{"title":"Patrick Cowley","description":"\u003cp\u003ePatrick Joseph Cowley (October 19, 1950 - November 12, 1982) was a San Francisco-based musician and record producer known as an early pioneer of electronic dance music. He made significant contributions to the HI-NRG and experimental genres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn in upstate New York, Cowley began his musical journey playing in local rock bands before studying English at the University of Buffalo. After relocating to the Bay Area, he immersed himself in synthesizer studies at San Francisco City College.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCowley's recording career took off when he collaborated with *Sylvester*, a fellow San Francisco artist who recognized Cowley's innovative techniques with the synthesizer. Their collaboration resulted in the album \"Step II,\" which propelled Sylvester to international fame and led to Cowley joining him on a world tour as a backup musician.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRemaining connected to the vibrant San Francisco club scene, Cowley partnered with producer *Marty Blecman* to establish Megatone Records in 1981. This partnership enabled Cowley to create successful dance-oriented singles and his acclaimed LP \"Megatron Man.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to working on his own music, Cowley wrote and produced hit dance singles for other artists such as *Paul Parker*. His collaborations included producing chart-topping tracks like \"Right on Target\" and reuniting with *Sylvester* for the popular song \"Do You Wanna Funk.\" Sadly, Patrick\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"afternooners","title":"Afternooners","description":"\u003cp\u003eDark 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, \u003ci\u003eThe San Francisco Sound\u003c\/i\u003e. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"Black LPx2","offer_id":50402372059467,"sku":"2057329","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50402371928395,"sku":"1019609","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50402371830091,"sku":"1021275","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/fcb5080d-e1e6-4b3c-b52d-24df745dd23b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726543096"},{"product_id":"malebox","title":"Malebox","description":"\u003cp\u003eDark Entries has a surprise delivery! \u003ci\u003eMalebox\u003c\/i\u003e brings us six previously unreleased funk-fuelled jams from the archives of the cybernetic disco titan himself, Patrick Cowley. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBest 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut \u003ci\u003eMalebox\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe songs on \u003ci\u003eMalebox\u003c\/i\u003e display the vitality and inventiveness of a brilliant composer taken from us too soon. \u003ci\u003eMalebox\u003c\/i\u003e sleeve design was by Gwenaël Rattke, and features a hyper-color retro collage. Also included is an air mail envelope containing a letter from Patrick Cowley to French disco producer Pierre Jaubert as well as liner notes and hand-written lyrics\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50404829200715,"sku":"2001550","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50404831461707,"sku":"2001551","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Patrick_Cowley_-_Malebox_5ce6a0ec_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726571538"},{"product_id":"school-daze","title":"School Daze","description":"\u003cp\u003eDark Entries and Honey Soundsystem have teamed up to release the gay porn soundtrack work of San Francisco-based musician and producer, Patrick Cowley. Perhaps one of the most revolutionary and influential people in the cannon of disco music, Cowley created his own brand of Hi-NRG dance music coined \"The San Francisco Sound.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Buffalo, NY on October 19, 1950, Patrick moved to San Francisco at the age of 21. He studied at the City College of San Francisco where he founded the Electronic Music Lab. During this time Patrick would create radio jingles and electronic pieces using the school's equipment, first a Putney, then an E-MU System and finally a Serge synthesizer. He would make experimental instrumental songs by blending various types of music and adapting them to the synthesizer. By the mid-70′s, Patrick's synthesizer skills landed him a job composing and producing songs for disco superstar Sylvester such as \"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)\", \"Dance Disco Heat\" and \"Stars.\" This helped Patrick obtain more work as a remixer and producer. Of particular note was his 18-minute long remix of Donna Summer's \"I Feel Love\" and production work with edgy New Wave band Indoor Life. