer (all tracks) • James Holden – writing, production ("Bloodlock") • Geoff Pesche – mastering (all tracks) • Iain Roberton – recording • Simon Wright – additional programming • Luis Jardim – percussion • Greg Knowles – instruments • Steve Lewinson – bass guitar • Dave Arch – celestia, harpsichord ==Charts==