patrick cowley

Patrick Cowley – Hard Ware LP [DE-355]

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Cybernetic disco maestro Patrick Cowley graces Dark Entries once again with Hard Ware, a double LP of far-out funk and synthpop celebrating what would have been Cowley’s 75th birthday. Best known for his chart-topping disco anthems, Cowley left us with an incredible body of work before his tragic death in 1982 due to AIDS-related illness. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with Cowley’s friends and family to uncover the singular artist’s lesser-known sides, including his soundtracks for gay pornographic films, which the label chronicled on compilation albums School Daze, Muscle Up, and Afternooners. Hard Ware presents the closing chapter in a trilogy of unreleased Cowley dancefloor bangers that began with 2022’s heavy-hitting Male Box and was continued with the soul and garage-inflected From Behind in 2024. The most expansive release in said trilogy, Hard Ware delivers ten tracks of pure, uncut Cowley: sultry, psychedelic, sarcastic, and just a bit sleazy. Hard Ware is another crucial document of a tremendous talent taken too soon. 

vinyl / CD

Patrick Cowley – Hard Ware LP [DE-355]

VA – Deep Entries : Gay Electronic Excursions 1979​-​1985 [DE320]

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Dark Entries has raided the bathhouse to bring us Deep Entries: Gay Electronic Excursions 1979-1985, 10 tracks of obscure queer synth bliss. One of Dark Entries’ most important missions has been illuminating neglected facets of gay musical history, with crucial archival works by legends like Patrick Cowley, Sylvester, and Man Parrish. On Deep Entries, the label spans 6 years of gay electronics – from sultry to angsty to camp, these songs are overflowing with snappy 808 snares and sinewy analog synth leads. The ’80s were a difficult period for many in the gay community as they grappled with the horrors of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The 10 tracks on Deep Entries, varied in genre and vibe, are united in their portraiture of 1980s gay life, and the hope for love or fleeting romance. Previously unreleased cruising soundtracks come courtesy of Patrick Cowley’s “Love Me Hot” featuring vocalist Paul Parker and Boytronic’s “Tonight (Alternate Mix)” set on Hamburg’s famous “Mile of Sin.” Brisbane-based Megamen deliver the proto-electroclash number “Designed for Living,” which prefigures Madonna’s Marlene Dietrich rap in “Vogue.” Trans vocalist Paula “Ula” Villagrá  declares, “Everyone is gay!” on Muzak’s “Happy Song,” a skittering tecnopop anthem. Dereck Higgins’ “This Was Something” rings like a lost Joy Division cut draped in bizarre effects, and Polar Praxis’ “(I Want) To Be Different” is a seething ode to alterity. Nightmoves’ “Nightdrive,” is best known as the brooding instrumental B-side to their epochal “Transdance.” Transistor Jet’s “Master Of The Universe (BW’s f-w)”, Maxx Mann’s “Just Like a Razor” and Bachelor’s Anonymous’ “A Stranger’s Bed” are mood music for the pleasures of BDSM and one-night stands. The record comes housed in a retro bathhouse fantasy sleeve designed by Gwenaël Rattke and includes a double-sided poster with photographs and lyrics. Deep Entries arrives on December 1st in honor of World AIDS day, and proceeds will go to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. 

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VA – Deep Entries : Gay Electronic Excursions 1979​-​1985 [DE320]

Patrick Cowley – From Behind [DE333LP]

