HE'S one of the biggest DJs in the world, has just released the most talked-about dance album of the year -- and now he is on his way to Creamfields, the must attend dance festival taking place on the August bank holiday weekend.

And despite travelling the world to play at some of the globe's best known clubs, Sasha has fond memories of the day/night event at Old Liverpool Airport.

"I've done it a few times, got there in the afternoon and taken the next two days off. It was fun.

"This year, I'm arriving from Istanbul and have somewhere to go the next day so unfortunately I'll be in and out. Unless you go there for the whole day it's difficult to check everyone out."

Head-hunted by the stars to remix their songs -- Madonna insisted on him for 'Ray of Light' -- it is all a long way from where Sasha began.

Born and raised in a small town in Wales, Sasha was first exposed to house music at Manchester's Hacienda, just as dance music exploded. This impact encouraged him to move from Wales to Manchester. His first exploration into DJ-ing was when a DJ in a local pub announced he was looking for people to play club dates. Sasha volunteered and now says that he "had about 30 records and basically just blagged it".

Despite being huge on the club scene globally, it is his new album Airdrawndagger which has got people talking this year.

He said: "I'm very happy with it. It's taken me a long time to get in the studio and get my stuff together but to be honest the whole record was done in nine or ten months which is a pretty normal amount of time to spend on an album.

"But I have had to carry on travelling at the same time. I had to decide whether to spend time in the studio or get out there and build my name around the world and play fantastic parties in Punta Del Este and Hong Kong.

"At the time there was no question I wanted to be on the road. I decided to take a few months off at the start of last year then two months after that I perforated my ear drum which caused me to take more time off. It all started coming together as soon as I sat down and was forced to get on with it."

Looking ahead at Creamfields, Sasha -- described as a progressive trance specialist -- sees it as a reunion with the crowd he has got to know at Cream over the last decade.

He added: "Even though my home was Manchester, it feels like a homecoming every time I come back to Cream. I have a special relationship with that crowd.

"So many mates from that area and the North of England come out when I play here. Because I do so much international travelling I don't get the chance to see that crowd so often. It's always so special.

"For me personally the last couple of gigs have been phenomenal. Those gigs have been some of the best I've done in the world over the last couple of years and it should be the same this year."

Sasha performs in the Global Underground Arena at Creamfields.

Tickets on sale now, £46 plus booking fee available from the Cream Ticket Line 0870 242 7326 or Ticketmaster (24hr) 0870 169 0109.