Josh Wink has become a staple of electronic music since starting his Ovum Recordings label back in 1994 with fellow Philadelphian King Britt. With a career spanning almost two decades Wink has maintained his spot in the industry with so much class and virtue by bringing timeless forms of soulful techno and house music to generations past and present. Despite his rigorous touring schedule that had him coming in straight from Korea before heading off to Singapore, one small seed contributor Kelly Frazier was able to catch up with Wink at this past May’s annual Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit to speak about his relevance in music and his new found fatherhood.

You have been putting out records for almost 20 years now. How do you stay relevant in such a fickle industry?
If I’m not making music, I still try to DJ or put out music on Ovum Recordings. It’s music that is full of integrity and music that has relevance, that will stand the test of time. That’s an important thing. It’s a fickle industry. I see a lot of my friends make a record and disappear, or a lot of people get involved in the scene and like where do they go? They just want to get into it for the limousines, magazines, and the blow jobs. That’s fine, but its just I got into for a completely different story.

The integrity that I have for myself for creating a style of music that I feel comfortable putting out. I don’t go to trends.

I just do my thing. From a techno DJ or a house DJ, I’m fortunate that a Louis Vega or a Richie Hawtin will play the same track that I do. That’s a cool feeling.

Do you ever feel an extra pressure to be known by the newer generations coming up?
I see it as an older guy as well when the new kids come along and they are getting the autographs. One, two people come up to me and fifteen people go up to them. My ego is like ‘Hey, What’s up?’. I’m a firm believer in quality over quantity. The right people know who I am, rather than everybody. I can walk around and still be Josh Wink. Just Josh. I treasure that. I treasure being in the media then not being in the media. I don’t feel horrible when I’m not in there. Sometimes I don’t want to be in there because I just like being normal. So it’s a nice balance that I have that I’ve tried to understand throughout my career.

What’s next for you?
I’m a new father of seven months so I’m really trying to understand the balance in life and how to be human again and be an individual rather than just being a parent. I’m really hoping to be inspired and make an opus from the love and inspiration for my son. I haven’t had a chance to be in the studio because I’ve been too busy doing father things. I really hope to do it soon. I started getting involved in getting the late night, after he goes to bed, go to the studio and work for three hours. If I’m not releasing the music, then we are still releasing really cool music on Ovum.

Fatherhood can be an amazing thing, or so I’m told from my friends.
It’s deep. It’s really scary how you can love something so much. Seriously. I say with conviction and sincerity. It’s really intense. I had no idea it would be like this. It’s awesome. The first three months are the hardest thing in the world. I’ve stayed up my whole life professionally. Nothing compared to the sleep deprivation of the beginning.

I felt like a terrorist being interrogated when they strip your ego by taking your sleep away.

That’s how we felt. It was hard and I took four months off to be a father and to be around and be proactive. I love the job and I’m a little bit older. I’m 42 so it’s an interesting thing as an older father as well too. I really hope to get in the studio and make music and be inspired and give something to my son to listen to. I brought him in the studio and hit play and he started crying. I think he was just in the studio, and it was warm, it was just a dead sound, then a sound suddenly came on. I was like ‘Oh no! I just started a new track and my son hates it!’. I look forward to the next step.

Interview by one small seed’s Detroit contributor Kelly Frazier.