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Cybernetic disco maestro Patrick Cowley returns to Dark Entries with ‘From Behind’, a collection of grooving and ecstatic covers of 60s garage and soul cuts. Best known for his chart-topping disco anthems, Cowley left us with an incredible body of work before his tragic death in 1982 due to AIDS-related illness. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with Cowley’s friends and family to uncover the singular artist’s lesser-known sides, including his soundtracks for films on compilation albums School Daze, Muscle Up, and Afternooners. From Behind reveals yet another facet of Cowley’s myriad influences; garage and soul. As a tripped-out teenage music freak who arrived in 60’s San Francisco, it should come as no surprise that these psychedelic sounds, both heady and visceral, infuse Cowley’s oeuvre. Recorded during Cowley’s most productive period, ‘80-’82, these tracks show the master flexing his virtuosity while paying loving tribute to the songs that shaped him. A rough draft of Loverde’s “Iko Iko” contorts the jaunty Dixie Cups classic into a slithering, monstrous bathhouse groover, the song’s signature claps draped in cavernous reverb. An unexpected hi-NRG cover of The Doors’ “20th Century Fox” has Paul Parker on vocals, ironically twisting the original’s overt heterosexuality. Via Cowley’s vocoder, The Who’s “Shakin’ All Over” is transformed into a haunting meditation on the loss of bodily autonomy that AIDS inflicts, while the Moody Blues’ “Ride My See Saw” appears in instrumental, amped up and synthesized for dancefloor impact. We’re also graced with instrumental demo versions of The Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard” and The Electric Prunes’ “Too Much To Dream (Last Night),” which later appeared on Paul Parker releases. Things close out with a swinging version of the Four Tops’ Motown classic “Baby I Need Your Loving”, Cowley later reimagined for R&B artist Carl Carlton.

vinyl / CD

Patrick Cowley – From Behind [DE333LP]

Patrick Cowley – Kickin’ In [DE-273]

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Dark Entries again shines a spotlight on bathhouse disco don Patrick Cowley with a newly remastered release of Kickin’ In. Although Cowley tragically passed from AIDS-related illness in 1982, he left an extensive archive of unreleased tapes, many of which Dark Entries has had the honor of releasing. While working as a lighting technician at The City, SF’s disco cabaret, Cowley saw rising star Frank Loverde perform. Cowley asked Loverde to contribute vocals to some material in progress, and Frank, Linda Imperial, and Peggy Gibbons joined Cowley in the studio. The resulting songs included “Kickin’ In,” a 9-minute cybernetic disco stormer that taps into the essence of Cowley’s hi-NRG sound: equal parts spaced out and zoned in on the dancefloor. In May 1978 Cowley joined Loverde on stage at The City to perform “Kickin’ In” as they opened for disco diva Sylvester. “Kickin’ In” was initially released in 2015 via Honey Soundsystem who found the tapes in the basement of Megatone Records owner John Hedges. This newly remastered version was made possible due to the discovery of the original multi-track recordings of “Kickin’ In,” allowing for a fresh mixdown by Jim Hopkins as well as the creation of a new instrumental version. Also included are two impeccably sleazy Cowley jams recorded in 1980, “Thief of Love” and “Make It Come Loose.” Cowley narrates excerpts from his erotic journals on these raunchy slow-burners, capturing the vibe of SF’s leather bars and backrooms. “Thief of Love” features Cowley collaborator Paul Parker on background vocals.

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Patrick Cowley – Kickin’ In [DE-273]

Patrick Cowley – Malebox LP [DE-305]

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Dark Entries has a surprise delivery! Malebox brings us six previously unreleased funk-fueled jams from the archives of the cybernetic disco titan himself, Patrick Cowley. Best known for his chart-topping disco anthems, Cowley left us with an incredible body of work before his tragic death in 1982 due to AIDS-related illness. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with Cowley’s friends and family to uncover the singular artist’s lesser-known sides, including his soundtracks for gay pornographic films on compilation albums School Daze, Muscle Up, and Afternooners. But Malebox gives us more of the Cowley we know and love: churning disco-funk and hi-NRG tracks that are spacey and sleazy, gritty and sublime. Recorded from 1979-1981, these six tracks illuminate what was one of Patrick’s most creatively exciting periods. “If You Feel It” and “Love Me Hot” were both early Paul Parker demos; the former is a peak hour hi-NRG bomb, while the latter dips into Cowley’s zoned-out space disco sound. Jeanie Tracy’s soulful vocals feature on the demo version of “Low Down Dirty Rhythm”, which was later re-recorded by Sarah Dash. The slower, less-varnished rendition here hits with a wild psychedelic edge. Meanwhile, Patrick’s gifts for careful orchestration and infectious melodies shine on “Floating” and “Love and Passion”, which were likely demo tracks for Loverde. The songs on Malebox display the vitality and inventiveness of a brilliant composer taken from us too soon.

