Sashy Interview: From Kyiv to Toronto — The DJ & Producer Behind Big Bells Records’ Beatport Top 10 EP Deva

Adnan Jakubovic
May 25
6 min read

Kyiv-born, Toronto-based DJ and producer Sashy has built a sound that blends deep emotion with global grooves — spanning Progressive, Melodic, Afro, and Organic House. A classically trained pianist turned electronic artist, she co-founded Club Sirenis, a Toronto collective celebrating women in electronic music, and curates the Flow State of Mind mix series. Her debut Progressive House EP “Deva” on Big Bells Records hit the Beatport Top 10 in 2025. Her remix for Sergey Alymov, released on Big Bells Records, is already making waves on Beatport — currently charting at #24 in the Progressive House Hype Top 100 and #74 in the Progressive House Top 100. A strong debut that proves Sashy's production instincts are as sharp behind the remix desk as they are on her own original releases. We sat down with Sashy to talk about her journey, her creative process, and what’s coming next.

From Classical Piano to Electronic Music: Sashy’s Musical Journey

[Big Bells] Hey, Sashy. From Kyiv to Toronto, classically trained to electronic producer — that’s quite a journey. How did you get into the world of electronic music? I started playing piano in Ukraine at the age of five and continued until I was twelve. After my piano teacher sadly passed away from illness, I stopped playing, but music always remained a big part of my life. From my earliest childhood memories, I was deeply connected to it and naturally drawn to many different genres and styles.

As a teenager, I went through a strong hip-hop and R&B phase, heavily influenced by spending a year in Texas as an exchange student in 2000, when I was fifteen. During that time, I sang in my high school choir and was also introduced to American country music. I became close friends with two exchange students from Germany who introduced me to electronic music and artists like Gigi D’Agostino, Alice Deejay, and Paul Van Dyk.

Sergey Alymov makes his debut on Big Bells Records with a pure Progressive House EP — Her remix for Sergey Alymov, released on Big Bells Records, is already making waves on Beatport — currently charting at #24 in the Progressive House Hype Top 100 and #74 in the Progressive House Top 100.

That year made me realize just how much I loved the diversity of music. I could go from singing Christmas carols in choir class, to watching Ja Rule and Dru Hill videos on MTV, to taking long car rides while listening to vocal trance tracks by 4 Strings. That passion for variety has stayed with me ever since. Fun fact: after returning to Ukraine from my exchange year in the U.S., I joined an all-female Ukrainian hip-hop group as a rapper and also sang backup vocals in another band. Around that time, I was constantly writing poetry, which naturally evolved into lyrics and rap verses for my music.

Today, I still enjoy a wide range of genres, although electronic music, especially progressive house, holds a special place for me. I’ve been producing music for less than two years, but many of my tracks blend influences from different styles and genres. I’ve never liked putting strict boundaries around the creative process. To me, music is about freedom, exploration, and emotion — and I truly believe that variety is one of the best things in life.

Collaborating with Big Bells Records: The Story Behind the Alymov Remix

[Big Bells Digital] You recently delivered a remix for Big Bells Records and Sergey Alymov. How did this collaboration come about, and what was your creative approach to putting your own stamp on the track?

Sergey and I met through the Redspace music production community, where we were both students in his Hacking Music Matrix course — a program he briefly offered to a select few groups before stepping away from teaching officially.

Sergey initially reached out to me with a few questions about Big Bells as a label, and naturally, I became curious to hear his track. The moment he sent it to me, I completely fell in love with the vocal and told him that if he decided to release it on Big Bells, I’d love to do a remix for him.

I’ve only done a few remixes so far, but I absolutely love working with vocals and melodic elements. This has probably been one of my favorite tracks to work on to date. Everything came together very naturally and surprisingly quickly — the entire process just flowed with ease. My husband even helped out a little along the way, which made the experience even more special.

I’m also part of Dowden’s Discord community, where I shared the track for feedback. That was incredibly helpful, especially when it came to refining some of the technical aspects of the production, since achieving the cleanest possible sound is still the area I’m working hardest to improve.

My creative process is really about going with the flow and enjoying the journey. If something sounds good and brings you joy, then it’s definitely on the right track — no pun intended. 🙂

Deva EP: How a Beatport Top 10 Progressive House Hit Was Born

[Big Bells Digital] Your Progressive House EP Deva on Big Bells Records hit the Beatport Top 10 in 2025 — that’s a huge milestone. What did that moment mean to you, and what do you think connected with listeners so strongly about that release? Even though Deva was released as the second EP, it was actually the first track I wrote as part of Redspace’s music production course. The course lasted two months, and by the end of it, students would produce a full track with complete mixing and mastering. Deva was the result of that process.

When the EP hit the Top 10, I was genuinely shocked. It was nowhere near perfect, but it was different and unique, and I think that’s what resonated with people so much. A lot of progressive house music sounds the same these days, so it felt refreshing to hear something more authentic and unconventional.

When I was working on it, I was simply putting together sounds I found fun and enjoyable, without thinking about rules or industry standards. Looking back now, I sometimes can’t believe I even wrote it. I often try to channel that “Deva” mindset when I feel stuck or when my tracks aren’t turning out the way I want them to.

I’m also very grateful to Univ3rse, who offered to remix this track and introduced me to Big Bells. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be doing this interview right now.

Sashy in 2026: Upcoming Releases, Collaborations & New Projects

[Big Bells Digital] What’s next for Sashy in 2026 — any upcoming releases, collabs, or projects you can give us a sneak peek on?

2026 has been great so far. I released my first-ever collaboration with another female producer, Tabrissel, as well as two remixes, including a remix for Alymov on Big Bells.

At the end of May, I’ll be releasing my next collaborative EP with Niqla on Schallmauer Records, featuring remixes by Ekis Ekis, AKIN K/Al Park, and Casnik. On this project, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone by incorporating my own spoken word vocals, and I can’t wait for it to be released.

DJ Sashy is playing a DJ set — Her remix for Sergey Alymov, released on Big Bells Records, is already making waves on Beatport — currently charting at #24 in the Progressive House Hype Top 100 and #74 in the Progressive House Top 100.

So far, 2026 really feels like the year of collaboration. I also have my first melodic house EP coming with Alex Macondo, hopefully by the end of summer.

Another very special release is my collaboration with Solvan on Fractal Noise Records — a progressive house EP featuring my spoken word vocals in Ukrainian. This one is especially close to my heart, as I wrote the lyrics as a love poem to my husband. I’m incredibly grateful to Solvan for bringing the track to life, along with remixes from Taylan and my Ukrainian producer friends Trifonov S and Julietta Notes.