For many years it almost seemed as if Patrick Cowley appeared from nowhere, then achieved a stellar career in music in the brief period of only a few years, tragically cut short when he passed away due to AIDS, only 32 years old. There must be millions who danced or listened to his music, and he was most deservedly hailed as one of the most important artists in the history of club music ever since. Still, Patrick Cowley the person remained strangely unexplored. There were countless entries in books and websites specializing on Disco, yet they all used the same few photographs of him, and the same scarce biographical details. There were no interviews, no friends and collaborators were asked to tell stories. He dropped his musical vision, which was way ahead of its time, arguably still is, leaving only speculation as to what might have been, and where it actually came from.
Admittedly it was not that easy to find out when it actually happened, pre-internet, but when his fame as the synth wizard in the aftermath of the classic Disco era skyrocketed in the early 80s, he was also producing the first album by Indoor Life, the band of his friend Jorge Socarras. It was not music destined to shine under the glistening mirror balls of the hedonistic palaces of that time, it was dark and edgy. It was more Post Punk than Disco. Wait, I meant New Wave, nobody said Post Punk then. By all means it should have been proof enough that there was more to Patrick Cowley than the music he became famous for. Read the rest of this entry »
Moral – Trees In November
Ajukaja & Andrevski – Mesilind
Walt J – Horns Of Plenty
KB Project – Feel It
Universo – Yebo
Lowtec – Man On Wire (Reconstruction)
K.A. Posse – Shake (Joe Smooth Mix)
Geena – Tone Loc
Mosey – Live A Little
Luca Lozano – DJ Fett Burger – Telegronn
PLO Man – Type Damascus
Shanti Celeste – Moods
Chaperone – All Your Emergencies
Boo Williams – Freaky
Donnie Tempo – Tazmanian Virus (Sims JFF Edit)
Harmonious Thelonious – Industrielle Muziek
Minor Science – Closing Acts
DJ Stingray 313 – Acetylcholine
KiNK – Vodolaz (Elektro Guzzi Version)
MD Jr. – Survival Of The Richest
Unspecified Enemies – Ms. 45
Merle – Mimi Likes 2 Dance
House Of Doors – Starcave
Superpanzer – Die Tollen, die nicht so Tollen, und die Häßlichen
Finn, what memories do you have of your first DJ set?
It was mostly playing records at school and private parties from the mid 80s on, playing a variety of Disco, Soul, Synthpop and Post Punk. I’d like to remember that as eclectic, but probably chaotic would be the more apt description. Actually my memories of my first forays into playing out in public are bit hazy by now. After all, that was nearly 30 years ago. What I vividly remember was a Soul allnighter in a basement club of my hometown of Kiel, in ’86 or ’87. Actually it was a whole Mod Weekender, with several events all across town. My friend Ralf Mehnert, who became a well respected Rare Soul collector and DJ, and me took over the Soul part of the proceedings, playing records for a crowd that consisted of mods and other hip folks, but predominatly drunk scooter boys. Somebody saw them standing outside, mistook them for skinheads, and alerted the most notorious local Turkish street gang. They arrived not much later, crashing the door and storming down the stairs, only to face quite a crowd of completely unimpressed heavy parka-clad folks. Ralf and me ducked away in the DJ booth and things got really messy. About 30 minutes later there was no intruder left and the party continued as if absolutely nothing had happened. There were numerous other similar experiences. Kiel was quite a tough city, probably still is.
Can you re-engineer what influence being a small town boy – born and raised in Kiel, in Northern Germany – had on your musical education?
I did not really feel limitations. There were record stores as Tutti Frutti or Blitz which were very well selected with electronic music of the 80s, Punk, and experimental stuff. And quite a number of second hand stores to choose from, where I mostly bought Soul, Disco and obscure 60s and 70s records. Some of those acquired bigger record collections from Danish libraries and sold each record for 2 Deutschmarks, regardless of format. I purchased the bulk of my Disco collection in those years, for example. You did not have to spend much, so you would explore what you would have otherwise not listened to. I had a lot of friends who were very interested in music, and there was a constant exchange of knowledge, good and bad finds. It was all very social. I made regular record shopping trips to Hamburg, too. There were plenty of excellent record shops there, for everything of interest to me. I always looked for dance music of any kind, and Hamburg had stores that were importing records since the Disco era. They had the contacts and the knowledge.
