In July 1998, the Billboard Hot 100 was dominated by hits like Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine,” Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One,” Usher’s “My Way” and Next’s “Too Close.”
But beyond the mainstream, another type of music was permeating club spaces in major cities across the U.S. and beyond as dance music continued its rise out of the underground and became a cultural phenomenon.
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As part of it all, on July 24, 1998, Philadelphia-born acid house producer Josh Wink played an extended set at New York City’s then-essential club Twilo. Three years prior, Wink had released his breakout single, the era-defining rave track “Higher State of Consciousness,” along with the club hits “don’t Laugh” and “I’m Ready,” making the then extremely dreadlocked producer a scene star known not only for his evocative productions, but for long sets that brought audiences through myriad sounds, BPMs and mood.
Wink is now marking these anniversaries with Wink’s Found Sounds, a release series that will include unreleased performances, rare live recordings and other aural ephemera. The releases begin with Wink’s set from Twilo, which you can hear exclusively below.
“Twilo became an international club institution in the 1990s, located in the heart of New York City,” Wink says in a statement. “DJs and fans were drawn to it for the same reason: to experience great, diverse music on an incredible sound system in a venue that had become a mecca for electronic music. It felt like home to me — a place where I could fully embody entertainer and educator. What I loved most was watching the crowd respond — an ocean of bodies ebbing and flowing to the beat, eyes closed, mentally swimming through my selections. That, to me, was Twilo.”
While Twilo closed in 2001, you can go back in time to the club via this 90-minute mix spanning house, acid house, drum & bass, techno and more.