Josh Wink (born Joshua Winkelman in 1970) is an electronic music DJ, label owner, producer, remixer, and artist. He is a native of Philadelphia, United States. A pioneering DJ in the American rave scene during the early 1990s, Wink was the most prominent exponent of the tribal forms of techno and house in the U.S. In 1995, he released several hits, including "Don't Laugh," "I'm Ready" (which hit number one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart) and "Higher State of Consciousness," which topped the dance charts in Europe. He has had many recent club hits such as "How's Your Evening So Far?" (with Lil Louis) and "Superfreak (Freak)" and has also gained a lot of attention for his remixes of FC Kahuna, Paul Oakenfold, Moby, Towa Tei, Ladytron and Depeche Mode, among others.
Wink's current style is a mixture of techno, acid, house, drum and bass, and experimental music. In interviews, he has stated that his music is "built around tension", and that his work is often influenced by "mistake theory, which is: I use a lot of things that you and I might consider mistakes....by (experimenting) with effects, with filters, with percentages in my sampler, and just doing stuff that you wouldn't ordinarily do."
In 1996, Rolling Stone writer Frank Broughton observed that "a Josh Wink record takes a series of sampled noises, then twists and warps them through a barrage of sound processors, resulting in a spiraling blend of acidic bass lines and trippy break beats." Another reviewer referred to Wink's Profound Sounds album series as "sensual techno, rendered as a whole composition rather than a collection of individual, flavor-of-the-month tracks."
Wink has acknowledged the music of Kraftwerk, 1980s synthpop and late 1980s Chicago house music as major influences on his style. He is a strong supporter of new DJing technology, most specifically utilizing, demonstrating and advocating the Final Scratch application.
In 1990, Wink founded his own successful record label called Ovum Recordings with King Britt. He also has worked with Ursula Rucker and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Josh Wink has also recorded some releases as Wink, Winc, Winks, Winx, The Crusher, E-Culture, and Size 9. His song "Higher State of Consciousness" is featured on the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
From Wikipedia.