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.
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.
SALES POINTS
· Walter Gibbons remains one of the most important and unheralded DJ / remixers in New York dance music history
· This is the first multi-label compilation of Walter Gibbons 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’.
· This compilation features the exclusive unreleased Arthur Russell track ‘See Through’, a brilliant minimal electro piece.
VINYL TRACKLIST
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. Luv You Madly Orchestra – Moon Maiden (12” mix)
D2. Dinosaur L - Go Bang ( Walter Gibbons Unreleased Mix ) More