Origin Of The Gay Porn Soundtrack 4

4.   Who Was Patrick Cowley (1950 - 1982)...?

1.   Patrick Cowley was born in Buffalo, New York and at the age of  21, moved to San Francisco.  He studied Music at the City College of San Francisco, specializing in the use of synthesizers.  When studying there...

"..... he was already gleaning musical inspiration from electronic-music pioneers as diverse as Wendy Carlos and Giorgio Moroder. During his studies at City College of San Francisco, he used the school's electronic equipment to synthesize these influences into a project called the Electronic Music Lab. While drifting from advertising-like jingles into more experimental styles, he also modified and built his own analog equipment, which he combined with classic instrumentation to produce what would eventually come to be known as the "San Francisco sound."

---Money Shots - Five Things You Need To Know About Gay Electronic Wizard Patrick Cowley, XLR8R, October 22, 2013

5.   Sylvester And The Rise Of Patrick Cowley 

1.   "Cowley's growing reputation as a local electronic wiz kid began attracting major up-and-coming disco acts. One of these acts was Sylvester, a former member of notorious acid-dropping SF performance troupe the Cockettes, who had maintained a glamorous, androgynous persona to go with his soaring falsetto voice."

 --- -Money Shots - Five Things You Need To Know About Gay Electronic Wizard Patrick Cowley, XLR8R, October 22, 2013

image from Wikipedia

2.   " Cowley met San Francisco-based musician Sylvester in the late 1970s. Sylvester had asked Cowley to join his studio band after hearing some of his early synthesizer recordings. He played synthesizer on Sylvester's 1978 album Step II which included the hits "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Dance (Disco Heat)". In addition he wrote "Stars" and "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight" from his 1979 album Stars. Cowley also joined Sylvester's live band and joined him on several world tours.

---Wikipedia, "Patrick Cowley"

6.   Patrick Cowley And HiNRG Dance Music

1.   While disco music was established in the 1970s, the gay danceclubs in San Francisco became the cutting edge of its evolving sound from the late 1970s into the early 1980s. This sound was heavier and faster, even frenetic.  This was known as  HiNRG and Cowley was deeply involved in its development.  By the early 1980s, HiNRG was being played not only in the danceclubs, but in the gay saunas of San Francisco.  As a resident of San Francisco, Cowley was a frequent visitor to the gay saunas.  His sexual encounters with other men, provided more musical inspiration.  In 1981, Cowley launched Megatone Records, that became synonymous with the HiNRG sound:

Cowley's own hits included "Menergy" in 1981, a frank celebration of the gay club scene, and "Megatron Man", which hit #1 and #2 respectively on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1981. That same year, Patrick Cowley became the DJ at the "Menergy" parties at The EndUp in San Francisco. He also wrote and produced the dance single "Right on Target" for San Francisco artist Paul Parker, which also reached #1 on the Billboard dance chart in 1982. A collaboration with Sylvester, "Do Ya Wanna Funk", made #4 on the Billboard dance chart that same year. Cowley also did a 15'45" long remix of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love", which is now a collector's item."

---Wikipedia, "Patrick Cowley"

2.   Readers will now understand why we featured (the very gay and very talented) Sylvester's iconic, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" as the introduction to this series in Part 1.


COMING UP IN PART 5:  
7.  Patrick Cowley And Gay Porn Soundtracks