Arts & Entertainment

A Wink To Techno

Movement — Detroit's Memorial Day Weekend festival
returns to the city where electronic music was born.

Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News

osh Wink recently celebrated his
40th birthday by doing what he
thinks of as "a hobby that pays
the bills." The electronic music entertainer
performed at a favorite venue in his home-
town, Philadelphia.
Wink, whose stage name has been
shortened from Winkelman, soon will be
bringing his talents to the state where his
dad, Chuck, grew up. The sound innovator
performs in Movement: Detroit Electronic
Music Festival 2010, running Saturday-
Monday, May 29-31, in Detroit's Hart Plaza.
"What I do is completely spontaneous:'
says Wink, who has previously appeared
with the festival and regularly returns for
Winkelman family celebrations. "I leave the
show up to my interaction with the crowd.
"I mix [the sounds by] playing my
music, music from my record label and
other people's music. I have lots of original
music and have released original music
that I have composed and programmed
myself since 1989:'
More than 70 performers — including
Kevin Saunderson's Inner City, Starski &
Clutch and Ida Engberg — will be seen
among the productions divided along five
stages during the 10th anniversary of the
event. Last year, the audience numbered
more than 83,000.
"Techno music had its origin in Detroit,
and I'm always happy when I can be part
of this festival:' says Wink, who works
alone, notifying the festival in advance of
his equipment requirements. "Electronic
music is not played on radio or television
in America. It's really only Internet-radio
based so this festival is very unique'
Wink, who appears at international ven-
ues, began pursuing his musical interests as
a DJ-working teenager, getting wedding and
bar mitzvah guests onto the dance floor.
"When I went to Temple University in
Philadelphia, I studied communications in
radio and television along with comput-
ers, music and audio engineering:' recalls
Wink, whose first venture into music was
as a youngster taking piano lessons.
"I got a lot of the basic skills through the
university, but I got my other skills through
hands-on attention to the equipment and
the programs. There's a natural process of

j

Josh Wink: "I still have close relatives in Michigan," says the performer, who was

born Josh Winkelman.

experimentation and exploration."
After releasing his first recording, an
EP titled Tribal Confusion, on the Strictly
Rhythm imprint, Wink went on to a
variety of approaches on different labels.
In 1994, he formed his own imprint,
Ovum Recordings, and released "Liquid
Summer," a track he credits with moving
him into the international circuit.
His early recording projects include the
single "Higher State of Consciousness" and
his debut album, Left Above the Clouds.
Later titles include the CDs HearHere and
20 to 20, and tracks like "Evil Acid" and
"It's the Machines:' Wink's most recent
CD is When a Banana Was Just a Banana:
Remixed and Peeled, which has colleagues
doing interpretations of his music.
"I started to release my own record-
ings because I had lost a lot of control
[through the other labels]," says Wink,
embarrassed by some video representa-

tions of his music put out by others. "I
signed into bad contracts through bad
attorneys and lost a lot of rights. I learned
from my mistakes.
"I also wanted to put out the music of
other people I really believed in. I'm for-
tunate to meet talented people all over the
world, and if I like their music, I offer to
release it on my label:'
The label, celebrating its 15th anniver-
sary at summer festivals around Europe
this summer, lists releases from diverse
techno music performers, such as Loco
Dice, Shlomi Aber, Marc Romboy, DJ Pierre,
Aaron Carl, King Britt and Steve Bug.
With a manager to take care of the
daily operations of the recording label,
Wink can give more time to composing in
a fully outfitted home studio.
"I base my recordings on a melange of
hardware, synthesizers, drum machines
and online computer programs:' he

explains. "Advancements in technology,
affordable and accessible, have made the
home musician a professional musician.
"For me, the process is about getting
into the studio and feeling comfortable
with where my feelings are when I want
to express myself based on melody and
rhythm. A lot of electronic music is not
lyrically-based, and I don't work with
vocals very much!"
Wink, whose recent bookings reach
from Israel to Brazil, says he still hears
about the Winkelman stores once people
know his actual surname and understand
his family connections to what had been a
very popular Midwest clothing chain.
Derrick May, an electronic musician
who launched his career in Michigan and
headed up the festival in its early years,
has told Wink about going into the shops
with family. An unnamed woman recalled
the importance of having her first job
with the clothier.
"People just recognize the name, and
I always enjoy these stories:' says the
techno artist, involved in a long-term
relationship. "I still have close relatives in
Michigan, and I remember traveling to
the area for Thanksgiving."
Traveling for performances is the only
part of his career that Wink considers
work. To relax away from music, he enjoys
participating in athletics, being out in
nature and watching movies.
Raised in Judaism, he considers himself
more spiritual than observant. He likes
going to synagogue with his dad on High
Holidays.
"I'm 40 years old doing the same thing
I did as a teen and still enjoying it:' Wink
explains. "I surround myself with young,
talented, free-thinking, progressive
people, and that keeps me young. I feel
blessed every day."

❑

Movement: Detroit Electronic Music
Festival 2010 runs May 29-31 in
Detroit's Hart Plaza. Gates open at
noon and close at midnight each
day. Josh Wink performs 9:30-11 p.m.
Saturday, May 29, on the Vitamin
Water Stage. Advance $55-$150
weekend passes with no charge for
those under 12 with family.
www.movement.us .

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