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Daze\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of Cowley's instrumental songs recorded between 1973 and 1981 found in the Fox Studio vaults. Influenced by Tomita, Wendy Carlos and Giorgio Moroder, Patrick forged an electronic sound from his collection of synthesizers, modified guitars and self-constructed equipment. The listener enters a world of dark forbidden vices, introspective and reflective of Patrick's time spent in the bathhouses of San Francisco. The songs on \u003ci\u003eSchool Daze\u003c\/i\u003e range from sparse proto-techno to high octane funk to somber post-punk to musique concrete, revealing the depth of Cowley's unique talent. Featuring over 80 minutes of music, this compilation contains soundtrack music from two Fox Studio films, \"Muscle Up\" and \"School Daze\", never before released on vinyl. The tapes were restored and transferred using the same speed and pitch settings, then remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"Black LPx2","offer_id":50413399277899,"sku":"2057319","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50413398098251,"sku":"370100","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50413396361547,"sku":"371186","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/School_Daze_3a3eb5b7_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726673441"},{"product_id":"mechanical-fantasy-box","title":"Mechanical Fantasy Box","description":"\u003cp\u003ePatrick 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 studyelectronic music at the City College of San Francisco. By the late ‘70s, Patrick’s synthesizer techniques landed him a job composingand producing songs for disco diva Sylvester, including #1 hit \u003ci\u003eYou Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)\u003c\/i\u003e. 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 owndance 12′′ singles, such as \u003ci\u003eMenergy \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eMegatron Man\u003c\/i\u003e. That year, he co-founded Megatone Records to release his debut album \u003ci\u003eMegatron Man\u003c\/i\u003e. 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, \u003ci\u003eDo You Wanna Funk \u003c\/i\u003efor Sylvester, and\u003ci\u003e Right On Target\u003c\/i\u003e for Paul Parker, as well as a second solo album \u003ci\u003eMind Warp.\u003c\/i\u003e His life was cut short on November 12, 1982, when he passed away two weeks after his 32nd birthday from AIDS-related illness. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMechanical Fantasy Box\u003c\/i\u003e 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 thefuture to us and laid it at our feet.” Some songs were mixed from 4-track stems by Joe Tarantino and all songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studio in Berkeley, CA. The vinyl comes housed in a black and white gatefold jacket designed by Gwenaël Rattke featuring a photograph by Susan Middleton, liner notes by bandmate Maurice Tani and an 8.5x11 insert with notes. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50426077315403,"sku":"1075967","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cd796342-acb6-4cf1-8ce4-90fa0dcbd3a3_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726800204"},{"product_id":"kickin-in","title":"Kickin' In","description":"\u003cp\u003eDark Entries again shines a spotlight on bathhouse disco don \u003cstrong\u003ePatrick Cowley\u003c\/strong\u003e with a newly remastered release of \u003cem\u003eKickin’ In\u003c\/em\u003e. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile working as a lighting technician at The City, SF’s disco cabaret, Cowley saw rising star \u003cstrong\u003eFrank Loverde\u003c\/strong\u003e 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 \u003cem\u003e“Kickin’ In”\u003c\/em\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn May 1978 Cowley joined Loverde on stage at The City to perform \u003cem\u003e“Kickin’ In”\u003c\/em\u003e as they opened for disco diva Sylvester. \u003cem\u003e“Kickin’ In”\u003c\/em\u003e 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 \u003cem\u003e“Kickin’ In”\u003c\/em\u003e, allowing for a fresh mixdown by Jim Hopkins as well as the creation of a new instrumental version.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlso included are two impeccably sleazy Cowley jams recorded in 1980, \u003cem\u003e“Thief of Love”\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003e“Make It Come Loose”\u003c\/em\u003e. Cowley narrates excerpts from his erotic journals on these raunchy slow-burners, capturing the vibe of SF’s leather bars and backrooms. \u003cem\u003e“Thief of Love”\u003c\/em\u003e features frequent Cowley collaborator Paul Parker on background vocals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis reissue of \u003cem\u003eKickin’ In\u003c\/em\u003e includes features an illustration by Gwenaël Rattke that originally appeared Cowley’s erotic journal, Mechanical Fantasy Box, as well as a postcard with lyrics. \u003cem\u003e“Patrick parted the veil and entered a dark world of forbidden vices, wondrous musical panoramas and bold, strident, hopeful possibilities. Patrick brought the future to us and laid it at our feet.”\u003c\/em\u003e – David Diebold, Tribal Rites\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"Black 12\"","offer_id":50428781199691,"sku":"2214270","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed_-_2024-08-01T120121.959_924bd32f_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726835402"},{"product_id":"megatron-man","title":"Megatron Man","description":"\u003cp\u003eMegatron 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 \u003ci\u003eGet A Little\u003c\/i\u003e. Cowley is most famous for his collaborations with American disco vocalist Sylvester. He is regarded as a pioneer of early electronic music, having influenced acts such as Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Lime, and more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Unidisc","offers":[{"title":"Silver | LP","offer_id":50452645413195,"sku":"1133883","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/9d253967-f969-4dab-a3d4-f8758736a4fb_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727159535"},{"product_id":"mind-warp","title":"Mind Warp","description":"\u003cp\u003eSeminal 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!