vinyl / CD

Patrick Cowley – Malebox LP [DE-305]

Patrick Cowley – Get A Little EP [SPEC-1874]

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First released in 1981 in the wake of the muscular, robo-disco epics ‘Megatron Man’ and ‘Menergy’, ‘Get a Little’ has long been one of Patrick Cowley’s most underrated singles – or at least far-less celebrated. As this reissue proves, the track has lost none of its lustre over the years. A full-vocal number featuring a super-catchy chorus, the original mix (B1) and contemporaneous remix (B2) sit somewhere between electrofunk, Cowley’s own brand of electronic disco and what we’d now call Italo-disco. It’s a far-sighted sound that still sounds fresh all these years on. The A-side of this edition also boasts two contemporary updates from Alan Dixon, who adds subtly beefed-up house beats and a tidy nu-disco feel on both the ‘Love Attack’ and ‘DJ Friendly Mix’ variations.

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Patrick Cowley – Get A Little EP [SPEC-1874]

Patrick Cowley – Lift Off EP [SPEC-1873]

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Having previously produced two tidy remixes of overlooked Patrick Cowley gem ‘Get a Little’, Alan Dixon has returned to the late, great producer’s catalogue in order to rework another lesser-celebrated cut. This time round, he’s turned his hand to Megatron Man album track, ‘Lift Off’, a typically throbbing, muscular vocal number that sits somewhere between thrusting robo-disco, sparkling electrofunk and synth-pop. Dixon first adds a little low-end grunt on the re-edit style ‘Love Attack Mix’, before delivering a sturdier and easier-to-mix ‘DJ Friendly version’. On the flip you’ll find Cowley’s original and a rare, club-ready remix from the early ’80s.

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Patrick Cowley – Lift Off EP [SPEC-1873]

Patrick Cowley – Mind Warp [SPLP-7053]

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COWLEY, Patrick - Mind Warp

Seminal early 80’s HI-NRG / Synth disco emanating from the gay clubs, bath houses and discotheques of San Francisco. A truly original and groundbreaking sound and style helmed by studio genius Patrick Cowley. Heavily informed by sonically charged science fiction fantasy and the darkest corners of nightlife, ‘Mind Warp’ is a cornerstone of electronic music that still astonishes today. Originally released on Cowley’s own Megatone imprint in 1982 the album marks a definitive change in direction of post-disco dance music, undoubtedly inspired by European artists such as Kraftwerk, Moroder, Yello and more. A huge influence on what was to come through in later years via house and techno music, ‘Mind Warp’ is a bonafide classic and every single self respecting music lover or DJs home should have a copy. Celebrate 40 years of the label with this unmissable reissue package beautifully presented on wondrous coloured vinyl by your friends over at Unidisc.

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Patrick Cowley – Mind Warp [SPLP-7053]

Patrick Cowley – Megatron Man [SPLP-7052]

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COWLEY, Patrick - Megatron Man (reissue)

Megatron Man is the second studio album by American disco producer and musician Patrick Cowley, released in 1981. Highlights include the vocoder-driven title track and the relentlessly funky “Get A Little.” Cowley is most famous for his collaborations with American disco vocalist Sylvester.

