Patrick Cowley
Megatron Man

The first frames of this story come to life at the beginning of the '70s, accompanying a car that ends its short journey at the entrance of a major artery in the state of New York: out comes an emotional and melancholic father with no choice but to throw himself into the arms of a son with few belongings but big dreams, ready for a long hitchhike to the Frisco Bay, a typical scene of an American dream now of another era, but in this case, it lays the foundation for the career of a key figure in the evolution of an entire musical genre.

Upon arriving in San Francisco, for the slightly over 20-year-old Patrick Cowley, the doors of City College open, within which an Electronic Music Lab had recently been created, generally snubbed except by a number that could be counted on one hand. His recent past is as a drummer, but his interest in early analog synthesizers is such that it quickly leads him to create not only jingles for local radios but also his first compositions, showcasing an uncommon skill and a perfectionist musical flair.

Outside the college awaits a city no longer the fragrant garden of Haight Ashbury but a place teeming with life 24 hours a day, with entire neighborhoods populated by artists of all kinds, creative freedom, sexual freedom, and above all, fun associated even with work in Patrick's case, taking on the night role as a lighting technician at The City, one of the most famous and crowded Gay Discos, where he has the chance to absorb the branches of the nascent Disco Movement, meet people connected to the scene, and being a handsome young man, the advantage of never going unnoticed. 

The opportunity presents itself naturally in 1977 after spending some years perfecting all the synthetic possibilities at his disposal, recordings only recently extracted from dusty archives as well as a live drummer experience: the meeting with Sylvester is a treasure chest full of gems that will overwhelm both, a song originally gospel called You Make me Feel (Mighty Real), thanks to an increase in beats intertwining with falsetto vocals and striking synth strokes, it becomes a classic Disco Hit, one of the most beautiful and danced in history, the first real piece of the Frisco Sound, also known as HI-NRG, an evolution of American orchestral disco, funk, and dance electronics linked to the European pioneer Giorgio Moroder, to whom Cowley immediately pays homage in the new role of remixer, transforming I Feel Love by Donna Summer into a Must-Have for every self-respecting DJ. 

In 1980, after a couple of years following Sylvester in studio and on various world tours, Patrick feels it's time to go on his own, returning permanently to a Frisco that has now become a mecca for a multitude of quirky artists, bikers, and homosexuals from all over the globe, all with the same motivation, to be themselves in the best place on earth. Heterosexuals begin to realize that Gay Discos have the best music, the best atmosphere, and even the most beautiful women lining up at the entrance, but there is another side of the coin, and it's one that Cowley embraces, always connected to an imaginary world of Rough Leathermen, proud masculinity and dirty sex, a lifestyle at that time also immortalized on the big screen by William Friedkin in Cruising, one of Al Pacino's less known and most remarkable performances, a faithful reconstruction of a lifestyle that through light and shadow has reached today. 

A year later, the release of Menergy, his first solo album, only accentuates the departure from every form of disco music presented up to that moment: the main users are the burning nights of the Leather Disco: a fast and hypnotic sound, which unlike the more electronic coldness of Moroder, revolves around endless solos and riffs, perfect for the intake of MDA (Mandrax, Dexedrine, and Acid mixed together in a single convenient pill, precursor of Ecstasy, great for picking up on the dance floor without too much fuss degenerating into an orgy at hot parties!).

The creation, together with his friend Marty Blecman, of Megatone Records, located right on Castro Street in order to stay away from the homophobic fixations of record companies, will give space and emphasis to a scene and a sense of belonging that is almost unique, confirmed by Megatron Man, a 33 rpm follow-up that not only represents his artistic and commercial consecration, it is above all a record that gradually reveals the artist's true nature, his innate sense of fun and adventure at the expense of the usual superstar image to be plastered on the cover at all costs. If the Title Track remains a Disco Anthem par excellence, dominated only by a Prophet 5, a Drum Machine, and a Proto-Vocoder with only the bass as an "external" instrument, the secret of the album is the beautiful vocal arrangements that rage throughout the entire second side, by a female trio (Jo-Carol Block, Lauren Carter, Carol McMackin) coming from jazz and absolutely perfect in the triple tour de force of Get A little, Lift Off, with that sweet invitation to let go on a misty dance floor drenched in sweat (Take a trip to another dimension, leave your troubles far behind...) and the heartfelt thanks of Thank God For Music to seal it all. Everywhere that Prophet 5 performs acrobatics that serve as textbooks for all the Italo Disco of the years to come, and without a doubt, his flamboyant style stands in relation to disco as Keith Emerson's was to Progressive...excess and marvelous inventiveness happily walking hand in hand. In Sea Hunt, childhood memories resurface tied to a TV series set in the ocean and featuring a magnificent male protagonist in a sinuous undulating movement with a melody similar to a choir of enchanting sirens. But the real peculiarity of the album is encapsulated in the few minutes of Teen Planet, a splendid gift to the Disco Wave with that PostPunk catchy flair and the only chance to hear his singing without the aid of a Voice-Box, something to slot into a setlist between a Rock Lobster and a Whip It. 

His compositional generosity will activate the careers of several friends operating within the genre with some dancefloor classics: Die Hard Lover for Loverde, Right On Target for Paul Parker, and the unforgettable Do You Wanna Funk for Sylvester, a true indecent proposal must on the floor.

In 1982 Patrick Cowley, at the peak of worldwide stardom, is forced to take a break due to health reasons, doctors cannot diagnose anything precise, to the point of discharging him from the hospital as nothing more can be done for him. The album Mind Warp is recorded by a wheelchair-bound Patrick, with the entire Megatone staff gathering around him to complete the sessions in his last moments of lucidity, it will be described by friends and fans as The Death Album and will be another masterpiece, the last one. He will die in his bed on November 12, 1982, exactly 30 years ago, at only 32 years old, succumbing to AIDS and becoming one of its first notable victims, Sylvester will follow in '88, Loverde in '90, Blecman in '91. The significant Megatone catalog will be absorbed by Unidisc. Only Paul Parker continues to spread the memory of those years everywhere, the poor skeleton of a great friend carried up the stairs on shoulders, and lovingly laid on the bed with a smile.