Walter Gibbons (April 2, 1954 – September 23, 1994) was an American record producer, early disco DJ, and remixer. He helped pioneer the remix and 12" single in America, and was among the most influential New York DJs of the 1970s.
Career
Gibbons began DJing in New York in the early 1970s, and was among the first Americans to incorporate techniques from dub reggae production into dance music. He left Galaxy 21 in late 1976 after he discovered his sets were being secretly recorded and sold on the black market. Unable to find a new regular club that would accept his sound, in 1977 he briefly moved to Seattle to be resident DJ at a newly established venue, The Monastery. From Seattle, he returned to New York and to DJ at various venues and events. According to AllMusic, "utterly transformed with the addition of echo/reverb effects borrowed from dub and drum breaks, [his] singles influenced dozens of producers (and DJs)." One of the early pioneers of beat-mixing, and known for considerably more skillful mixing than many better-known DJs 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's "Ten Percent" was once described by UK DJ Ashley Beedle as providing a "blueprint for house music".
The 1996 album Walter's Room was Black Science Orchestra's homage to Gibbons, released in London on Junior Boy's Own Records.