Patrick Cowley

Patrick Cowley born 19 October 1950 (d. 1982)

Patrick Joseph Cowley was a Disco and Hi-NRG dance music composer and recording artist. He recorded in a similar style to Giorgio Moroder, and is often credited with pioneering electronic dance music.

Born in Buffalo, Cowley moved to San Francisco in 1971, beginning an intensive study of the synthesiser. Working at the City Disco as a light technician, he met Sylvester (originally of the Cockettes, a gay theatre group), who was there performing. They began to collaborate, and Cowley's aggressive synthesiser style became associated with Sylvester. Their club-dancing fan base responded enthusiastically to hits like You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), Dance (Disco Heat), and their most successful single, Do You Wanna Funk.

Cowley's own hits included Menergy in 1981, a frank celebration of the gay club sex scene, and Megatron Man. In 1982, 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 reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Cowley also did a 15+ minute long remix of Donna Summer's I Feel Love, which is now a collector's item.

His final album, Mind Warp, was composed as he felt the increasing effects of HIV infection - although at that time the disease was newly emerging, barely identified and doctors had no real idea why he and so many others were becoming so ill - and its songs reflect his increasing detachment from conventional reality as the disease progressed. He finished the album from a wheelchair between hospital stays.

Cowley only released three solo albums, but groups including the Pet Shop Boys and New Order cite Cowley's style as a major influence.

Patrick Cowley died from complications of AIDS on November 12, 1982.