a propos:
Strut present a new reissue of Walter Gibbons’ ‘Jungle Music’ compilation LP, the definitive collection of Gibbons’ groundbreaking remixes during the heyday of New York’s disco era.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-70's.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.- Reissue of the definitive compilation of 12” mixes by Walter Gibbons- Features rare and acetate-only mixes released widely for the first time- Includes full Walter Gibbons biography by author Tim Lawrence + rare photos- Original LP release in-demand and now fetching large sums on Discogs
