The second in a series of killer new remixes of Josh Wink’s acid house classic ‘Higher State of Consciousness’ sees Max Cooper and Alter Ego step up on duties. ‘Higher State Of Consciousness Remixes Vol 2’ lands 10th May on Strictly Rhythm and follows massive remixes from Damain Lazaraus and Mathew Jonson.
Josh Wink’s seminal ‘Higher State Of Consciousness’, originally released in 1995 and last year honoured as one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Greatest Dance Songs Of All Time’, is a track that continues to find fans amongst every new generation of ravers that discover it and still sounds as fresh as it did day one. Now with an incredible new set of remixes from Max Cooper and Alter Ego jaws will be dropping all over again.
As an artist who cites Josh Wink as a key influence both as a producer and DJ, Max Cooper’s remixes were always going to be very special indeed. A highly celebrated producer known for his intricate production and stunning audio-visual live shows, Cooper opens the three track EP with the first of two edits, ‘Higher State Of Consciousness (Max Cooper Radio Edit)’. The track is a four minute sonic journey that whilst retaining much of the original, including the iconic acid line, is complimented in signature style with rich texture and detail, cinematic and dystopian but not without a killer radio-ready breakdown.
Josh Wink ‘Higher State Of Conciousness’ Original Mix
Track two ‘Higher State Of Consciousness (Max Cooper Remix)’, is an expansive, brooding edit that embraces the darker elements of its predecessor. A breathtaking soundscape that salutes the best of both artists, Max Cooper’s attention to detail and passion for the project is evident and it’s easy to understand why this one received rapturous responses when road-tested at his live shows.
Closing out the EP is Alter Ego’s Remix, Roman Fluegel and Joern Elling are in absolutely belting form with a behemoth slice of killer early 00s electro that slips ‘Higher States of Consciousness’ a dose of the ‘Rocker’ treatment. Face-meltingly glorious.
‘Higher State Of Consciousness Vol.2’ is an essential addition to record bags and playlists alike, demonstrating once again the eternal draw of this faultless track and its ability to inspire the best from remixers time and time again.
Max Cooper says:
Josh Wink, and Higher State of Consciousness, have been a big part of my musical journey since the mid 90’s when I first found my connection with electronic music. I got to know Josh better after he invited me to his Ovum parties in Barcelona over a few years in the early stages of my production career, and he showed me by example how to have longevity in electronic music, staying true to his art and always being an absolute pleasure to hang out with.
When Josh got in touch about remixing THE track, I told him I’d love to, but I wanted to see if I could do it justice before committing to anything. Higher States is iconic for a reason, it’s optimised for what it does, and I wasn’t sure I could do anything other than make it weaker. For that reason I didn’t try to change it much, I more or less stuck with the original acid line and breakbeats, and just tried to add some of my harmonies, feelings and detailing and push the higher state a little more on those fronts that weren’t previously included.
After road testing from myself and Josh my remix has turned into the highlight of many of my AV sets and the most asked about track after shows. Many thanks to Josh for getting me involved with the remix project and for the many years of musical inspiration.