“Just when you think there is no more… you ask Patrick Cowley’s studio mate if you can look in their attic…”

Forty reels of music by the late disco pioneer Patrick Cowley have surfaced, claims record label Dark Entries in a tweet published this morning (3 May). The trove of forgotten music was discovered by Cowley’s former studio mate in his attic, who was looking, at the behest of the label, “with a phone flashlight”.

The material dates from 1974-1979. See the tweet below.

just when you think there is no more… you ask Patrick Cowley’s studio mate if you can look in their attic and with a phone flashlight you discover 40 more reels of music from 1974-79… 😱🕺 pic.twitter.com/XRGQrDGNvh — Dark Entries Records (@darkentriesrecs) May 2, 2019

Cowley first came to prominence playing keyboards on Sylvester’s 1978 album Step II, before hitting his creative stride in the early 80s, producing a number of influential hi-NRG 12″s including Menergy, Megatron Man and Do You Wanna Funk. He died in 1982, from AIDS related complications.

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in his work. Dark Entries have led the charge, releasing collections of porn soundtracks recorded by Cowley between 1979 and 1980, such Muscle Up, School Daze and Afternooners, as well as his late-70s, post-punk indebted work as Catholic alongside Jorge Socarros and unreleased 12″ Kickin’ In.