first to go to die of aids of the famous megatone records label!
The death of several people of that label from the same resulted in the end of what was once the best in electronic dance.listen to sylvester and paul parker

Cowley, to me, represents and helps define the music of the 1980's, virtually exclusive to gay bar culture.
~DJ Ronnie Bruno (Dallas, Tx)

Nobody played like him. he defined the sound for Sylvester

I first went to the U.S in 1982 and on first hearing the sound of Patrick Cowley it blue me away! That same trip I meet Sylvester at a small private party he was a very nice guy! he arrived on a little moped motor bike! What a vision!

I first started going to clubs in New Orleans (the veverable Parade disco, then one of Billboard's top 10 discos in the US) just out of high school in 1982. Two of the 1st major "club anthems" I recognized were "Menergy" and "Do Ya' Wanna Funk" (w/ Sylvester). As this was the anti-disco era this was like music from outer space for me, a sound I'd never heard before. To this day I am still enamored of the club sound. Cowley was taking the Moroder sound to the next level. Genius! For years after his death I compared other club songs to his oevre. And as I befriended the Parade dj's and light people (and eventually doing visuals myself) I was thrilled to discover his earlier solo works, as well as his colaberations with Sylvester&JoLo, and the Donna Summer "I Feel Love" megamix (Cowley & Moroder in 1 song!!!).

I started going to the Chicago gay clubs in 1980 and enjoying the music experience like no other. One club in particular, was Carol's Speakeasy, where one could here the lastest dance and hi-energy mixes. When I first heard Menergy and Lift Off, I was in a hipnotic trance on the dance floor. Nothing compared or compares to the sound of Patrick Cowley.

The Patrick Cowley remix of Donna Summer's I feel love made it even better than the original. It is a superb remix and always brought me to the dance floor. this will surely remain in my collection..

He must have died shortly after remixing "I Feel Love' ,, if i recall correctly,, the remix was released in 1982. Regardless, Patrick Cowley's music will always make me move!

He was indeed a genius.

He was obsessively fanatical about two things--music and sex

Someone said in an earlier post that Patrick Cowley took the Moroder sound to the next level, I think that is the best quote of this thread so far.

From Menergy to Lift Off to Get A Little to Megatron Man to Technological Word, he had you going on every track. He definately helped shape the dance music sound of the early 80s.

His 15min remix of Donna Summer's I Feel Love is sublime, that 2nd keyboard break remains one of my favorites.

Patrick Cowley was raw talent.

a musical genius!

His exact dates were 10/19/50-11/12/82.

Thanks Francois! Dates have been updated.

if people like the break's in i feel love! listen to "two tons of fun", the same trick by cowley

AIDS is taking alot of great, talented and special people away from us, please let's continue to contribute to research to find a cure so that these great people would not have died in vain. Rest in Peace Mr. Cowley.

Today Patrick came to mind and I searched his name and found this site. I was one of the lightmen for various clubs of the 70's and 80's and had the pleasure to know Patrick. While working at a very popular straight disco club (in gay control though) he would come in occasionally and bring us new remixes he had worked on to debut them unofficially. These were recorded on the big reel players of the day. We were always excited when he would arrive with new tapes in hand, and of course I remember the night he arrived with I Feel Love. We had never heard anything like that, and let me tell you, the tourists in the crowd visiting the big city disco hadn't either! It was like Patrick, get this into our clubs fast! Around that time he also did some remixes that never made it into distribution, to the best of my knowledge. There was a Quartz remix and even a Jacksons remix, very cool. He was quite serious when it came to sitting down and working, a focused artist. One of my last memories of him was on a street car in SF where we ran into each other and he knew that I took my lighting as serious as he did his music so it was easy to share (neither of us were even aware of HIV Aids at the time). I remember him telling me that I looked great and to continue to take care of myself and don't let working in the club scene take a toll on my health. It was a little brotherly advice so sweet and like him on a one to one basis, at least the Patrick that I knew. Years later I was still doing lights to his wondrous remixes and original music and I always kept my health and still strong as a horse today. At the time he passed two of his favorite friends-deejays also passed, I lost all of them in a very short time period. What I remember most outside of his music was that you were meeting a deep, unique talented artist who knew the importance of break in dance music and worked for ever higher ones...and as a lightman...that is what the art of dance lighting was always working up too as well...so we understood each other quite well. I am sure he is still making music in other worlds and one day I will be looking you up again Patrick.

Menergy, Do You Wanna Funk, Remix of I Feel Love - Donna Summer made Disco last and heard after the fact!

R.I.P.

STEPHEN...Thanks for sharing with us. It is not often that fans of Patrick get first hand account info from someone who actually knew him. LOVED your post.
Thanks again,
Ronnie Bruno (Dallas Tx)

Stephens comments are quite fascinating and personal...david d.

I moved into Patrick's apartment not too long after he died - located on 17th St just above Market Street - located behind two old houses and MANY steps up to get to. Downstairs lived Danny who bartended at Castro Station and his lover Joey who was a Colt model. Although I never got to meet Patrick, his energy was felt throughout the space!

Regardless of your sexual preference, everyone admired PATRICK CROWLEY'S work. The re-mix of I FEEL LOVE was an excellent example of his creativity. I had been doing my own re-mixes of I FEEL LOVE for years, when I got my hands on that DISCO-NET remix of his, I was in heaven. I would use his version in conjuncture with the ones I already had. It was fantastic. Remixes all night long. He worked very closely with the Gay San Fransisco Record Mafia. You hear his influence in all their releases. That is a good thing. It meant that good music got even better. It sucks that he isn't around to enjoy the fame he left. God Bless!