An ode to Josh Wink’s ‘Higher State of Consciousness’

One of my favourite club memories of all time is hearing Ricardo Villalobos draw for ‘Higher State of Consciousness’ in fabric. The combination of that weighty Room 1 system and Ricardo’s inimitable mixing style made for one of those transcendent rave experiences every night strives for. He teased it in for what felt like eternity, cutting in and out of the rocket-fuelled bassline in a manner almost as choppy as the track itself, before finally letting loose and barrelling full pelt into the volatile acid meltdown. If a doctor had placed a stethoscope to my chest at the moment, they would have heard my heart laying a beat primed for sampling by a happy hardcore or gabber artist.

Another first-rate rave experience was hearing Hunee drop it at Gottwood festival in 2015. Taking place in the heart of a magical forest clearing in the north of Wales, the setting was a world away from fabric’s packed-out and intense interior, with the air fresh with the scent of trees and branches bathed in colourful purple and blue glows. But the reaction was the same. People surged to the front, their ears craving a position closer to the speakers and the alien mechanics pumping out, while others clambered onto hay bales placed across the dancefloor, reaching to pull their physical bodies as high as their spirits, which were flying into orbit.

Whatever the setting, wherever the party, Josh Wink’s ‘Higher State of Consciousness’ doesn’t discriminate. It’s an antidote to chinstroker dance music: completely unpretentious, unashamedly tailor-made to get people dancing, pulling out all the wacky and weird stops to do so, and I’m yet to see it fail. Thanks for the good times Josh ;) (Wink wink).

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, and had to take a few moments to catch his breath after writing this, follow him on Twitter