Walter Gibbons - Jungle Music

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5...according to our Business Lady on Thu 26 Aug, 2010.

Walter Gibbon's is a name i don't think I've ever heard before which comes as a surprise considering his output and his contributions toward the evolution of modern dance music...I'm all embarrassed now. It's funny how much of this stuff can pass you by. In the press release he is described as 'one of the most important and unheralded DJ / remixers in New York dance music history'. He was out there on the starting line mixing up two identical records Kool Herc style way back in '75. Famous for his pioneering reel-to-reel edits and mad production skills, Gibbon's is responsible for a bunch of sweet extented disco cuts that would eventually form the basis of house music and bridge the gap between disco and hip-hop. On 'Jungle Music' (the name given by his peers for this new kind of music) we are treated to nine super extended mixes including takes on Gladys Knight's 'It's A better Than Good Time', Sandy Mercer's 'You Are My Love' and Arthur Russell's 'Calling All Kids'. Everything on here sounds totally boss. Gibbon's knows how to throw a few abstract shapes into the blender and mix things up proper and for that alone he should be rewarded. Being a fan of Chicago DJ pioneers like Ron hardy and Frankie Knuckles I'm surprised I've never heard any of this stuff. Anyway, a must have collection worth further investigation.

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Walter Gibbons remains one of the most important and unheralded DJ / remixers in New York dance music history, a
pioneer of reel to reel edits and the art of the remix and a tangible link between early hip hop and disco through his quickfire turntable skills developed during the mid-‘70s. At his famed residency at Galaxy 21 (alongside a then young percussionist, Francois Kevorkian), Gibbons perfected his turntable prowess, mixing two copies of records seamlessly at a similar time to Kool Herc’s famed block parties across town in the Bronx in 1975. He was among the first to make his own reel to reel edits of tracks, extending breaks and restructuring tracks specifically for the dancefloor. As a direct result, he was the first DJ to be granted access to multi-track tapes as Ken Cayre’s Salsoul Records brought him in to re-work Double Exposure’s ‘Ten Percent’ in ‘76, a mix that would set the blueprint for disco, the 12” format and all future dance music mixes.

Gibbons would become a prolific remixer for Salsoul and developed a style his contemporaries called ‘Jungle Music’,
a raw, uncompromising approach to DJ-ing and mixing which often extended tracks to 10 minutes plus with tribal
percussion breaks and off-the-cuff, unexpected production touches. This compilation focuses on some of the more
adventurous and ground-breaking mixes that Gibbons produced during the disco era including a freeform treatment of
Dinosaur L’s ‘Go Bang’, Paradise Garage favourite ‘You Are My Love’ by Sandy Mercer and underground disco rarity, ‘I’ve Been Searching’ by Arts & Craft. Into the ‘80s, Gibbons continued to break new ground. One of his recognised classics, ‘Set It Off’ by Strafe, fused electro, disco and New York post-punk in a genius re-work, later reprised on the proto-house version he recorded as Harlequin Fours with a young Barbara Tucker on vocals. He also worked with Arthur Russell during the mid-‘80s and became one of the only remixer / producers that Russell would trust with his work. Gibbons’ mixes of Indian Ocean’s ‘Treehouse / School Bell’ and Russell’s ‘Let’s Go Swimming’ are now acknowledged classics. Walter Gibbons found religion and had stopped producing by 1986, although he continued to DJ with a much heavier slant towards gospel. He died of AIDS-related illness in 1994. This is the first multi-label compilation of his work to be released and features rare photos and a biography by Tim Lawrence, author of ‘Love Saves The Day’ and the recent Arthur Russell biography ‘Hold On To Your Dreams’.

TRACKLISTING

A1. Jakki – Sun… Sun… Sun… (Walter Gibbons Original 12” Edit) 9.19
A2. Gladys Knight – It’s A Better Than Good Time (Walter Gibbons unreleased 12” mix) 11.00
B1. TC James & The Fist O'Funk Orchestra - Get Up On Your Feet (Keep On Dancin') (Walter Gibbons mix) 11.11
B2. Sandy Mercer - You Are My Love (12" version) 7.32
C1. Bettye Lavette - Doin' The Best That I Can (Walter Gibbons 12“ mix) 11.04
C2. Arts & Craft – I’ve Been Searching (Walter Gibbons 12” mix) 9.58
D1. Strafe – Set It Off (Walter Gibbons 12” mix) 9.45
D2. Luv You Madly Orchestra – Moon Maiden (12” mix)
D3 Arthur Russell – See Through (Walter Gibbons mix) 3.43

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