GENRE/S: Techno

TRACKLISTS:
A1) Balls Back (Original)
A2) Balls Back (Balls Tool)
B1) Balls Back (Marco Faraone Remix)
B2) Balls Back (Dub Mix)

Release Info:
Global techno titan Josh Wink returns to his own Ovum Recordings for big new single 'Balls Back', which comes with a remix from Marco Faraone. Philly-born DJ, legendary producer and the man behind many of techno's most iconic cuts, Josh Wink remains as prominent now as he did a quarter of a century ago. That is because of the constant sense of innovation in all he does, as well as his rare understanding of dance floor dynamics and mastery of his studio. Says Josh of his latest track, “Every time I play this people rush over asking 'what is this track that says “get your balls back”?' Its reaction after playing has been amazing and reassuring that it hits hard, works on the floor, and sticks in people's heads.“ He's not wrong: the powerful 'Balls Back' is a spatial, acid-tinged techno stormer that builds and builds until it ultimately explodes in signature Josh Wink fashion. The 303s are saturated in deep processing along with heavy 909 percussion and a ‘slap-you-in-your-face’ vocal sample that will lead to dance floor devastation. The dub version is a raw, stripped down and faster-paced bass jacker that turns up the heat, and a Balls Tool is also included for dexterous DJ deployment. Italian Marco Faraone is a fellow techno heavyweight and one of the scene’s most versatile producers. He has brought his always impactful sounds to labels like Drumcode, Rekids and Etruria Beat. His remix is typically robust: vast, rolling drums power it along while glitchy percussion peels off the groove and the percussion gets ever more wild and heavy. It's a real main room monster. This is no-nonsense techno that perfectly marries form and function into a dynamite package.

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The 300th OVUM release! Special Artwork. Label of The Month in DJ Mag UK

- These tracks have been road tested by Josh Wink with huge reactions and have received support from luminary DJ's like Maceo Plex, Laurent Garnier, Eats Everything, John Digweed, Joseph Capriati, Paco Osuna and more!


Tracklist: 1. Original Mix 2. Mars Beats 3. Vox

300 releases… Let's let that sink in for a moment. 300 chapters in the on-going tale of Ovum. Chapters written for the dancefloor from the heart over the course of 25 years by some of the greatest names to ever touch the controls; King Britt to DJ Sneak, Levon Vincent to Loco Dice and so many luminaries in between. Including Josh Wink. The man in the nucleus. The man who takes the honour of the 300th release with a song that resonates with his deepest core energies and sonic ideology. His 'Aries In Mars'…
"When playing this new track for the family at home. My partner stopped what she was doing and started dancing. Afterwards she waxed her feelings from the song saying how strong she felt from it and commented about how it seemed based on my astrological sign of my ruling planet Mars being in my Aries, and how the track had strong, powerful, fiery and fierce fast paced animalistic passion. So… I said 'Wow. Okay.' I went into the studio the next day and added the vocal, switching the two as it had a better rhythmic flow."
That flow needs to be heard to be understood; 'Aries In Mars' is a wily, bouncing eight minute Ovum opus that twists and turns and ricochets with physical acid charm, rolling beats and breakbeat vapour trails. It fizzes with every element of Wink's signature but is delivered with a refreshed perspective and sense of vitality. Naturally it comes with the all essential drum and vox versions for that full creative mixing spirit that Ovum has always encouraged. For those moments when all your selector stars have aligned.
Your sun, your moon, you're very welcome. The story continues… More

Tracklist: A1. Selecta (Original Mix) B1. Selecta (Instrumental Mix)

First he had us in Denial. Then he made us an offer we couldn’t Resist. Now he’s fixing our focus on the most crucial player in this whole house caper: the ‘Selecta’.

Come again? ‘Selecta’ is yet another crystalline acid body workout from the Ovum boss who’s been dishing out single sinewy shell-outs in a seriously rich vein of form of late. Galvanised by heavily swung drums, loaded and coded with a venom-like funk and characterised by a big soundsystem vocal that tears out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly; it’s yet another unique piece of 303 witchcraft, the likes of which only Wink can conjure. Deeply groovy, unabashed darkness and just a nuance of mischief with the vocal, it’s yet another precision piece from Mr Wink who’s also kindly provided an instrumental for your added creative pleasure.

Selectors, this one’s for you. You know what to do…

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Tracklist: A1. Original Mix A2. Reists-apella (Acid Version) B1. Truncate Mix V1 B2. Truncate Mix V2

Wink returns to the Ovum motherland after a year of big hitters on Intec, Boysnoize and R&S. And he's packing some serious substance.

