It’s hard not to be cynical about Sasha & Digweed, the British progressive-house DJs who’ve made a career—and millions of dollars—out of little more than playing other people’s records. Just how did these unremarkable Englishmen manage to become the faces of a faceless genre? That’s a question best answered by revisiting their first release, 1994’s Renaissance: The Mix Collection, a landmark three-disc compilation that effectively codified the sound of 1990s-era electronic dance music.

Just about every house and techno mix since owes something to Renaissance, a seamless, deep-focus tracking shot across the landscape of British and European electronic genres of the time. For some, that sliding panoramic effect is electronic dance music, so while Sasha & Digweed cannot be said to have invented the genre itself, they established the way the music came to be presented.

Nearly 15 years after Renaissance and more than half a decade on from their last North American tour, little has changed for the DJs as they set out for another jaunt through Canada and the U.S. They’re still among the most bankable names in the business—their Vancouver show sold out in a matter of hours—and they’re just as reserved as they’ve always been with the Straight, the kind of interview subjects who are nice enough to talk to but who are altogether loath to make bold claims on the record.

Reached in Miami on the eve of this year’s Winter Music Conference, John Digweed offers no particular motive behind his and Sasha’s reunion; having both been so busy with their own touring schedules in recent years, the long-time friends simply figured it was time to revisit their past glories.

“It’s exciting because the tour’s going to attract not only the fans that were there the first time around, but also the people that didn’t get a chance to catch us when we were doing all those shows together years ago,” he explains.

Since 2002’s Delta Heavy tour, the DJs have abandoned vinyl altogether—Sasha now performs with Ableton software, while his partner strictly plays CDs. According to Digweed, the change in mixing media hasn’t really affected their deejaying style.

“We’re both comfortable in our own way of playing, but we can still manage to dovetail into each other’s music and re-create that old magic,” he claims. “That’s the most enjoyable thing about playing together. Even though it’s not a competition, we’re both music lovers and both lovers of the perfect mix, so it pushes us to play better and try to outdo each other.”

The selectors have a contest of sorts in the offing with the upcoming release of new full-length compilations—Digweed’s Transitions Vol. 4 and Sasha’s The emFire Collection. When it’s suggested that they should make a friendly wager as to who will sell more copies, Digweed is quick to nip the idea in the bud. So much for stirring up controversy between the two; whether inside or outside the DJ booth, they insist on merging seamlessly.

Sasha & Digweed play Plush on Wednesday (April 23).