And as for the clubs?
I did not mind being in a smaller town either. There were quite a few. The DJs mostly did not mix much and played all over the board stylistically. There was a tendency to play music in topical blocks. A 30-minutes block of Disco, followed by a 30-minutes block of New Wave, then Hip Hop, then some Rock, then Soul, then slow songs, then everything all over again. Once a few tunes worked together and on the floor, the DJs tended to rely on the according selection and did not change it for what seemed to be years. That drove me mad, but in retrospect I could hear lots of different music in one single night, and that left a mark on me. You learn about the contexts of what you hear, and how they relate to each other. I still make use of that. I travelled a lot, and I have been to a great number of clubs in my life, but when I moved to Berlin I was already in my early 30s. I spent my formative years up North. I did not move because I had to get out either, I left because the job situation was difficult for me. If I would had found an interesting job at that time, I probably would have stayed. I still go back regularly, I have family and friends there, and I still miss the sea.
You were born into club life by the sets of Klaus Stockhausen at Front Club in Hamburg, when you were dancing the nights away at the age of 18. What made this experience so fundamentally alluring to you?
I started going to clubs in Kiel in the early 80s, 12 or 13 years old, then to Hamburg clubs only a few years later. Most clubs in Hamburg were not as different to Kiel as they maintained to be, but the people had arguably more style and the music was more specialized. You went to certain clubs for a certain kind of music. I had been to some gay clubs in Kiel before, but they seemed to be stuck with a soundtrack that had been tried and tested for years, classic Disco anthems and the occasional Schlager drama excursion, and the scene was not that open. You often felt like the stranger entering the saloon, and the crowd often was more made up by people with a common taste in music and fashion that just happened to be gay. A lot of 80s fops and some sugar daddies. It could be fun, but more often it was not. These people had to live with other prejudices and repressions than just getting beaten up for the style of the subculture you had chosen for yourself, like I did, and you did not belong.
And Front Club was different?
Absolutely. When a friend took me to the Front Club in early 1987 that was dramatically different. The crowd was predominantly gay, but if you were not, like me, nobody seemed to care. I was aware of the major role gay subculture played in the evolution of dance music, mostly by reading features about legendary Disco clubs in magazines, but they were about Bianca on that horse for instance, and not about what was booming from the speakers as she rode in, which was exactly what interested me most. Front was the first club where I could actually experience it, and even be a part of it. And Klaus Stockhausen was the first DJ I ever heard who did not only play records, he mixed them. Like no other I heard ever since. It was not that I did not know any of the music before, but he was transforming the records into something else. And the club itself was incredibly intense, I have never witnessed something like that again either. A dark, gritty basement filled to the brim with extravagant people who completely lost their minds on the floor. And my first visits were coincidentally a good timing, because it was the transitional period between the music played there from 83 on, and House. House was introduced there much earlier, but it still was not ruling the playlist. It was brilliant to hear Stockhausen play favourites I loved from the years before, and more often records I never heard, and then the added early Chicago House sounds that seemed to have swallowed decades of dance music history only to spit them out as this raw, primitive version of it. It fit the club perfectly, and soon I was heading over to Hamburg on weekends as much as I could, because I simply could not get enough of the experience. That lasted until around 1995, and then I took up a residency in Kiel for almost ten years, and it kept me well occupied. But just think of all the incredible music released between 1987 and 1995. It really were the blink and miss years of what we still hear today, and I could be witnessing all crucial developments right on the floor, played by the best DJs, and dancing to it in the best club with the best crowd. Good times.
When did you start collecting records? During those blink and miss years?
