25 Years of Ovum: Josh Wink, Doc Martin, Pete Moss, Chadwick And More

Josh Wink has always run ahead of the pack, as a DJ, label owner, producer, remixer, and artist. With the release of Profound Sounds Vol. 2, Wink continues to forge ahead, challenging established conventions of what a mix CD should be, not only by remaining true to his mercurial aesthetic as a DJ, but also taking advantage of technology to fine-tune his selections into the best possible recorded representation of Josh Wink. “Profound Sounds Vol. 1 is one of my favorite compilations – it just happens that I made it," says Wink of the new album's 1999 predecessor. "It represents me, and the way I combine house and techno, in both my DJ sets and as a producer, pretty well. I'm not one for holding people to one specific genre; I love being on the median in between." The sound of Josh Wink today remains one of a man unafraid to walk the border between stylistic boundaries. Profound Sounds Vol. 2 starts off dark and atmospheric with “Form Is Emptiness” by Swayzak, then quickly builds momentum with the minimal and melodic Joshua Main mix of Rithma's “Tracks for a Weirder Day.” The 73-minute mix incorporates hints of old school Chicago house ("Make A Move" by Minimal Man), electro ("E Series 2" by Frankie Bones), and even Latin and tribal house ("Auburn" by David Alvarado). Perhaps the finest example of Wink's refusal to limit his play list to any one genre comes at the three-quarter mark, when he integrates Aaron Carl's paean to house music, "The Word," over techno-flavored tracks courtesy of Rino Cerrone and Mr. G. Unlike most of the mix CDs clogging the shelves, Profound Sounds Vol. 2 doesn't attempt to cash in on the latest trends or mega-hits. "We could have gone that route, and signed a couple of really big tracks, and put a sticker on the front that says, 'Includes the hit so-and-so…,' and everybody would go, 'Oh, I know that one,'" Wink admits. "But my integrity as an artist doesn't allow me to do that. I used tracks on this compilation that span a big period of time: Some older ones, some newer ones, and some unreleased.” And he made sure to include a few more of his own cuts this time around, including the hypnotic modulations of "Oakish," the Blakkat remix of "Superfreak (Freak)," and his own South Philly Acid Pass redux of Dave Clarke's driving "Compass." But making Profound Sounds Vol. 2 didn't just begin and end with picking the tracks and sequencing them in a suitable order. After that step, he tailored every cut to meet his specific requirements for this mix. "Every track is re-edited as a Josh Wink re-edit. I don't end up compromising the integrity of the original art, I just altered it to fit my contour." Only after customizing each song was he ready to record the final version of the set. "In a sense, I did the mix twice," he observes. Towards that same end as an added value, Wink included a bonus disc to Profound Sounds Vol. 2, which features both audio and video content. The aural component includes the CD debut of four Wink productions previously available on vinyl only: The original "Superfreak (Freak)," "Evil Acid," "How's Your Evening So Far" (featuring Lil Louis), and "What You Mean To Me" by Range of Motion. The visual portion of the disc reveals an in-depth interview with Wink featuring studio and live footage, detailing the intricate process of making the record. "It's important to me to let people know what I did on this to make this disc different, rather than just mixing it," he reiterates. Of course, diehard Wink fans expect nothing less from this artist, who has been breaking new ground for the past two decades. In the late 1980s and early '90s, when most of the U.S. was just waking up to rave culture, Wink – who had been working as a mobile DJ in his hometown of Philadelphia since he was 13 years old – was already making his own tracks ("Tribal Confusion" by E-Culture, with his former partner King Britt) and hauling his records around the country to spin at burgeoning clubs and parties. In 1995, Wink became one of the first DJ-producers to translate his hard work into mainstream success, when he unleashed a string of classics, including "Don't Laugh," "I'm Ready," and "Higher State of Consciousness," that topped charts worldwide, and made him a bona fide pop star in Europe. On his 1998 album, HereHear, Wink pushed boundaries even further, inviting fellow artists as diverse as Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Caroline Crawley (Shelleyann Orphan/This Mortal Coil), and Philly poet-performer Ursula Rucker (Jazzanova, The Roots), to contribute to a far-reaching disc that ran the gamut of electronic music styles, from ambient and trip-hop to drum & bass, as well as the trademark mix of house and techno on which Wink has built his international reputation. Since the release of the first Profound Sounds compilation in 1999, Wink has been concentrating on various projects, including continuing to oversee operations of his Ovum Recordings record label. Over the past year Josh has released another two dance floor anthems, “How’s your evening so far” and most recently “Superfreak”, both of which continue his tradition of making distinct music that catches people’s ears and inspires others to compose their own music. Although he used to bristle at requests to remix other artists ("because you sell the rights away, and don't own them any more, even though the remix is basically all your own music), lately he's grown to enjoy that gig more, turning out such notable overhauls as his recent reworking of "Blue Jeans" for Ladytron, Paul Oakenfold's “Starry Eyed Surprise,” and Depeche Mode’s “Free Love.” Wink hopes to compile his favorite remix gems on a CD collection soon. He's also working on some songs with fellow Philly denizen G. Love (as in, G. Love & Special Sauce), and hopefully further collaborations and production gigs with other like- and open-minded musicians. "I get bored if I do the same thing" Wink concludes. "Some people get pigeonholed as being into just one thing. I hate that. When there are rules, it doesn't become art, and it’s not fun. I've learned that you can't please everybody, so I’d rather be concerned with making good art, and the people that like this art will stick with you." Profound Sounds Vol. 2 is classic Josh Wink. It dares to be different. It is good art. And, most importantly, it is great fun.

