Josh
Wink - Profound Sounds v2 (Ovum Recordings)
Published:
SoundsXP,
July 2004
Original
article:
http://www.soundsxp.com/949.shtml
Still
best known for his budgerigar-on-speed squealing acid stomper
'Higher State of Consciousness', Josh Wink's latest release
comes in the form of a DJ mix for the Profound Sounds series.
The gentle chords and spiritual spiel of opener 'Form Is
Emptiness' by Swayzak do little to prepare us for the tough
tech-house that follows.
This
is a minimal journey through Wink's dark side and there's
very little room for melody as driving drums and one-note
synth stabs are relied upon to create a hypnotically repetitive
foray into the grimy underbelly of dance. Many tracks seem
to have the same beginning, middle and end with only slight
tweaks on the way meaning they pass by largely unnoticed.
It's
not all muted minimalism though, highpoints include the
bouncing bassline and ice cool chords of Rithma's
'Tracks For A Weirder Day', and Barada's
straight-from-the-eighties techno funk track 'Yard Work'.
An ongoing love for squiggly acid build-ups is in evidence
during Wink's own reworking of Dave Clarke's
'Compass', an intense, pounding growl of a tune that thuds
away inside your skull long after this set closer has passed.
Dance
music was made for dancing to and while this is great music
to leap around and get sweaty in a club to it is probably
not challenging or varied enough to give the armchair listener
a memorable experience.
More
enjoyable is the bonus disc featuring four of Wink's own
compositions and mixes. 'How's Your Evening So Far?' borrows
heavily from Lil Louis' 'French Kiss',
a reminder of the days when all it took was a bit of groaning
to get Radio One to censor your music (take note Eamon
and Frankee), creating a trance-inducing
twisted house track. This is then followed by Wink's biggest
acid wig-out since 'Higher State…' in the form of
the aptly named 'Evil Acid'. Menacing, mean and moody, it's
definitely not one to listen to alone.
All
in all a quite unrelenting and at times monotonous trip
through techno and the hardest of tech-house, partially
redeemed by touches of funk and the odd deviation from the
formula. There are some good moments but this certainly
isn’t one to hail as a classic showcase of what dance
music truly has to offer.
-
Ian Roullier |