If you’re reading this expecting a load of junglist riddims, look away now. There’s no broken Amen breaks here for this is the sound of New York disco and the birth of the house DJ. That may sound lame, but there’s a lot of great stuff to be found in the cuts of Walter Gibbons and his ‘Jungle Music – Mixed With Love: Essential & Unreleased Remixes 1976-1986’.
For those that don’t know, Gibbons was a hugely important player in the early ’70s NY underground disco scene and influenced early dance music pioneers like Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan.
Some say, if it wasn’t for Gibbons, there would have been no Chicago house.
Thing is with Gibbons is that he was one of the first beat-matchers. Of course, a steady tempo can spoil a perfectly good night out, but when utilised in the Gibbons way, it is irresistible. So much so that his peers would go out of their way just to see him play (and crib ideas). Along with Arthur Russell, Gibbons stretched out the grooves so much that “they teetered on the edge of motionlessness.”
In other words, the blueprint for the world of house and techno that came after him.
And this compilation is to celebrate his work in the studio, pieced together like a lost mix from the echoes of his dancefloor. And on first impact, it is incredibly easy to see why people were so fascinated by his style.
Releasing records on Salsoul, notably his great remix of ‘Ten Percent’ by Double Exposure (included on this LP, early doors and the first commercially available 12-inch single in the world) Gibbons’ cuts flicked between ace extended disco records, along with a more experimental, almost dub-esque technique.
‘Jungle Music’ faithfully looks through all of Gibbons’ pockets, pilfering the wonderful ‘It’s A Better Than Good Time’ by Gladys Knight (an achingly summery disco number) and the percussive ‘Doin’ The Best That I Can’ by Bettye Lavette.
It’s also great to see the inclusion of disco’s weirdest outfit, Dinosaur L, who feature thanks to Walter Gibbons’ previously unreleased mix of ‘Go Bang’. Riding roughshod along side the weirder cuts on the second CD, is the proto-sythnpop of ‘Set It Off’ by Strafe which sounds like a superior version of every student pop release that’s been ironically released over the last couple of years.
Basically, this comp is a fine collection of filthy basslines, melodramatic croonings and some downright oddball space-funk. Fans of Roy Ayres and early disco need to apply because there’s so much going on that you’ll be dribbling down your top by the close and needing to hit replay as soon as it finishes. Gibbons’ mix of Arts & Craft’s ‘I’ve Been Searching’ is punch the air and the Beat Bongo mix of Stetsasonic’s ‘4 Ever My Beat’ is the sound of a Chicago house club erupting on good Es at 4am.
Sadly, Gibbons won’t be able to see the fever of this reappraisal as he died of an AIDS related illness in the mid-90s. If this selection wants to shine a light on his legacy, then it has done it with aplomb. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.
Walter Gibbons – ‘Jungle Music – Mixed With Love: Essential & Unreleased Remixes 1976-1986’ Out Now on Strut.
Follow hecklerspray on Twitter