Most Chicago DJs admit a debt to the underground 1970s underground club scene in New York and particularly the original disco-mixer Walter Gibbons. A white DJ who popularised the basic techniques of disco-mixing, then graduated to Salsoul Records where he turned otherwise unremarkable dance records into monumental sculptures of sound; Double Exposure ‘Ten Percent’, Salsoul Orchestra ‘Magic Bird Of Fire’ and Luv You Madly Orchestra ‘Moon Maiden’ to name just three. It was Gibbons who paved the way for the disc jockey’s historical shift from the twin-decks to the production studio. He pioneered many of the techniques of disco mixing that would become the lifeblood of house DJs-turned-producers in the ’80s. His first DJ residency was at New York’s Galaxy 21 club, where he hired Francois Kevorkian to play live drums while he span. But ironically, at the height of his cult popularity, he drifted away from the decadent heat and hedonism of disco to become a born-again Christian. The space was ultimately filled by subsequent DJ-producers like Jellybean, Shep Pettibone, Larry Levan, Arthur Baker and Francois K. Most people believed that Walter Gibbons was a fading legend in the early history of disco, then in 1984 he resurfaced, and had a new and immediate impact on the development of the Chicago house sound. Gibbons released an independent 12-inch called ‘Set It Off’ which started to create a stir at the Paradise Garage and within weeks a craze spread through the club scene. The original record by Strafe had been “mixed with love by Walter Gibbons” and was released on the Jus Born label, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Walter’s Christianity. Gibbons had set the tone again, the ‘Set It Off’ sound was primitive house, haunting, repetitive beats ideal for mixing and extending; recordings with Dinosaur L and Arthur Russell further underscored his importance and highlighted why today the man’s work is rightly highly revered. A great retrospective that’s been long overdue.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Lewis Dene
