Deep Groove Encyclopedia - Double Exposure

Double Exposure

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Click below for a Double Exposure sample:

A vocal quartet from Philly, Double Exposure owes a great deal of their notoriety to mixing maestro Walter Gibbons, who was responsible for the songs they are best remembered for: "Ten Percent" and "My Love Is Free." On his extended mix of "Ten Percent," Gibbons took a pedestrian three minute album cut and with a sprinkle of disco magic turned it into a percussive nine minute tour de force whose popularity as a promo item necessitated its release to the general public, making it history's first commercially available 12 inch single.

Gibbons struck gold a second time on "Free," getting maximum emotional returns from Jimmy Williams' passionate, pleading voice, particularly on the vamp, where Williams nearly reaches Loleatta Holloway-like levels of expression.

The sophomore album Four Play yielded no such gems, so they turned to Bobby "DJ" Guttadaro to return them to dancefloor glory. "I Got the Hots For Ya" did the trick, receiving play in the Paradise Garage while becoming their biggest hit, reaching #33 on Billboard. Frustrated with their inability to score a large mainstream hit, they disbanded in 1980.

Double Exposure's Deepest Grooves

Ten Percent (Salsoul, 1976)
Double Exposure at their finest. The two best tracks they cut in the title jam and "My Love Is Free" plus "Everyman," a lyric of harsh self-sufficiency that runs counter to the prevailing logic of the times.

Four Play (Salsoul, 1977)
Anyone who can recall a song off this record gets a prize from me.

Locker Room (Salsoul, 1979)
One of the all-time worst cover photos (dis)graces this album. Luckily, it's a case where you can't judge the music by its cover.