Josh Wink

About

Also known as: Josh Wink, Josh Wink (DJ Wink), Josh Winx, Joshua Winkelman, Winc, Winks, Winx

Few DJs left a mark on the American rave scene quite like Josh Wink. The Philadelphia native was the leading voice for tribal techno and house in the US during the early 1990s, and by 1995 he had broken through on both sides of the Atlantic. That year alone he dropped "Don't Laugh" as Winx, scored a US Hot Dance Club Play number one with "I'm Ready" under the Size 9 alias, and sent "Higher State of Consciousness" to the top of the European dance charts. His sound pulls from acid house, breakbeat, drum and bass, and experimental territory, built around what he calls tension and "mistake theory," a deliberate use of accidents, filters, and unusual sampler settings to create those spiraling acidic bass lines he became known for. In 1994, Wink co founded Ovum Recordings with fellow Philly DJ King Britt, a label that has since become a respected fixture in the underground electronic scene. Over the years he has remixed artists ranging from Depeche Mode and Moby to Radiohead, and his Profound Sounds DJ mix series earned praise for treating techno as a continuous, carefully crafted listening experience rather than a playlist. The 2009 album When a Banana Was Just a Banana showed a slightly warmer side, while the label's 300th release in 2018, "Aries In Mars," marked 25 years of Ovum staying true to its roots.