Josh Wink

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• Genre: Techno
• Hometown: Philadelphia

About

Philadelphia doesn't quite rank alongside Detroit, New York or Chicago in the annals of American house and techno, but don't blame Josh Wink: since he and King Britt founded Ovum Recordings in 1994, the formerly dreadlocked dance master has turned out classic after outsized classic to belie his "second city" standing. He first hit ravers' radars with the worldwide underground hits "Don't Laugh" and "Higher State of Consciousness." The latter, with its nimble breakbeat and spookily time-stretched vocal, offered an irresistible fusion of hardcore and acid house, and its standing in the dance-music canon was confirmed with multiple reworks over the years, both by Wink and others. An in-demand DJ, Wink showed versatility behind the decks with mixes like the Profound Sounds series. In 2009, he returned in full force with the studio album When a Banana Was Just a Banana, a collection of muscular, state-of-the-art tech-house that balanced purposeful grooves with cheeky detailing.

- Philip Sherburne