The clue is in the title, the message is in the hypnotic signature vocal loop, the attitude is in the spiked-out sinewy tendrils of acid, sharped in the way only Josh knows how: 'Resist' is the sound a man who, like all of us, is confounded and frustrated with the current political and media climate. Tension, fear and adrenalin ripple throughout as we dynamically ride the tangible, visceral highs and lows in a quintessential classic Wink way.

Remix-wise Truncate forges through the blurred truths, manipulation and divisiveness with two clear dancefloor tactics: a thundering, roughly-hewn late night techno roll-out and a deeper, leaner approach for slightly earlier hours with a rising siren that acts as a call to arms for like minds to unify.

Truncate isn't alone with the multiple versions: in echoes of some of his most influential tracks 'Superfreak' and 'Don't Laugh', Josh has also provided two stripped-back acapella-style tracks to ensure the critical message is entwined beyond the track itself. And that message is clear: Exist to resist. You know what to do.

- Josh Wink is on a roll following last recent big tracks on Boys Noize, Cocoon, Soma, and of course Ovum.
- DJ support from Chris Liebing, Scuba, Len Faki, Slam, Jamie Jones, John Digweed, and more. Radio support from Eats Everything (Radio 1), B Traits (Radio 1), Coco Cole (Capital 1Xtra).

