Cheon’s Tenderloin-based independent label Dark Entries Records has been instrumental in illuminating the richness and complexity of Cowley’s artistic legacy: over the past 15 years, the label has put out a series of reissue and archival Cowley releases replete with extensive liner notes and interviews. Join us for an evening celebrating this essential queer San Francisco artist on what would have been Cowley’s 73rd birthday.

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Q4U was born the winter of 1980-1981 in Reykjavík, inspired by the British punk movement. It’s original members were Elínborg Halldórsdóttir (Ellý) (vocals), Berglind Garðarsdóttir (Linda) (vocals), Steinþór Stefánsson (guitar), Gunnþór Sigurðsson (bass), Helgi (drums) and Már (synthesizer). Helgi and Már soon left the band and Helgi was replaced by Kormákur Geirharðsson (Kommi) on the drums. By early 1982 they self-released a full length cassette, “Skaf Í Dag” and appeared in the documentary “Rokk í Reykjavík,” which showcased the Icelandic punk scene. This version of the band ended and only two members continued on. In the summer of 1982 Ellý and Gunnþór recruited Óðinn Guðbrandsson (guitar) and Árni Daníel (synthesizer) from the band Taugadeildin. Their drummer was replaced by a Roland TR-808 drum machine they named “Elísabet II”. signaling a change in the group’s sound toward synthesizer-driven post punk. In August 1983 Q4U reinstated Kormákur to record a final set of demos and then called it quits.
This compilation collects 16 songs from 1980-1983. SIde A features the original six songs from the “Q1″ EP, plus 2 songs from the “Rokk í Reykjavík” soundtrack. Side B collects 4 demos from 1982 and 4 demos from 1983, all presented on vinyl for the first time ever. Q4U began with a stylish, aggressive punk image before experimenting with drum machines and synthesizers, which almost nobody did in Reykjavík at the time. The later sound had gothic leanings,often compared with Siouxsie and the Banshees and Xmal Deutschland. Their body of work is united by the powerful vocals of Ellý, who mostly sings in Icelandic about controversial, political experiences, much like Ari Up of The Slits.
All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a full color jacket using the original artwork from the “Q1″ EP. Each LP includes a double sized fold-out poster with lyrics, photos and drawings by the band plus a Q4U sticker! 30 years after their break-up Q4U are finally getting the vinyl reissue treatment they deserve, shedding a light on this pre-Riot grrrl act, more relevant today than ever.

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“Fun In The Sun” is a song from the album “xex:change” released by Dark Entries Records in June 2013.
xex were an all-synthesizer band from South River, New Jersey. They released their debut album “group: xex” in 1980 which Dark Entries reissued in 2010. “xex:change” takes a leap from where the band left off at the end of 1980. This track was originally recorded during the summer of 1981 and unreleased until now.
Vinyl EQ and lacquer cut by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA in March 2013.

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“Turn To SIlence” is a song from the second Eleven Pond album “Assemblage” released by Dark Entries Records in July 2013. The band formed during the mid-80s in Rochester, NY, while attending art school, and were brought together by their shared love of 4AD and Factory Records. They released their debut LP “Bas Relief” in 1986, which was our first re-issue in 2009. Before breaking up in October 1987, the band recorded eight songs that would sit in abandoned storage containers for over 25 years.
This track was originally recorded during the summer of 1986 and unreleased until now.
Vinyl EQ and lacquer cut by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA in May 2013.

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“Silhouette” is a song from the debut vinyl EP by Bézier released by Dark Entries Records in August 2013. Bézier is the moniker of all-live-analog electronic wizard Robert Yang from San Francisco. Enchanted by the Cybernetic Broadcasting System (CBS), Robert started DJing as Robot Hustle, joining the Honey Soundsystem collective in 2007. Robert writes hooks, patterns and melodies in an automatic, stream of consciousness fashion. Memory and nostalgia play a big part in constructing his music.
“Ensconced” is the follow up to Bezier’s debut cassette, released in 2012 on Break-Up records. The tile relates to themes of comfort and safety as well as complacency and entrapment. Influences range from the futuristic landscape of Syd Mead to the melodic energy of Patrick Cowley and the subdued, hidden motifs of My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless.” Bézier blends elements of Hi-NRG and dark dance to drive the mysterious underwater instrumentals of “Ensconced.” Bezier’s studio set up includes a variety of vintage Roland and Korg synthesizers as well as the Italo Disco favorite LinnDrum.

