LP - Patrick Cowley - Afternooners - 2xLP
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"Dark Entries and Honey Soundsystem Records have teamed up once more to
release the final volume of gay porn soundtracks by San Francisco-based
musician and producer, Patrick Cowley. One of the most revolutionary and
influential figures in the canon of disco, Cowley created his own brand
of Hi-NRG dance music, “The San Francisco Sound.” Born in Buffalo, NY
on October 19, 1950, Patrick moved to San Francisco in 1971 to study at
the City College of San Francisco. He founded the Electronic Music Lab
at the school, where he would make experimental soundtracks by blending
various types of music and adapting them to the synthesizer. By
the mid-70’s, Patrick’s synthesis techniques landed him a job composing
and producing songs for disco superstar Sylvester, including hits like
“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”, “Dance Disco Heat” and “Stars.” This
helped Patrick obtain more work as a remixer and producer. His 18-minute
long remix of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and his production work with
edgy New Wave band Indoor Life were both of particular note. By 1981,
Patrick had released a string of dance 12″ singles, like “Menergy” and
“Megatron Man”. He also had founded Megatone Records, the label upon
which he released his debut album, “Menergy”. Around this time Patrick
was hospitalized and diagnosed with an unknown illness: that which would
later be called AIDS. Throughout 1982, he recorded two more Hi-NRG
hits, “Do You Wanna Funk” for Sylvester, and “Right On Target” for Paul
Parker, as well as a second solo album “Mind Warp”. On November 12,
1982, he passed away. In
1979 Patrick was contacted by John Coletti, owner of famed gay porn
company Fox Studio in Los Angeles. Patrick jumped on this offer and sent
reels of his college compositions from the 70s to John in LA. Coletti
then used a variable speed oscillator to adjust the pitch and speed of
Patrick’s songs in-sync with the film scenes. The result was the VHS
collections “Muscle Up” and “School Daze” released in 1979 and 1980.
“Afternooners” is the third collection of Cowley’s instrumental songs,
recorded in May 1982. These recordings were culled from two 23-minute
reels in the Fox Studio vaults. All songs were originally untitled, so
we’ve used the titles from Fox Studio’s 8mm film loops. This
compilation also includes three bonus tracks found in the archives of
fellow Megatone Records recording artist Paul Parker and the attic of
teenage friend Lily Bartels. Influenced by Tomita, Wendy Carlos, and
Giorgio Moroder, Patrick crafted a singular sound from his collection of
synthesizers, percussion, modified guitars, and hand-built equipment.
The listener enters a world of forbidden vices, evocative of Patrick’s
time spent in the bathhouses of San Francisco. The songs on
“Afternooners” reflect the advances of the equipment available at the
onset of the 1980s. Cowley's unadulterated electronic forms are stripped
down and dubbed up. Lush electronic percussion, soaring synthesizer
riffs and low slung funk grooves comingle on these magnificent
soundscapes. Featuring
70 minutes of music never before released on vinyl. All songs have been
remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. The vinyl
is housed in a gatefold jacket designed by Berlin-based artist Gwenael
Rattke, featuring black and white photos of Patrick in his studio that
opens to a full color array of x-rated scenes from the Fox Studio
vaults. Included is a fold-out poster featuring a handmade collage using
photography and xeroxed graphics of classic gay porn imagery and an
essay from Drew Daniel of Matmos. For Patrick’s 67th birthday, Dark
Entries and Honey Soundsystem Records present a glimpse into the
futuristic world of a young genius. These recordings shed a new light on
the experimental side of a disco legend who was taken too soon." - Dark Entries
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