Josh Wink

Stay Out All Night

by Patrick Rapa

Josh Wink "Stay Out All Night"

I've always been a little torn about Josh Wink. He's from Philly, and knows how to craft a deep and delicate club track without leaning too heavily on the bass. On the other hand he's got those crustaceous blond dreads that make my scalp itch in empathy. What's that? He got a haircut? Like two years ago? OK, game on. Wink, who came up in the Philly rave scene in the 1990s, is still chewing the pacifiers on his new LP When a Banana Was Just a Banana (released on NYC's Nervous Records label). "Stay Out All Night" is, from this outsider's perspective, your classic techno construction: A funky Wurlizter riff guides the minimalist melody. A freaky vocal sample echoes in the background like some poor lost soul. A nonstop robot high-hat beat goes double time when the peripherals come to a whooshing climax. And of course there are those unpredictable blips and freaky accents and rattlesnake freak-outs that wanna push this catchy dance track to a higher state of consciousness.