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Josh Wink: "I want to be a leopon!"
Интервью · 03.04.2007
By Илья Розов
Josh Wink is a man whose every touch of any object, if it doesn't turn it into gold, then makes it "sound". He used his own laughter in the track Don't Laugh, and every clubber of the mid-90s heard it. The merciless gurgling of the Roland 303 synthesizer in the composition Higher State Of Consciousness turns what is, on the whole, an average idea into an anthem. Not to mention Superfreak, Are You There, How is Your Evening So Far...?
Hi Josh! Are you nervous before your first trip to Russia? Have you heard any wild rumours about our country?
No, you know, I'm not nervous in the least, perhaps because I haven't heard a single scary story. Honestly, I don't think Russia is any different from any other European country. Besides, I'll be playing in a club, and "club" is generally an international concept.
And what's the most unusual place you've had to spin records?
Once in Holland I played on a submarine. Now that was genuinely unusual.
Yes, it was probably cramped there. Do you prefer to play in a small club or at a mass festival before several thousand people?
I prefer playing at small, cosy venues, because the atmosphere there is more "intimate", so to speak. In a small club you feel the "vibe" coming off the crowd better.
Do you like the remixes other artists make of your tracks, and do you use them in your sets?
You know, I try to play the original versions of my tracks. Besides, not that many remixes are made of my music... But the ones that come out on my label Ovum have my approval and are good enough to release.
Which song's remix was the most interesting for you to work on?
Probably Sting's song "Send your love". It was difficult but interesting to alter his music in line with my ideas.
Do you miss the times when it all began? Doesn't the modern scene seem boring to you?
Nothing will ever be the way it used to be again. That's why I don't focus on things I can't control. I enjoy the present! A huge number of amazing things are happening right now! Tons of new music, as well as devices and programs for creativity — both for making your own tracks and for DJing.
Does your position in the international DJ ranking matter to you, and who, in your opinion, is most worthy of being called "number one"?
As for who's worthy — I haven't the faintest idea. It's all very subjective. Magazines and resources that focus on the DJs of the "top 100" are just wasting their time. It's no longer about music, but about internet propaganda...
OK, let's change the subject. Do you have enough time for cinema?
The only place I can watch a film is a plane flying at an altitude of 10,000 km. But I try to spend that free time reading books. Though there are cinema classics I'm always ready to watch: Taxi Driver, Brazil, Citizen Kane, Schindler's List, 12 Angry Men...
Rumour has it you subscribe to National Geographic magazine. Which animal do you associate yourself with?
If I had to choose who I'd want to become — it's a leopon (a leopon is a hybrid of a male leopard and a female lioness. The leopon's head resembles a lion's, while the rest of the body resembles a leopard's).
And the last question — the same rumours have it that you cook magnificently. Share some recipe "by Josh Wink".
Ha-ha! I do cook, but it's more of a hobby. I like to travel and then come home and recreate the dishes I tried in other countries. But I have a strict approach and quite a strange diet... I don't eat anything dairy (eggs, butter, milk, cheese), meat or poultry. I don't eat fish. No sugar and not even wheat. So I have to be really resourceful to cook something tasty.
An interview with Josh Wink, marking the release of the second compilation "Profound Sounds"
6 April, Friday, "Pravda" (Saint Petersburg), DJs: Spirit, Lena Popova, Volodya Trapeznikov and Josh Wink
7 April, Saturday, "Gorod" (Moscow), DJs: Spirit, Mario, Volodya Trapeznikov and Josh Wink