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCelebrate 40 years of the label with this unmissable reissue package beautifully presented on wondrous coloured vinyl by your friends over at Unidisc.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Unidisc","offers":[{"title":"Purple | LP","offer_id":50452984201547,"sku":"1136961","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/85159bf4-71d6-43c4-b0a4-1e8ec6cc7e71_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727167271"},{"product_id":"lift-off-alan-dixon-remixes","title":"Lift Off (Alan Dixon Remixes)","description":"\u003cp\u003eLimited import - be quick!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Unidisc","offers":[{"title":"Black | 12\"","offer_id":50460140863819,"sku":"1149260","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/53d26f25-e797-42ea-8ce7-708d49929da5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727229624"},{"product_id":"get-a-little-alan-dixon-remixes","title":"Get A Little (Alan Dixon Remixes)","description":"\u003cp\u003eLimited import - be quick!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Unidisc","offers":[{"title":"Black | 12\"","offer_id":50460868641099,"sku":"1149261","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/926c6ea0-3f9c-4611-8f01-caf53f53e8df_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727239421"},{"product_id":"from-behind","title":"From Behind","description":"\u003cp\u003eCybernetic disco maestro \u003cstrong\u003ePatrick Cowley\u003c\/strong\u003e returns to Dark Entries with \u003cem\u003eFrom Behind\u003c\/em\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSince 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 \u003cem\u003eSchool Daze\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMuscle Up\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eAfternooners\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrom Behind\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eVia 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe’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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThings close out with a swinging version of the Four Tops’ Motown classic “Baby I Need Your Loving”, Cowley later reimagined for R\u0026amp;B artist Carl Carlton. The record comes housed in a sleeve designed by Gwenaël Rattke and includes an insert with photos and liner notes written by Louis Niebur.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn celebration of what would have been Cowley’s 74th birthday, \u003cem\u003eFrom Behind\u003c\/em\u003e gives us yet another glimpse into Cowley’s world: iconic, erotic, and more than a little cheeky.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50468165583179,"sku":"2224468","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ff6ff52b-5dc0-bbaf-60dd-10f5ba96a71f_a539288c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727345670"},{"product_id":"muscle-up","title":"Muscle Up","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMuscle Up\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of Cowley's instrumental songs recorded between 1973 and 1980 found in the Fox Studio vaults. This compilation also includes bonus compositions found in the basement of Megatone Records owner John Hedges and the attic of former bandmate Maurice Tani. Influenced by Tomita, Wendy Carlos, and Giorgio Moroder, Patrick crafted an electronic sound from his collection of synthesizers, percussion, modified guitars, and hand-built equipment. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe listener enters a world of forbidden vices evocative of Patrick's time spent in the bathhouses of San Francisco. The songs on \u003ci\u003eMuscle Up \u003c\/i\u003eare divided into four sides, each showcasing a different facet of Cowley's work. Side one opens with an ambient journey through the Amazon. Tension builds on side two, with the instrumental demo version of the slow-chugging masterpiece \"I Need Somebody To Love Tonight\". On sides three and four things go interstellar with ecstatic space-funk and galactic workouts. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeaturing 75 minutes of music, this compilation contains soundtrack music from two Fox Studio films, \"Muscle Up\" and \"School Daze\", plus additional songs from the same era, never before released on vinyl. The tapes were restored and transferred using the same speed and pitch settings, then remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"Black LPx2","offer_id":50485446115659,"sku":"2057325","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50485442642251,"sku":"393905","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50485445951819,"sku":"393873","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Muscle_Up_0cd0e324_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727599754"},{"product_id":"some-funkettes","title":"Some Funkettes","description":"\u003cp\u003eDark 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 such as Sylvester’s \u003ci\u003eYou Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)\u003c\/i\u003e or his own \u003ci\u003eMenergy\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. This has resulted in a string of celebrated archival albums, including \u003ci\u003eCatholic\u003c\/i\u003e (featuring Jorge Socarras),\u003ci\u003e School Daze, Muscle Up, Afternooners,\u003c\/i\u003e and the recent \u003ci\u003eMechanical Fantasy Box\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eSome