No, much earlier. The little money I had I spent on records since I was about 6 years old. My parents gave me a record player, and the Forever Elvis compilation, plus radio and cassette recorder and they were my favourite toys by then. Especially the radio was very important. I spent endless hours recording music from the radio, cursing presenters for talking too much over songs I liked. And the hit music played on the radio in the mid 70s was just great. Chic and Roxy Music were probably my favourite bands. And all those weird and wonderful Glam Rock acts. But luckily enough I had also a chance to catch the music from early on that was not deemed fit for airplay. I had an uncle who had the idea to buy record collections at judicial sales, and he often gave me the records he did not like. Thus I could become the proud owner of Can’s Monster Movie or the first Suicide album and several obscure Soul albums when most of my classmates were still just listening to the charts. I know this sounds terribly made up, but it is the truth. And at a very young age you tend to play your favourite records over and over and over, your relationship to music is very intimate and deep. Soon I felt quite confident in my taste, and I was spending more and more time and money on music. But I actually had not the faintest idea how much great music there really was out there to discover, and I had yet to meet the right people to share my passion for it. That changed as soon as I could sneak my way into clubs. Read the rest of this entry »
Pablo Gad – Hard Times Dub Achterbahn D’Amour – Königsstr. (SW. Remix) Willis Anne – Untitled Lena Willikens – Mari Ori Reckonwrong – Hansie C.C. Not – Untitled Lohhof – Midway Moodswings (Terekke Remix) X – Untitled The Maghreban – Green Apple Florian Kupfer – Discotags Kai Alcé – Rockin K-Tel Orson + Skratch – Untitled Leigh Dickson – Praise (Baby Ford Mix) Perbec – Chaser Translate – City Slicker Marquis Hawkes – The Way Isanlar – Kime Ne (Ricardo Villalobos Version 1) Hashman Deejay – Samba DJ Sprinkles & Mark Fell – Insights Ken Gill – Love Moon DJ Sotofett – Nimbus Mix Simone White – Flowers In May (Kassem Mosse Version) Stump Valley – Caruso Plaza – Night Lines (Moon B Extra Nocturnal Mix) Aphex Twin – diskhat1 Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras – She Had Her Nerve
A charity night at Berghain, raising money against the anti-gay laws in Russia. The place was sold out and I played as aprt of a Hard Wax staff contingent. Of course recordings are not allowed there, but I decided to play a set of gay music and it went down a storm. I am particularly happy that I could make Being Boring work on the Berghain floor. So I re-recorded it the next day exactly how I played it.
Auto-Repeat – Auto Disco Sylvester – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) Banji Boys – Love Thang Rageous Projecting Franklin Fuentes – Tyler Moore Mary Junior Vasquez – Get Your Hands Off My Man Junior Rafael – 4 All Da Men In My Life Jamie Principle – Cold World Ryuichi Sakamoto – Love And Hate The Children – Freedom Aaron-Carl – Hateful Long Fellow – This Is Penis 2 Body’s – French Kiss Jimmy Somerville – Comment Te Dire Adieu I.M.T. – The Devil Made Me Buy… DJ Sprinkles – Glorimar’s Whore House Outrage – Tall ‘N’ Handsome Pet Shop Boys – Being Boring Hercules And Love Affair – Blind The Ones – Flawless Carl Bean – I Was Born This Way Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras – Burn Brighter Flame
Lengthy post-punk special, inspired my first ventures into clubs. The artwork is the logo of a new wave club in Kiel I regularly went to in the 80s, called Pfefferminz.