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Tracklist:
A1. Planetary Assault Systems Remix B1. L.B. Dub Company Remix
Info:
Ovum are proud to present a very special remix release as Josh Wink's 2015 future-shocker 'Denial' enjoys not one but two versions from Luke Slater.
Splitting his complex multi personality across two sides, the UK techno lifer explores his innermost dual psyche to create two wholly different tracks. Both of which reflect the strengths of the original while taking it into vastly different directions.
First up: Planetary Assault Systems. One of Luke's oldest and boldest alter-egos, here he provides a nuclear powered bulldozer of a version. Fission hisses and mechanical rasps wrap around the undulating groove that charge relentlessly with a dark funk coded into the bass. Watch out for the additional percussion and brash snares midway for added atom-splitting momentum.
LB Dub Corporation follows. One of Luke's shyer personas, this is the first LB Dub Corp production since his Ostgut Ton album 'Unknown Origin' in 2013. A deeper, rolling analogue groove is at play here, suddenly dropping to reveal the loopy, automaton vocal loop from Josh's original to awesome hypnotic effect.
Two distinctive, forward-thinking, visceral floor-focused remixes from one of techno's most respected, long-standing and prolific minds: Remix packages don't get any bigger than this.
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Tracklist: A1. Original (Eyes Closed Mix) A2. Prise D'acid B2. Tweak Dub
Info:
"When we say "live in the future" it becomes a repudiation of living in the present, and then instantly we are in a state of denial"
'Denial' has a hypnotic effect on the mind. Gutsy 909 claps work with percussion and futurist vocal snippets that warp and chop, whilst haunting chords wrap themselves and sublimate over the body. 'Denial' wants you to "live in the future", denying the present moment. Yet the music speaks in the present. To close your eyes, find yourself; lose yourself in the moment and groove. 'Denial' is an invitation to live in the present. In the 'Prise d'acid' version, things are ramped up a gear with more forceful kick drums and densely layered percussion. Whilst it still retains the hypnotic, evocative factor of the original, Wink's trademark 303 bubbles its way in, providing more peak-time oomph.
The 'Tweak Dub' is a raw interpretation of the original, heavily focusing on the swing and drive of the magnetic groove with trippy tweaks of analog synth sequences drawing inspiration from his Chicago luminaries. Josh Wink is a quiet expert of metaphors within music. Of music that invites you to forget your thoughts and let the music do its work. 20 years ago he released 'Higher States of Consciousness', a record that portrayed and shaped dance culture at that time. Since, he has released music including 'I Am Ready', 'Don't Laugh', 'Oakish', 'When A Banana Was Just A Banana', 'Balls' and last year he released the intense game-changer techno anthem, 'Talking To You', a record that hasn't left DJ's boxes and has forthcoming a remix package from Adam Beyer and Matthew Dear. Wink is a producer who works ahead of trends and always stays true to his passion of the music itself, with integrity at the forefront.
"I enjoy my role as a kind of musical therapist, helping people get in to the now and be present; leaving their concerns of whatever behind and surrendering to the moment to be one with the music… 'Denial' is my musical interpretation of where my head is as a DJ; it's cerebral, eyes closed, getting lost in the music, techno with a heavy nod to the journey of getting lost. The message is to live in the present, remember the past and trust the future." - Josh Wink
#denial
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UPC: 678414002486 Release date 03.10.2014
Special Remarks: 12" Vinyl
Tracklist: A1Talking To You (Original Mix) B1. Talking To You (Groove Mix) B2. TalkApella
Info:
Ovum's 20th birthday celebrations continue with Josh Wink's "Talking To You"!
With such an impeccable track record for his original productions, any news of an impending Josh Wink release is usually met with a familiar mix of excitement and trepidation. When the bar is perpetually raised to such lofty heights, what can one man do to keep such momentum going? The answer, naturally, is to slam the listener with the kinetic intensity of a full on jackhammer acid assault, and that's exactly what 'I'm Talking To You' does. A swelling TB 303 motif contorts and swims around a vocal snippet, distorted and chopped to mind-bending effect in classic Wink style. Make no mistakes, the Philly godfather still reigns supreme; Wink is here, and he's talking to you. The release also features a (subjectively) more subdued 'Groove' mix, and a signature 'TalkApella' tool for DJ sets.
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UPC: 678414002424 Releasedate 14.04.2014
Tracklist: 1. Ben Klock Remix 2. ROD Remix
Commencing Ovum's 20th birthday celebrations, Josh Wink digs into the vaults for a very special piece of the label's history, presenting three perfect reinterpretations of Wink's hyperkinetic acid techno classic 'Are You There'.
Wink explains the history and concept behind the track: "The original version was composed in 1994 - just after 'Higher States', 'I am ready' and 'Don't laugh' - and released in 1996, I can't believe it has been 20 years since it was written! I had a friend, in Cleveland Ohio, who knew I never answered my home phone. So, when he called my house, he believed I was there screening and listening to the calls on my answering machine. Hence, "Are you there". Which was actually taken from my answering machine mini cassette, with his blessing. Ben Klock contacted us in regard to him using his own remix version for his fabric mix release. We gave him permission, as an exclusive to the mix, with the possibility for Ovum to release it at a later time. A while ago, we at Ovum were talking about releasing certain catalog legacy tracks for the 20 Years celebration, and 'Are You There' was one on the top of the list. We decided to release his remix on Ovum in 2014, which we're very happy about as we are big fans of Ben. There is also an ROD remix by Benny Rodrigues. Benny is a talented passionate producer who contacted me to ask to remix the original. It's nice to be able to release music close to 20 years old that people are still influenced by. We will be re-releasing both the original and remix versions as part of the 20 years of Ovum celebration." - Josh Wink
Ben Klock's remix retains the clattering amen breaks of the original, which sits over a cavernous sub-bass undertow. The ROD remix is dangerously stripped back, letting the vocal snippet take precedence against jacking handclaps and skittering hi-hats.
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UPC A Barcode: 678414002295 Releasedate: April 15, 2013
Four years since his last EP release and Josh Wink is back with Balls on Ovum.
Since his acclaimed album release in 2009 with 'When A Banana Was Just A Banana', Josh Wink has been heavily touring and working on building a new studio. Last year he produced his greatest creation to date, a beautiful baby son. After taking some time out to enjoy his newly found fatherhood, he finally got into his brand new studio towards the end of 2012. The outcome was 'Balls' - a ten-minute drive of pulsing intensity bating towards a huge breakdown, unlike any of Wink's work to date… "I am always surprised with what happens when I go into the studio after not being in there for a while. I feel heavily inspired to make music by all the great things I hear and from personal experiences that have occurred over the past year. I didn't expect to make a techno track. However, the grooves came quickly and naturally along with the hypnotic analog pulses. Originally I came up with the foundation of my grooves using a beta version of Ableton's Live 9. And after I constructed the fundamentals of the track- I hit record, tweaked and grooved the components live for 20 minutes, and then tightened up and edited the best parts into a sequence. Then I played out, got some new ideas from crowd interaction, and re-tweaked and made improvement. When describing the track to Matt (Ovum label manager) I was saying that I think that you really have to have balls to play this track, as it's a little different from most of the music out there right now. The track's time couldn't be edited down any further as the story and journey wouldn't be conveyed. So, the ten minutes is DJ friendly and I'm happy that I can express my tale. The track, usual of my work, is based on aural textures and tension. The breakdowns have changed through several attempts, and are now adjusted to drive the crowds, whether in clubs or festivals." - Josh Wink When you're as iconic a figure as Josh Wink, it's not so easy to sum up a career in a few words-but there are a couple of terms that might serve to get a handle on the seminal electronic-music producer's lifework. One of the most apt, certainly, would be longevity. A brief scan of Wink's mammoth résumé reveals the following: Early-'80 days as an underage mobile DJ; a major role in fostering his native Philadelphia's burgeoning warehouse scene during the house-music explosion later that decade; name-making '90s club hits like "Don't Laugh," "Higher State of Consciousness" and "I'm Ready"; a label, Ovum Recordings, that's undisputedly one of the most essential dance-music imprints; and his current position, after all these years, as one of the scene's most vibrant and creative DJs and producers (witness the critical success of his 2009 long-player When A Banana Was Just A Banana).
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