Josh Wink didn't have much time to chat. The Philadelphia-based DJ and

electronic dance artist (whose fans include U2 and David Bowie) was on a set

in New York taping the video for "Simple Man," the new single from his album

Herehear (Ovum/Ruffhouse/Columbia), both of which are due June 16.

"I was very happy doing instrumentals," Wink said of his previous work. "But with

[Herehear], I wanted to get to the next level."

To get to that level, Wink began writing songs with vocals. And to bring it off, he

recruited the likes of Nine Inch Nails singer Trent Reznor, This Mortal Coil's

Caroline Crawley and Philly poet Ursula Rucker.

The result is an album that, in fact, works on many levels. Herehear

jumps from one extreme to the next, from the rap-like "Sixth Sense" to the

pulsing dance-rock of "Simple Man." Reznor is in the middle of it all, providing

menacing, Ozzy Osbourne-like vocals to the industrial pounder "Black Bomb

(Jerry In The Bag)."

Yet all of these musical twists and moods flow seamlessly into each other.

Wink's nip-and-tuck production has created a sonic seesaw that somehow stays

balanced.

"I wanted to write songs," Wink said. "[I hadn't written for] vocals before; I just

wrote synth lines. But this did work. [The lyricists] interpreted what I produced.

They played the tracks over their lyrics."

Collaboration is the key to Wink's creative approach. This extends to the video

for "Simple Man," on which he is joined by Philly rockers Herschel Gaer and the

Interpreters. Wink and Gaer play the managers of a boombox named Ziggy,

whom they guide to fame and then watch fall.

"Working with Wink was a blast," Gaer said. "Josh is one of the only individuals

that I can find totally inspiring."

Elsewhere on Herehear, the vocalists add extra dimensions to Wink's

sound. On "I'm On Fire," Crawley provides an irresistibly amorous and eerily

inviting presence, while house-music star Sweet Pussy Pauline coos

suggestively on "Track 9."

"This album is a bit of a departure for me," Wink said. "It's more organic with all

the vocalists."

The aural cornucopia that is Herehear is certainly a tough thing to

categorize. Wink said that he would rather not be filed under the generic label

electronica. He noted that he also uses jazz and R&B elements on the disc.

"Don't compare me to Prodigy or the Chemical Brothers," Wink said. "I have

more different styles on my album."

Wink is also moving forward with Ovum Recordings, the independent label that

he founded in 1994 with fellow Philadelphia DJ King Britt. Before recording

Herehear, Wink spent about a year arranging a distribution deal with

RuffHouse/Columbia for Ovum, which issues Wink records as well as albums by

Britt's Sylk 130 collective and the New Jersey-based junglist Jamie Myerson.

At the moment, Wink said he'd like to spend most of his time showcasing the

new album. He's got a huge fanbase waiting for him, particularly in Europe,

where his previous releases -- including the singles "Higher State of

Consciousness" and "Don't Laugh" -- have charted well.

And then there's all that work that needs to be done on his home turf in the U.S.,

where techno music is, for the time being, a harder sell.

"America is changing ever so slightly," Wink said. "Its musical taste is getting

less commercial."

But he knows that his breakthrough here is far from certain.

"If it doesn't happen," Wink said, "it's no big deal."