Josh Wink continues to further his acid sound into the 21st century largely resisting the urge to enter into a more commercial and generic sound. He has maintained a disciplined, well paced and educated house development in this album. This results in a dynamic and driving collection of grooves, providing a constant echo back to the acid house brilliance that first catapulted Josh Wink into electronic orbit during the rave culture of early 90’s Britain. The epic and delerium enducing grooves of “Higher State of Consciousness” will forever loom over this producer but his latest effort is a shining example of how to bring that 1990’s sound to a new generation of fresh faced party goers.
“When a Banana Was Just a Banana” will drive a non-stop pulsing rhythms into your skull for a good solid 73 minutes – some say thats how it should always be! Wink takes the progressive house sound and warps the edges into something dark and deep. Not holding back on the low frequencies, this album will test the capacities of your home sound system and encourage you to listen intently for every little bleep and blip.
The loops are contageous and dynamic and while he is traditionally known for his relentlessly bulging synth lines.. this album seems to embrace the new possibilities of modern technology, allowing him to do this at new, more complex levels. While staying true to the house roots, here he is embracing the growing interest in IDM and the “glitch” sound, creating rippling clicks and rhythmic skipping of the beat throughout the album. By the time you have reached “What Used to be Called Used To Be”, Wink has layed down a solid driving bass line, upon which a mesmerising array of loops and flips take your ears on a merry-go-round of delight. Monolake’s “Interstate” rings through in this track in particular.
Opening with “Aeroplane Electronique” the album has a nice real club feel and should be gracing the dance floors of many a club over the next few years. This perhaps is where it really belongs and also what seperates it from the more commercial “home listening” that is being produced by many electronic artists these days. You may find yourself struggling to stay interested in this album as it settles down into a steady progressive house release. The dynamic sounds of the first 4 tracks eventually smooth out into a solid sound by the end of “Jus’ Right” and unless you have decided to jump up and dance like a crazy banana, you may lose interest. If you hold through however you will be delighted by the complexity of “Minimum 23” and the pulsing finishing track “Stay Out All Night” in which the bass will truely shake the ground beneath your feet.
This album however is for dancing, and if that is what you want to do it will definitely carry you through and is not to be left unopened at a house party. Josh Wink is still a crowd pleaser and this will not fail to bring numerous moments of euphoria and joy… it may not be an express train to delerium but it will definitely bring you on the scenic route to the end of a great night out.
Tracklisting:
Aeroplane Electronique*
Counter Clock 319
What Used To Be Called Used to Be*
Jus’ Right
Dolphin Smack*
Minimum 23*
Everybody to the Sun
Hypno Slave
Stay Out All Night*
*reviewers picks
73 minutes