Video by Caitlin Denny
http://www.caitlindenny.com

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Taken from the xex – “Change” LP+DVD released on Dark Entries Records.
9-song xex concert from 1981, recorded at Hurrah in New York by Merrill Aldighieri.
xex were an all-synthesizer band from South River, New Jersey who recorded their debut album group:xex in 1980. Formed when a trio of high school misfits with funny names (Waw Pierogi, Thumbalina Gugielmo and Alex Zander) teamed up with some friends from Rutgers College. Performed entirely on then-state-of-the-art Arps, synths and electronic drums — no guitars anywhere — group: xex aims for the future, but comes across now like a time capsule from the deepest, darkest Reagan years. Each song burrows its way into your head with repetitive, undeniably catchy synth lines and vocal chants. “SNGA” (“Soviet Nerve Gas Attack”), “Cops” and “Delta Five” are doomy evocations of Cold War tension not far removed from very early Devo. But they were also capable of being quirky and whimsical. On “Fashion Hurts,” “Svetlana” and “St. Vitus Dance,” Waw and Thumbalina come across like a primitive B-52s, replacing the dance/party vibe with resignation and cynical humor. group: xex doesn’t sound like it’s from New Jersey. It barely sounds like it’s from Earth. However, there’s a certain residual murkiness that subliminally evokes the Central Jersey working-class suburbs.
group: xex was all but forgotten until 1998, when radio DJ Tom Smith discovered it in the WFMU music library and tracked down the band members, which lead to a CD reissue in 2004 on Smack Shire Records.

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“Mockingbird Dream” is taken from “School Daze”, a retrospective double LP of disco pioneer Patrick Cowley.

This very special LP features a compilation of restored Cowley productions unearthed in the garage of vintage gay porn company Fox Studio. Spanning nearly 90 minutes, the 11 tracks (originally recorded between 1973 and 1981), epitomize Cowley’s forward thinking and his affinity for mixing elements of varying styles of music.

Simply put, Cowley was a musical trailblazer ahead of his time. His approach to making music was an experiment of sound and with his since exploration he forged a new electronic sound and style, cementing his position as a key player in the creation of hi-NRG dance music and the San Francisco Sound.

His credits as a producer include Sylvester’s “Do You Wanna Funk”, Paul Parker’s “Right on Target” and collaborations with Jorge Socarras of Indoor Life – this is just the tip of the iceberg.

An early victim of AIDS, Cowley passed away at the age of 32; these recordings shine a new light on the experimental side of a disco legend who was taken too soon from us.

School Daze will be released on what would be his 63rd birthday, October 19th. All proceeds from the release will go to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Perhaps one of the most revolutionary and influential people in the cannon of disco music, Cowley created his own brand of Hi-NRG dance music coined “The San Francisco Sound.” Born in Buffalo, NY on October 19, 1950, Patrick moved to San Francisco at the age of 21. He studied at the City College of San Francisco where he founded the Electronic Music Lab. During this time Patrick createe radio jingles and electronic pieces using the school’s equipment, first a Putney, then an E-MU System and finally a Serge synthesizer. He made experimental instrumental songs by blending various types of music and adapting them to the synthesizer.

By the mid-70’s, Patrick’s synthesizer skills landed him a job composing and producing songs for disco superstar Sylvester such as “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”, “Dance Disco Heat” and “Stars.” This helped Patrick obtain more work as a remixer and producer. Of particular note was his 18-minute long remix of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and production work with edgy New Wave band Indoor Life. By 1981 Patrick released a string of dance 12″ singles, like “Menergy” and “Megatron Man”, creating the soundtrack for a generation. Also that year, he founded Megatone Records and released his debut album. Around this time Patrick was hospitalized and diagnosed with a then-unknown illness: that would later be called AIDS. Prior to his passing on November 12, 1982, he recorded two more Hi-NRG hits, “Do You Wanna Funk” for Sylvester and “Right On Target” for Paul Parker.

In 1981 Patrick was contacted by John Coletti, the owner of famed gay porn company Fox Studio in Los Angeles. John had heard about Patrick’s music from the legendary Sylvester and proposed he write music for his films. Patrick jumped on this offer and sent reels of his college compositions from the 70s to John in LA. Coletti then used a variable speed oscillator to adjust the pitch and speed of Patrick’s songs in-sync with the film scene. “School Daze” is a collection of Cowley’s instrumental songs recorded between 1973 and 1981 found in the Fox Studio vaults. Influenced by Tomita, Wendy Carlos and Giorgio Moroder, Patrick forged an electronic sound from his collection of synthesizers, modified guitars and self-constructed equipment. The listener enters a world of dark forbidden vices, introspective and reflective of Patrick’s time spent in the bathhouses of San Francisco. The songs on “School Daze” range from sparse proto- techno to high octane funk to somber post-punk to musique concrete, revealing the depth of Cowley’s unique talent.

Featuring over 80 minutes of music, this compilation contains soundtrack music from two Fox Studio films, “Muscle Up” and “School Daze”, never before released on vinyl. The tapes were restored and transferred using the same speed and pitch settings, then remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. The vinyl comes housed in a glossy dual pocket gatefold featuring classic gay porn imagery from the Fox Studio vaults plus an essay from Indoor Life vocalist, Jorge Soccarras. For Patrick’s 63rd birthday, Dark Entries and Honey Soundsystem present a glimpse into the instrumental world of a young genius. These recordings shine a new light on the experimental side of a disco legend who was taken too soon. All proceeds from “School Daze” will be donated to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, who have been commit- ted to ending the pandemic and human suffering caused by HIV since 1982.

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