"Higher State of Consciousness" is a song by American electronic dance musicDJ, label owner, producer, and remixerJosh Wink. It was both written an 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]
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.
A reviewer from Music Week rated the song four out of five upon the release of the 1996 remixes.[4] 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!"[5] In December 1995, the NME dance column Vibes ranked "Higher State of Consciousness" number nine in their list of "Singles of the Year".[6]David Bennun from The Guardian viewed it as a "Chemical Brothers-replicating single".[7]
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."[8]
