Profound Sounds, Vol. 2

by John BushJosh Wink wants to take the DJ mix to a new level, and with the second volume of his Profound Sounds series, he accomplishes a similar vision of technology-enhanced mixing as on Richie Hawtin's Closer to the Edit. For the recording of Profound Sounds, Vol. 2, Wink began with audio tracks he performed minimal tweaks on with computer editing, then loaded them into FinalScratch (the loop-based mixing software first used by Hawtin) and mixed them live -- with a little post-production mastering to complete the job. Of course, the means are interesting only for technophiles and fellow DJs; for listeners, the end is of primary importance, and fortunately, Wink succeeds there as well. The presence of a Swayzak track as an opener is evidence that Wink intends to ease listeners in with sounds from the chillout lounge, though his own production "Superfreak (Freak)" early on begins upping the energy level. Midway through, Wink hits peak hour with trance-state techno from Minimal Man (aka British vets Peter Ford and Ian Loveday) and a beautiful Detroit pastiche by Bryan Zentz's Barada, with a torrid finish highlighted by Frankie Bones' "E Series 2," and for the closer, a Wink remix of Dave Clarke's "Compass." Wink's stylistic career has been checkered with a wide range of associations, from BT to DJ Sneak, which will inevitably lead some to look at this as simply the latest bandwagon he's jumped on, but he has a feel for music and flow that rivals his more respected peers.