The Human League – The Black Hit Of Space Indoor Life – Contre Nature Chris Carter – Beat Soft Cell – Say Hello Wave Goodbye 400 Blows – Strangeways (Revisited) Dark Day – Nudes In The Forest The Wirtschaftswunder – The Girls Of The Navy Shock – R.E.R.B. Section 25 – Looking From A Hilltop Tears For Fears – Pale Shelter Cabaret Voltaire – Automotivation Boris Policeband – Tow Away Family Fodder – Winter Song Holger Hiller – Das Feuer Kreutzer – Affentanz Comateens – Ghosts Pete Shelley – On My Own Markus Oehlen – Beer Is Enough Palais Schaumburg – Kinder Der Tod Simple Minds – I Travel Visage – The Anvil Tuxedomoon – What Use? The Cure – The Walk Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Messages New Order – Video 586 The Fun Boy Three – Life In General Virgin Prunes – Faculties Of a Broken Heart The Neon Judgement – The Fashion Party British Standard Unit – D’ya Think I’m Sexy John Foxx – Underpass Brenda Ray – D’Ya Hear Me! The Specials – I Can’t Stand It BEF – Uptown Apocalypse Vanity 6 – Make-Up Implog – Holland Tunnel Dive Jah Wobble – I Need You By My Side David Byrne – Big Business The Associates – Skipping Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras – Robot Children Fad Gadget – Pedestrian Ike Yard – Cherish 8 James White And The Blacks – Contort Yourself Gang Of Four – At Home He Feels Like A Tourist General Strike – My Other Body Suicide – Shadazz Chain Of Command – Honour Amongst Thieves Electric Chairs – J’Attends Les Marines Clock DVA – Resistance Vice Versa – Riot Squad Throbbing Gristle – United Mathematiques Modernes – A+B The Bach Revolution – Labor Pains The Vyllies – Babylon Strange Devotion – Against The New Formation Der Plan – Wat’s Dat? The Flying Lizards – TV The Flying Lizards – Tube Ceramic Hello – Ringing In The Sane Jeunesse D’Ivoire – A Gift Of Tears Blue Chips Of Asama – Haruko’s Lament The Sound – I Can’t Escape Myself Pere Ubu – The Modern Dance Thomas Leer – Letter From America Baard – Savior For The Nations Atom Spies – Single Dance Vivien Goldman – Launderette Sun Yama – Subterrean Homesick Blues John Bender – 39A5 Something Liaisons Dangereuses – Être Assis Ou Danser Fred Frith – Same Old Me Kim Fowley – Searching For A Human In Tight Blue Jeans The Normal – Warm Leatherette
Cabaret Voltaire – Baader Meinhof Heiner Goebbels / Alfred Harth – Berlin, Kudamm 12.4.81 Throbbing Gristle – Beachy Head Howard Shore – Welcome To Videodrome Clock DVA – The Connection Machine Ennio Morricone – The Thing: Humanity (Part 2) F. C. Judd – Automation Bruce Gilbert – The Shivering Man Gentle Ihor – Psalm 151 General Strike – Next Day The Flying Lizards – Cirrus The Wirtschaftswunder – EDV-Step Suzanne Ciani – Second Breath Holger Hiller/Thomas Fehlmann – Gibst Du mir Steine, geb ich Dir Sand Combo Satori – Enlightment The Human League – Morale/You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras – You Laugh At My Face Slap – Eden Now 400 Blows – The Morality Of Altitude The Bach Revolution – Urban Illusion Koji Ueno – Adagietto (Remix Version) Peter Schickele – Saturn John Lurie – The Lampposts Are Mine Tuxedomoon – The Waltz Jerry Goldsmith – Love Theme From Chinatown (End Title) This Mortal Coil – Another Day Psychic TV – Only Love Can Break Your Heart The United States Of America – Love Song For The Dead Ché The White Noise – The Visitation The Walker Brothers – My Ship Is Coming In
The D.H.S. gives the dance the D.H.S. treatment, in a punky reggae fashion.
The D.H.S. rules the dance.
Seen?!