Doc Martin – Sublevel Doc Martin’s live sets truly bring people together the variation in his style of music is endless. What makes him so different from the rest? A unique ability to spin everything from deep house vocals that have much depth and meaning to us all in some way, his funky tribal Bass lines mixed with threads of acid, his passive collection of classics rare records that are only to be heard at his gigs. Doc Martin has developed the respect as a house DJ that so many of us admire It is this respect that keeps him constantly touring, from New York to London, Japan and everywhere in between. He has frequently played and was a resident at such clubs as, Fabric (London),Panorama Bar (Berlin),Womb (Tokyo), Club Heaven (Seoul) The Faith 10 Year Anniversary (Garden Festival), Ministry (London), Trouw (Amsterdam),Beta (Denver) Secret Sundaze (London),Full Circle, Egg (London), East Village (London), Republik (Waterford , Ireland), Back to Basics (England Leeds), The End (London) Cielo (New York), Yellow (Japan), Ghost Bar (Las Vegas), Club 5 (DC), How Sweet it is (Los Angeles), Nocturnal Wonderland (Los Angeles), JuJu beats (Los Angeles), Club 5 (Washington DC), Daisy carnival(Los Angeles), Temple (San Francisco), Twilo (New York), Sound Bar, The Park Ultra Lounge (Sacramento) (Chicago) Zentra (Chicago), Sublevel (Los Angeles), Caf Del Mar (San Francisco), The Love Parade (San Francisco), Remedy (San Francisco),,Seven (Australia) as well as The Basement Jaxx & Daft Punk tour and countless other shows. Doc Martin and singer Lillia are recognized for their Sublevel Live shows and Underground events in Los Angeles. Together they started the Sublevel record label based out of Los Angeles and have toured Asia, Europe, USA & Canada .

Philadelphia based Pete Moss knows a thing or two about House music. Having traveled all over the world in search of the ultimate underground dance floors, and releasing over 150 projects on top labels, he's only just begun leaving his mark on the dance music world. His first 20 years of being a DJ / Producer have been nothing short of incredible. Releasing originals, remixes, Albums and Mix comps on cutting edge labels such as, Ovum, Dessous, ALola, Definity, Large, Seamless, I records, MN2's, Acryl and dozens of others, as well as his own underground Recline imprint, he's made his mark in the deep tech world and then some. Always following new talent as well as his original musical inspirations, Pete has been remixed by some heavy hitters, including Josh Wink, Karizma, The Timewriter, Satoshi Tomiie, Joshua Iz, Omid 16b, just to name a few. As well as doing his own remixes for artist such as Andreas Saag, Mateo&Matos, Kevin Yost, The Timewriter, Onur Ozman, Scope, Fer Ferrari, The Rurals, Greenskeepers, Stan Kolev, Jay J, Daniel Kyo and many others. Known as one of the finest late night/underground Dj's in the world, Pete has a reputation for giving his all at every gig and leaving people touched and inspired by his signature deep and eclectic sound. Including, crushing it at Fabric London, La Terrazza Barcelona, Roxy Prague, Salon Daome Montreal, Harlot San Francisco, King King L.A. The Arches GLasgow, La Santanera PDC Mexico, Rioma Mexico City, Smartbar Chicago, Living Room Miami, to name a few. Luckily he has no plans to slow down, It's already been a big 2014 already, including a monster of a new release for Ovum Records with a killer Karizma remix, Pete has a new original album in the works, and it's apparently going to be another huge year playing his heart out.

Chadwick has been a music selector since the early 80’s. He discovered making pause edits on a home stereo tape deck stemming from a desire to make his favorite songs just a bit longer or to extend the break. The boom of hip hop breakdancing and DJ culture led him to the Fresh Fest concert in 1983 that featured RUN-DMC and the Fat Boys, but most notable that night was when he heard Grande Master Flash cutting up Chic-Good Times on the turntables. That’s when he realized the potential of changing the music, live on vinyl, to create a whole new sound. Chadwick avidly pursued record collecting and in the early ‘90s was introduced to the clubs and sounds of NYC DJs that were delivering powerful, tribal and vocal house sets long into Sunday mornings. A passion for underground house music pushed Chadwick to open and operate a record store, Wax Worx Records, in Raleigh, North Carolina from 1995-2003. During this time he also worked as a promoter drawing 1000+ person events and as a DJ holding down weekly local residencies and guest spots throughout the East Coast. This time also saw studio productions emerge as well received singles and remixes receiving play from the likes of Roger Sanchez, MR. C, Sasha, John Digweed and Pete Tong. After moving to Washington, DC in 2003, Chadwick took a break from DJing out in public and enjoyed the view from the dance floor. He never stopped playing for the love of music and in the summer of 2013 he was chosen as a resident for Flash Nightclub which features a fully customized Funktion-1 sound system. He can now be found headlining Resident Nights at Flash or playing alongside some of the biggest touring DJs, bringing his unique and layered 4 deck, tech and house sound to the nation’s capitol and beyond.