Funkettes\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSome Funkettes\u003c\/i\u003e opens with Cowley’s sauntering instrumental rendition of \u003ci\u003eDo It Anyway You Wanna\u003c\/i\u003e, the disco classic by People’s Choice. Next is a psychedelic reworking of the Temptations’ \u003ci\u003ePapa Was a Rolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, here hazily retitled \u003ci\u003ePapa Wuzza Rollinston\u003c\/i\u003e. Over its 7 minute runtime, the track’s metronomic, minimal groove builds to a frantic synth solo - this is pure Bay Area motorik. \u003ci\u003eSpiked Punch\u003c\/i\u003e, a curious riff on Herbie Hancock’s \u003ci\u003eChameleon\u003c\/i\u003e follows. Cowley’s lurching, minimalist reimagining of Hancock’s opus prefigures the work he would later do on Sylvester’s masterpiece \u003ci\u003eI Need Somebody to Love Tonight\u003c\/i\u003e. Side B opens with a truly important historical document: Cowley’s cover of Donna Summer’s \u003ci\u003eI Feel Love.\u003c\/i\u003e The Moroder-produced disco anthem was a critical influence on Cowley - he would later resculpt the original song into arguably its highest form with his 15-minute-long remix. The instrumental cover version here is sparse and euphoric, brimming with classic Cowley synth signatures alongside the infectious Moroder bassline. A relatively faithful take on Bazuka’s 1975 funk classic \u003ci\u003eDynomite \u003c\/i\u003efollows. The record closes with the dub version of \u003ci\u003eSpiked Punch,\u003c\/i\u003e which highlights developments in Cowley’s recording and synthesis techniques by way of its resonant burbles and spring reverb-laden passages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome Funkettes was made possible with help from Patrick's brother Jim and his former studiomate Maurice Tani. All songs were mastered for vinyl by George Horn. 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. Each record comes with an insert featuring a four page essay by Francesca as well as a postcard featuring liner notes and a photograph by Cowley’s roommate and best friend, Theresa McGinley. This peek into Cowley’s formative years arrives just in time for what would have been his 70th birthday.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50498866118987,"sku":"1102372","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50498866217291,"sku":"1102156","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/07e1ec02-d79a-4553-b287-9c5ddd77da35_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727759821"},{"product_id":"hard-ware","title":"Hard Ware","description":"\u003cp\u003eCybernetic disco maestro Patrick Cowley graces Dark Entries once again with \u003cem\u003eHard Ware,\u003c\/em\u003e an 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince 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. \u003cem\u003eHard Ware\u003c\/em\u003e presents the closing chapter in a trilogy of unreleased Cowley dancefloor bangers that began with 2022’s heavy-hitting \u003cem\u003eMale Box\u003c\/em\u003e and was continued with the soul and garage-inflected \u003cem\u003eFrom Behind \u003c\/em\u003ein 2024.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most expansive release in said trilogy, \u003cem\u003eHard Ware \u003c\/em\u003edelivers ten tracks of pure, uncut Cowley: sultry, psychedelic, sarcastic, and just a bit sleazy. Cowley devotees will delight in “Tech-No,” a sparse instrumental demo version of his epically dystopian “Tech-No-Logical World.” You could soundtrack your next aerobics session with cheeky numbers like “Pajama Party Massacre” or “Shake It Up,” both of which feature Cowley himself on vocals. The frenetic “Big Ass in Motion” is built around samples from Rudy Ray Moore and The Madam’s infamous “Sensuous Black Woman,” an X-rated comedy record that would later feature in classic booty house records. Mid-tempo cosmic groovers are well-represented with jams like “Hellfire” and “Megablue,” which perfectly capture Cowley’s bathhouse-in-outerspace sensibilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo collection of Cowley’s work would be complete without an interstellar floor-filler, and we’ve got quite a few here, like “Jungle Jump,” which pits whirling beats with dub-laced swirls of synth, or “Spellbinding Lover,” a Donna Summer-indebted melancholic boogie masterpiece that features Sylvester backup singer Jeanie Tracy. \u003cem\u003eHard Ware \u003c\/em\u003ecloses with the chilling synth-hymn ”Ice Age,” in which Loverde vocalist Peggy Gibbons sings of a coming frosty apocalypse. The story told in “Ice Age” mirrors the coming AIDS crisis and feels like a haunting premonition from Cowley.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe record comes in a sleeve with a hand-airbrushed circuitboard-inspired design by Gwenaël Rattke, and includes lyrics as well as liner notes by Andrew Ryce and Peggy Gibbons. Hard Ware is another crucial document of a tremendous talent taken too soon.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dark Entries","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Black","offer_id":53406076731723,"sku":"R3009-4796","price":36.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":53406076764491,"sku":"R3009-1076","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3ab8a783-54fb-4115-e512-2e576b45c9c0.jpg?v=1758119386"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_9494a2a3_thumbnail_4096_cbd77c4a-5527-4fee-a157-68519a8b6f40.jpg?v=1726543059","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/patrick-cowley.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}