Wink goes Loco!

Arguably Ibiza's most infamous party, Circo Loco's debauched Monday carnival has made true underground legends out of residents like Cirillo, Tania Vulcano and Loco Dice. Yet this season, there's a welcome but unexpected addition to the tight-knit Loco family. Step forward the legendary Josh Wink. We caught up with the Ovum man to get the inside track...

The Circo Loco crew are notorious for building a family of residents and only booking DJs who have experienced the club from the dancefloor. How did you first stumble across Circo Loco's hedonistic hideaway?
"I was in Ibiza for a gig a couple of years back and a friend said, 'You have to go to this club near the airport'. It was back when the roof was still open so the planes would fly up over your head and the place was full of people going nuts on a Monday afternoon. It was nuts."

You played a series of now legendary sets last summer. Why did you choose to keep these unannounced?
"It started as off-the-cuff last minute things but it was just more fun like that. I'd just shaved my head so people didn't even recognise me. There's no need to be announced at Circo Loco and that's the cool thing about it. It's not about big names earning big wages. There isn't much money in it - you play Circo Loco because you want to and you understand what it's all about."

Sounds like a true DJ's gig...
"Yeah man, it's the sort of gig you're always waiting for. It's a unique vibe. People are really open to new sounds and whatever you play people just go crazy for it."

Do you ever feel that people still turn up to see "that guy who did 'Higher State'" at your bigger European gigs?
"Maybe at the big festival things you have to play a certain way but if people know 'Higher State', they normally know 'Don't Laugh' and 'Superfreak'. I'm fortunate in that I can get away with playing what I want everywhere. It's just a that little bit easier at Circo Loco on a Monday when everyone's going nuts."

How do you think your sound differs from the other Circo Loco residents?
"Well, a lot of the crew are playing the more minimal or electro sound, which isn't really what I'm known for. I like to play across the genres - from techno and minimal to electro - but musically my stuff always has my US house roots feeding into it. So I'd say there's a little bit more warmth, swing and groove than the straight up tech-house or minimal sound. More house-tech than tech-house, if that makes sense."

How do you feel about the minimal/electronic sound that has spread across Ibiza in recent years?
"I'm happy that things have slowed down and got deeper again but there's still a lot of music that sounds the same. It's frustrating. Producers get lazy, people start using the same pre-sets, the same sounds. It's like, 'Okay, I got it already... what's next?' You lose that human rawness. What is cool is that Ibiza is no longer full of cheesy dance music and I think Circo Loco had a lot to do with that."

What else is going down in your world right now?
"Well, I've just released my 'Thick Like Thieves' EP on Steve Bug's Poker Flat. It's not typical Poker Flat but it doesn't sound weird on there either - kind of deep house-tech again. We're also releasing our first Ovum compilation in ages over summer and for the first time I'm going to get a villa and live out in Ibiza for a few months so I'm really looking forward to getting to know the island better and doing some more partying."

You can catch Wink's acid licked house-tech at DC10 on 30th July, 20th August, 27th August and 3rd September. Also, check his extended set on the Space Terrace at Carl Cox King of Clubs, on Tuesday 4th September.