Origin Of The Gay Porn Soundtrack 5

7.  Patrick Cowley And Gay Porn Soundtracks

1.   In 1979, Cowley was approached by John Coletti, owner of the gay porn company, Fox Studio, that was based in Los Angeles.  Coletti had heard about him from Sylvester and asked Cowley to compose the soundtracks to some of his gay porn films. Cowley submitted his college compositions from the 1970s. According to a YouTube commentary by Dark Entries Records, Coletti used a variable speed oscillator to adjust the pitch and speed of the tracks to synchronize them with the porn scenes.

2.   The result was Cowley's music was used on early 1980s Fox's gay porn films like School Daze and Muscle Up.  Here's an example of the porn track, "Mockingbird Dream" from Muscle Up:




3.   Here is another example entitled, "Runner Man" from the Fox porn film, Afternooners, which also contains a montage of Cowley and gay San Francisco of the late 1970s and early 1980s:




4.   In October 2013, to mark what would have been Cowley's 63rd birthday, Dark Entries released a double LP entitled "School Daze", showcasing the music from the porn film School Daze. These are restored productions of tracks that were found on tape reels in storage at Fox Studios.

5.   In October 2015, Dark Entries released Muscle Up, another collection of Cowley's gay porn tracks.  One of the tracks is "Somebody To Love". According to YouTube comments, the blond guy in the porn film is Patrick Cowley.  If true, Cowley was also a composer and part-time porn star. Check out the brazen popper usage as well:

 


6.  The final sample is "Nightcrawler" from the porn film "School Daze", with a scene from "Bore And Stroke":




8.  Conclusion

1.   In this series, we only scratched the surface in describing the talent and work of Patrick Cowley.  Much more can be found on YouTube. A gay pioneer, he led the development of music across different genres from Disco, HiNRG, Electronica and Trance.  Undoubtedly, he originated the hypnotic (and addictive) electronic ambience of a gay porn soundtrack which keeps the viewer glued to the screen.  The fortuitous discovery of many of his reels of electronica in Fox Studios and Megatone Records, plus the work of companies like Dark Entries Records and Honey Soundsystem have ensured that Cowley's legacy lives on.

2.   Cowley died in San Francisco at the age of 32.  He was one of the earliest casualties of AIDS, at a time when it did not have an official name.  His illness was diagnosed as food poisoning and he was sent home after the doctors said there was nothing more they could do.

3.  The best news is that more gay men, cultural historians, music historians, gay porn afficionados, and electronic music enthusiasts are learning about this genius.

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