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Walter Gibbons (April 2, 1954 - September 23, 1994) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 record producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
, early disco
Disco

Disco is a genre of dance music that originated in and was initially popular among African American, gay and Hispanic and Latino Americans communities in the United States in the late 1960s....
 DJ
Disc jockey

A disc jockey is a person who selects and plays sound recording for an audience. Originally, disk referred to phonograph records, while disc refers to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling....
 and remix
Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A remixer uses Audio mixing to compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or simply changing the equalization, dynamics, Pitch , tempo, playing time, or almost any other aspect of th...
er.

as an important part of the early 1970s New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 disco underground scene, influencing garage
New York house

US garage is a style of music developed in the Paradise Garage nightclub in New York City, USA in the early 1980s....
 and House music
House music

House music is a style of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discoth?ques catering to the African-American, Latino, and gay communities, first in Chicago, then in New York City and Detroit....
 DJs like Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles

Frankie Knuckles is an United States disc jockey, record producer and remix musician. He played an important role in developing house music as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer....
 and Larry Levan
Larry Levan

Larry Levan was a Disk jockey who spun discs at the New York City night club Paradise Garage. The club has been described as the prototype of the modern dance club, because it was entirely focused on dancing, and was the first to put the DJ at the center of attention....
. He also laid the foundations for early 1980s experimental Chicago house
Chicago house

Chicago house is the earliest style of house music. House music originated in North America at a Chicago, Illinois, USA, nightclub called Warehouse ....
 music. One of the early pioneers of beat-mixing, and known for considerably more skillful mixing than many better known dj's at the time, he is cited by many early pioneers of the house-music scene as an influence.






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Walter Gibbons (April 2, 1954 - September 23, 1994) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 record producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
, early disco
Disco

Disco is a genre of dance music that originated in and was initially popular among African American, gay and Hispanic and Latino Americans communities in the United States in the late 1960s....
 DJ
Disc jockey

A disc jockey is a person who selects and plays sound recording for an audience. Originally, disk referred to phonograph records, while disc refers to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling....
 and remix
Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A remixer uses Audio mixing to compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or simply changing the equalization, dynamics, Pitch , tempo, playing time, or almost any other aspect of th...
er.

Influence

He was an important part of the early 1970s New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 disco underground scene, influencing garage
New York house

US garage is a style of music developed in the Paradise Garage nightclub in New York City, USA in the early 1980s....
 and House music
House music

House music is a style of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discoth?ques catering to the African-American, Latino, and gay communities, first in Chicago, then in New York City and Detroit....
 DJs like Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles

Frankie Knuckles is an United States disc jockey, record producer and remix musician. He played an important role in developing house music as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer....
 and Larry Levan
Larry Levan

Larry Levan was a Disk jockey who spun discs at the New York City night club Paradise Garage. The club has been described as the prototype of the modern dance club, because it was entirely focused on dancing, and was the first to put the DJ at the center of attention....
. He also laid the foundations for early 1980s experimental Chicago house
Chicago house

Chicago house is the earliest style of house music. House music originated in North America at a Chicago, Illinois, USA, nightclub called Warehouse ....
 music. One of the early pioneers of beat-mixing, and known for considerably more skillful mixing than many better known dj's at the time, he is cited by many early pioneers of the house-music scene as an influence. His "Disco Blend" remix of Double Exposure
Double Exposure (band)

Double Exposure was an American disco era band hailing from Philadelphia, USABand members were Leonard Davis, Joe Harris, Chuck Whittington, and Jimmy Williams and they recorded for the Salsoul Records record label....
's "Ten Percent
Ten Percent (song)

In 1976, Salsoul Records released their eighth release, Walter Gibbons' remix of Double Exposure 's disco song "Ten Percent". "Ten Percent" was the first commercially-available 12-inch single....
" was once described by UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 DJ Ashley Beedle
Ashley Beedle

Ashley Beedle is a British house music DJ and producer. People often confuse him for being of Asian origin, but his ethnicity is partly Barbadan....
 as providing a "blueprint for house music".

Style

Gibbons was known as "the DJ's DJ" because his peers would go out of their way to go hear him play. Kool DJ Herc brought Dub
Dub music

Dub is a form of music, evolved from reggae that involves revisions of existing songs. The dub sound consists predominantly of instrumental remixes of existing recordings and is achieved by significantly manipulating and reshaping the recordings, usually by removing the vocals from an existing music piece, emphasizing the drum and bass frequ...
 to the New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 music scene, where Gibbons and other remixers played it and applied dub
Dub music

Dub is a form of music, evolved from reggae that involves revisions of existing songs. The dub sound consists predominantly of instrumental remixes of existing recordings and is achieved by significantly manipulating and reshaping the recordings, usually by removing the vocals from an existing music piece, emphasizing the drum and bass frequ...
 techniques to dance music. He played disco songs, focusing more on the percussion than the melody, and "stretched out the grooves so much that they teetered on the edge of motionlessness." Like Arthur Russell, who recorded with him, Gibbons "used dub as a dislocating device, preventing disco's simple groove from developing under the dancers' feet."

Salsoul

He enjoyed a long association with Salsoul Records
Salsoul Records

Salsoul Records is a New York City based record label founded by brothers Joe Cayre, Ken Cayre, and Stanley Cayre. From 1974 in music to 1985 in music, Salsoul released about 300 disco 12-inch singles, and a string of albums....
 at the end of the 1970s. His DJ skills, punctuality and seriousness convinced Salsoul to assign him the remix of "Ten Percent
Ten Percent (song)

In 1976, Salsoul Records released their eighth release, Walter Gibbons' remix of Double Exposure 's disco song "Ten Percent". "Ten Percent" was the first commercially-available 12-inch single....
", by Double Exposure
Double Exposure (band)

Double Exposure was an American disco era band hailing from Philadelphia, USABand members were Leonard Davis, Joe Harris, Chuck Whittington, and Jimmy Williams and they recorded for the Salsoul Records record label....
), even though he had never produced. It was the first commercially available 12-inch single
12-inch single

The 12-inch single gramophone record came into existence with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. The first 12" single was actually a 10" acetate used by a mix engineer in need of a Friday night test copy for famed disco mixer Tom Moulton....
 in the world. This was his best known remix.

His remix of "Hit and Run" by Loleatta Holloway
Loleatta Holloway

Loleatta Holloway is an United States singer, mainly known for disco songs such as "Dreamin'" and "Love Sensation" ....
 was a surprise hit (he had considerably lengthened the recording and even removed Holloway's first two verses of vocals).

Tributes

The 1996 album "Walter's Room" was Black Science Orchestra
Black Science Orchestra

Black Science Orchestra was a musical project headed chiefly by the British DJ and producer Ashley Beedle, which produced a number of disco and rare groove-inspired house music records in the 1990's....
's homage to Gibbons, released in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 on Junior Boy's Own
Junior Boy's Own

Junior Boy's Own is a London, United Kingdom-based record labelTerry Farley joined fellow scenesters Andrew Weatherall, Pete Heller and Steven Hall to form Boy's Own Recordings , then Terry Farley and Steven Hall began Junior Recordings Ltd., which started to use the label Junior Boy's Own.the label is sometimes known as JBO....
 Records.

Gibbons became a reborn Christian in the 1980s, but still managed to turn out cutting edge mixes during this period (he simply focused on songs and lyrics that did not offend his beliefs). He died of AIDS
AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV ....
 related symptoms in 1994.

External links