Scritti Politti – The Sweetest Girl The Flying Lizards – Ash And Diamond Au Pairs – Headache Colourbox – Baby I Love You So The Beat – Drowning The Special AKA – Racist Friend The Specials – Ghost Town UB40 – Food For Thought A.R. Kane – Catch My Drift Grace Jones – She’s Lost Control The Clash – Armagideon Time Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Schweinerei The Flying Lizards – The Window The Raincoats- No Ones Little Girl The Bodysnatchers – Too Experienced Orange Juice – Flesh Of My Flesh Colourbox – Shotgun World Domination Enterprises – Asbestos Lead Asbestos XTC – Dance With Me, Germany Wayne County And The Electric Chairs – C3 The Selecter – The Dream Goes On Gang Of Four – Woman Town Material – Ciquri Czukay/Liebezeit/Wobble – Where’s The Money Madness – Yesterday’s Men Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras – Burn Brighter Flame A Certain Ratio – Funaezekea Steel An’ Skin – Afro Punk Reggae Dub Dislocation Dance – Show Me 400 Blows – Black And White Mix Up Pere Ubu – Humor Me Young Marble Giants – Eating Noddemix Sad Lovers & Giants – Sleep (Is For Everyone) The Cure – All Cats Are Grey
Der prototypische Selbstbestimmungssong. Lesley Gore sah ihn eher als geschlechtsloses “humanist anthem”, aber dass die Feministinnen und die Gay Rights-Bewegung den Song später für sich einspannten, hat ihr sehr gut gefallen.
Nina Simone – See-Line Woman (Philips, 1964)
Eine schöne und stolze schwarze Frau in teuren Kleidern, die den Männern das Geld aus der Tasche zieht und ihre Herzen bricht, und trotzdem bewundert wird. Drag Queens aus armen Verhältnissen erkoren dies bis heute zu ihrem theme song.
The Carpenters – Let Me Be The One (A&M, 1971)
Die Geschwister Carpenter waren eher asexuell, aber die Campness ihrer Musik und die tragischen Komponenten ihres Lebens waren nicht nur in Todd Haynes’ legendärem Barbiepuppentrickfilm „Superstar“ höchst ikonentauglich.
David Bowie – John, I’m Only Dancing (RCA, 1972)
Egal, ob der Tänzer des Songs seinen Freund beschwichtigt, oder den Freund seiner Mittänzerin, Bowie ließ sich sein Gender bending nicht nehmen und die „boys“ blieben für ihn stets beschwingt, mitsamt Zwischentönen. Einer musste eben auf seinem Level den Anfang machen, und das war er am liebsten selbst.
Lou Reed – Walk On The Wild Side (RCA, 1972)
Der Song für alle unverstandenen Außenseiter, die ihr bisheriges Leben verabschieden und in der Großstadt angespült werden. Der Glam den sie dort finden ist selten der eingeplante, aber es ist immer noch Glam.
Jobriath – I’maman (Elektra, 1973)
Mit vereinten Kräften versuchte man aus Jobriath den alles überstrahlenden Megastar des Glam Rock zu machen, und es wurde ein fürchterliches Fiasko. Er starb früh und vereinsamt an AIDS, und erst eine von Morrissey lancierte Retrospektive konnte später beweisen, dass er überhaupt je existierte.
The Elton John Band – Philadelphia Freedom (MCA, 1975)
Zum Erscheinungsdatum der Single versteckte sich Sir Elton noch weitestgehend im Schrank, aber diese Hymne an die lesbische Tennislegende Billie Jean King und den Sound der City Of Brotherly Love zeigte schon, dass er auf einem guten Weg war.
SouthShore Commission – Free Man (Wand, 1975)
Eigentlich ein Mann-Frau-Duett, aber der geschlechtlich nicht eindeutig einzuordnende Gesang und markige Textzeilen wie „I’m a free man and talking ‘bout it” und „Freedom is the key to loving me” führten schleunigst zur Rekontextualisierung.
Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free (Warner Bros. Inc, 1976)
Wer jung ist, soll seine Jugend genießen und selbst bestimmen wohin er seine Liebe wirft. Der traurige Rest kommt schon noch früh genug. Wird von Ignoranten oft mit Rod Stewarts „Young Turks“ verwechselt.
Ein gläubiger Gospelsänger und Reverend hält Seite an Seite mit Tom Moulton, dem legendärsten Mixer der Discogeschichte, ein glühendes, stolzes, mutiges und total umwerfendes Plädoyer für Toleranz, Nächstenliebe und schwules Selbstverständnis. Read the rest of this entry »
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