Higher State of Consciousness

Last updated

"Higher State of Consciousness"
Josh Wink-Higher State of Consciousness.jpg
Single by Josh Wink
from the album Left Above the Clouds
ReleasedMarch 27, 1995 (1995-03-27)
Genre
Length
  • 6:15 (Tweekin' Acid Funk)
  • 3:00 (Official Tweekin' Acid Funk radio edit)
Label Strictly Rhythm
Songwriter Josh Wink
Producer Josh Wink
Josh Wink singles chronology
"Don't Laugh"
(1995)		"Higher State of Consciousness"
(1995)		"Are You There..."
(1997)
Music video
"Higher State of Consciousness" on YouTube

"Higher State of Consciousness" is a song by American electronic dance music DJ and producer Josh Wink. It was both written and produced by Wink and first released in March 1995 by Strictly Rhythm, and then included on his debut album, Left Above the Clouds (1996). The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and was a top-10 hit also in Ireland and Spain. In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the track number 128 in their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". [3]

Contents

Background and release

Josh Wink was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised on every kind of music. His mother was into self awareness, such as vegetarianism and yoga, and this influenced Wink at a young age. The original version of "Higher State of Consciousness" was featured on the Strictly Rhythm compilation The Deep and Slow. The label expressed interest in him and Wink wanted to release a remix of the original from The Deep and Slow on the label as a single. Wink sent them the mix, but the label found it too harsh sonically and wanted him to go back in the studio and redo it. He told them that they had to take it as it was or he wouldn't release it. To DJ Mag in 2025, he explained, "I don't know if I could even recreate it. My studio was my bedroom. That's why I've never done a remake or reversion, remix of it. Because I don't think I could do the original justice. I think it just happened. A divine intervention of some sorts." [4]

Wink was influenced by the German acid house sound and "Higher State of Consciousness" was created with two Roland TR-303s, a TR-909 and a DOD heavy rock distortion pedal. To sequence the track, he used a computer and it was completed in 1994 and released in 1995. About the track, he has said, "There's a breakbeat in it. There's a sense of drum and bass and jungle with time stretching and different drum patterns. And then there's the acid house." [4] It reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart in October that year as well as number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart. [5] Norman Cook thanked him for making the record, telling Wink that it made things a lot easier for Cook to break through. [4] In 1996, new remixes of were released, reaching number seven on the UK Singles Chart. [6] These remixes were not made by Wink and he felt they weren't the autentic, true sound of him. [4]

Critical reception

A reviewer from Music Week rated the song four out of five upon the release of the 1996 remixes. [7] Andy Crysell from NME wrote about the original release, "Huge on import, massive in clubs worldwide, the Winkster's 303-breakbeat mega-clash finally secures a UK release and sets its sights on the charts. Josh on Top of the Pops ? Blimey!" [8] In December 1995, the NME dance column Vibes ranked "Higher State of Consciousness" number nine in their list of "Singles of the Year". [9] David Bennun from The Guardian viewed it as a "Chemical Brothers-replicating single". [10]

Performance

The song was initially a hit in the United Kingdom in 1995, where it reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The official 'Original Tweekin' Acid Funk Mix' was remixed by several artists the following year. The radio edit was remixed by Dex and Jonesey and the single peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The track was remixed for a third time in 2007 by Serbian-Australian DJ Dirty South and Australian dance act TV Rock. This remix reached number five in Finland and allowed the original version to climb to number three on the UK Dance Chart. A key sample from the track was used by the Porn Kings for their 1996 track "Up to No Good". Josh Wink had no control over the selection of remixing artists, nor over the final decision to release those remixes.[ citation needed ] The track was used as a bed by Nicky Campbell on his afternoon BBC Radio 1 show.[ citation needed ]

Impact and legacy

British electronic dance and clubbing magazine Mixmag included "Higher State of Consciousness" in their list of "The Biggest Drops in Dance Music" in 2020, writing, "'Higher State..' is the mate who stuffs a bomb of mandy in your hand and leads you down the dusty dirt path toward your first free party, a warren of parked cars, soundsystems and figures silhouetted against the night sky. The ruff breakbeats lure you in and the creeping acid line keeps you hooked as it wriggles devilishly inside your head. Nothing will ever be the same again." [11]

Track listings

  1. "Higher State of Consciousness" (radio edit) (2:55)
  2. "Higher State of Consciousness" (original Tweekin' Acid Funk edit) (3:00)
  3. "Higher State of Consciousness" (DJ Wink's Hardhouse mix) (7:56)
  4. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Jules & Skins Short Vox mix) (4:46)
  5. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Jules & Skins Long & Epic mix) (6:33)
  1. "Higher State of Consciousness" (radio edit (Dex and Jonesey)) (3:39)
  2. "Higher State of Consciousness" (original Tweekin' Acid Funk mix) (6:16)
  3. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Dex & Jonesey's Higher Stated mix) (6:44)
  4. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Mr Spring's Maggott mix) (7:13)
  5. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Itty Bitty Boozy Woozy mix) (6:06)
  6. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Jules and Skins long epic mix) (6:37)
  1. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Dirty South & TV rock radio edit)
  2. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Dirty South & TV rock club mix)
  3. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Marco V remix)
  4. "Higher State of Consciousness" (Barratt & Falconi remix)
  5. "Higher State of Consciousness" (original Tweekin Acid Funk mix)

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] Silver200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionVersionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
GermanyOriginalMarch 27, 1995CD ZYX Music [15]
United KingdomOctober 9, 1995
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Manifesto [37]
1996 remixesJuly 15, 1996 [38]

References

  1. ↑ "10 Years of Techno - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  2. ↑ "History of Acid Techno [ZYX] - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (July 22, 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone . Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Josh Wink 'Higher State of Consciousness': The Making Of An Acid Techno Classic". DJ Mag . YouTube. September 14, 2025. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . July 6, 1996. p. 10. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ Crysell, Andy (October 7, 1995). "Groove Check". NME . p. 21. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Vibes: Singles of the Year". NME . December 23, 1995. p. 41. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  10. ↑ Bennun, David (September 20, 1996). "Music: Dance". The Guardian : 43. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  11. ↑ Seb Wheeler; Dave Turner; Patrick Hinton (April 17, 2020). "The Best Drops In Dance Music, According To You". Mixmag . Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2823." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Wink: Higher State of Consciousness" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Higher State of Consciousness". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Wink – Higher State of Consciousness". VG-lista. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  17. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  18. ↑ "Wink – Higher State of Consciousness". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  20. ↑ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). March 25, 1995. p. 6. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Dance Club Songs" . Billboard . April 29, 1995. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Wink: Higher State of Consciousness '96 Remixes" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  23. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Higher State of Consciousness (Re-mix)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Wink – Higher State of Consciousness '96 Remixes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  27. ↑ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). July 6, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  28. ↑ "The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). July 20, 1996. p. 8. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Wink: Higher State of Consciousness (TV Rock & Dirty South Remix)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Wink – Higher State of Consciousness (TV Rock & Dirty South Remix)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Wink – Higher State of Consciousness (TV Rock & Dirty South Remix)" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Top 100 Singles 1996". Music Week. January 18, 1997. p. 25.
  34. ↑ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40-1996 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  35. ↑ "The RM Club Chart of the Year 96" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). January 11, 1997. p. 8. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  36. ↑ "British single certifications – Wink – Higher State of Consciousness". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  37. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . October 7, 1995. p. 47.
  38. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. July 13, 1996. p. 27.
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