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Patrick Cowley – Megatron Man [SPLP-7052]

Patrick Cowley ft. Sylvester – Menergy [SPEC-1864]

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COWLEY, Patrick - Menergy

Unidisc continue to bring us anthems, classics and groundbreaking hits from their vaults, reimagined, reworked and re-presented in celebration of 4 decades in the game. None come much bigger than the pairing of legendary synth alchemist Patrick Cowley and the incredible gay icon Sylvester. ‘Menergy’ is such a classic record, a slamming piece of HI-NRG funk that will have everybody within the nearest vicinity on the dance-floor in a heartbeat, the sound of early 80’s gay San Francisco, unashamed, proud and ridiculously ahead of it’s time. Pair this music with the skills of cult producer and editor extraordinaire Purple Disco Machine and you have a potential new classic on your hands.

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Patrick Cowley ft. Sylvester – Menergy [SPEC-1864]

Patrick Cowley featuring Sylvester – Do You Wanna Funk? / Don’t Stop [SPEC-1829]

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COWLEY, Patrick/SYLVESTER - Do You Wanna Funk?

Storming electronic disco anthem from 1982 on official repress. Patrick Cowley and Sylvester’s megaton bomb of a record is often cited as being one of THE definitive disco records from the dawn of the 1980’s. Influencing everything from the burgeoning house sound to Italo disco, synth-pop and way beyond, ‘Do You Wanna Funk’ is simply a classic in every respect. Released on the seminal San Francisco 80s Disco/Hi-NRG label that Cowley had founded, it found it’s way onto the turntables – and in turn – onto the dance-floors of every self-respecting disc jockey and nightclub for the next few decades. This is it, pure energy, uplift, body shocking electronic funk of the highest order. On the flipside of this very special reissue you’ll find Sylvester’s ‘Don’t Stop’ lifted from the ‘Do You Wanna Funk’ long player, yet another roof raising, slamming and soulful performance from one of the most influential disco performers and figures of all time, an unmissable 12″ for real.

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Patrick Cowley featuring Sylvester – Do You Wanna Funk? / Don’t Stop [SPEC-1829]

Tantra – Hills Of Katmandu [MS501]

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TANTRA - Hills Of Katmandu (Patrick Cowley & Jurgen Kopper remixes)

Bologna born Italo Disco legend Celso Valli’s ‘Tantra’ project had one aim; to push the boundaries of disco. Released in 1979 in the vein of Cerrone and Giorgio Moroder, ‘Hills of Katmandu’ is a unique, progressive slice of classic Italo Disco. The pulsating ‘Moroder-on-steroids bassline’, menacing female vocal and warbling synths take you on a trippy disco journey. Patrick Cowley’s “Original Underground Mix” is a work of pure genius that unleashes his skills on the synths and somehow manages to surpass the original. On the flip-side, there is the original 16’20 minutes version of the Jurgen Koppers mix, an extended re-edit of the original Celso Valli version, which appeared first on Disconet in 1979, and in the following year on the US (Importe/12) release of the “Tantra – the Double Album” longplayer.

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Tantra – Hills Of Katmandu [MS501]

Patrick Cowley – Some Funkettes [DE283]

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COWLEY, Patrick - Some Funkettes

Dark Entries is humbled to continue digging through the archives of legendary producer Patrick Cowley. While best known for his production on chart-topping cybernetic disco anthems, Cowley, who passed away from AIDS-related illness in 1982, left us with a substantial body of work. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with Cowley’s friends and family to shed light on the lesser known facets of this singular artist’s output. ‘Some Funkettes’, the latest addition to this series, is a collection of previously unreleased cover songs recorded from 1975-1977. These raw, unembellished tributes both showcase Cowley’s early musical interests and chart the development of his production techniques. ‘Some Funkettes’ was made possible with help from Patrick’s brother Jim and his former studiomate Maurice Tani. The sleeve is a collage designed in 1975 by Cowley’s former roommate Francesca Rosa that was found covering a reel to reel box. It features a yin-yang symbol and a photograph of a scruffy 24 year old Patrick, to which we added his original handwriting. This peek into Cowley’s formative years arrives just in time for what would have been his 70th birthday.

vinyl / CD

Patrick Cowley – Some Funkettes [DE283]

VA – Lost & Found Vol. 1 [DED-1]

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Dark Entries presents their first digital-only compilation, featuring reissued rarities and new songs from 10 key artists on the label (Bézier, Bill Converse, Billy Nightmare, Borusiade, Doc Sleep, Group Rhoda, Magnus II, Max Mann, Patrick Cowley and Sepehr).

VA – Lost & Found Vol. 1 [DED-1]

Thee J Johanz – More Love! [RB090]

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Producer veteran Thee J Johanz from the Netherlands, a master of technology, deepness and a pinch of humor, debuts on Running Back with a 4 tracker that pays homage to the innovators of electro disco: Giorgio Moroder and Patrick Cowley. “Kickin ‘In” is actually a Patrick Cowley cover, the proceeds of which go to the San Francisco Aids Foundation.

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Thee J Johanz – More Love! [RB090]

2019 Top 3 – Readers List

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2019 is coming to the end so it’s that time of the year when we look back and see what caught our attention the most. As the tradition is on our side, we look first at the preferences of our readers and this is a top 3 of the most appreciated albums, compilations, mixes and other stuff.

Continue reading “2019 Top 3 – Readers List” →

2019 Top 3 – Readers List

Patrick Cowley – Mechanical Fantasy Box [DE269LP]

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Patrick Cowley was one of the most revolutionary and influential figures in the canon of electronic dance music. Born in Buffalo, NY on October 19, 1950, Patrick moved to San Francisco in 1971 to study electronic music at the City College of San Francisco. By the late ’70s, Patrick’s synthesizer techniques landed him a job composing and producing songs for disco diva Sylvester, including #1 hit “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”. Cowley created his own brand of peak-time party music known as Hi-NRG, also dubbed “The San Francisco Sound.” By 1981 Patrick had released a string of his own dance 12″ singles, such as “Menergy” and “Megatron Man”. That year, he co-founded Megatone Records to release his debut album Megatron Man. Meanwhile, Patrick was hospitalized and diagnosed with an unknown illness, which would later be named AIDS. Recovering for a spell, in 1982 he composed two more #1 hits, “Do You Wanna Funk” for Sylvester, and “Right On Target” for Paul Parker, as well as a second solo album Mind Warp. His life was cut short on November 12, 1982, when he passed away two weeks after his 32nd birthday from AIDS-related illness.
Mechanical Fantasy Box is a new collection of 13 unreleased songs recorded between 1973-80 released in tandem with Cowley’s homoerotic journal of the same title. What you hold in your hand is a collection of Cowley’s work from the years preceding his meteoric rise as a pioneer of Hi-NRG dance music. This was before drum machines. Before programmable, polyphonic digital synthesis, this is experimental music in every sense. Sounds flows from funk to kraut to psychedelic ambient electronics inspired by Tomita and Kraftwerk. As David Diebold stated in Tribal Rites, “Patrick Cowley parted the veil and entered a dark world of forbidden forces, wondrous musical panoramas and bold, strident, hopeful possibilities. Patrick brought the future to us and laid it at our feet.”
Proceeds from Mechanical Fantasy Box will be donated to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, who have been committed to ending the pandemic and human suffering caused by HIV since 1982.

vinyl / CD

Patrick Cowley – Mechanical Fantasy Box [DE269LP]

Patrick Cowley – Afternooners [DE185]

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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. Featuring 70 minutes of music never before released on vinyl.

vinyl / CD

Patrick Cowley – Afternooners [DE185]

VA – RDY #33 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY033]

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HARDY, Ron/PATRICK COWLEY/KING SPORTY & THE EXTRAS/STRAFE - RDY #33

Threemore edits from one of the original house music creator Ron Hardy. Patrick Cowley – Mind Warp, King Sporty & the ExTras – Haven’t Been Funked Enough, Strafe – Set It Off (instrumental).

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VA – RDY #33 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY033]