How 70’s Gay Porn Disco Music influences modern Trance and Electronica

How 70’s Gay Porn Disco Music influences modern Trance and Electronica

At one time there was a magical place called San Francisco. It was full of Gay Men, Drag Queens, after hour clubs, drugs and disco music. It was a place where stereotypes were born, where promiscuous men could have sex, do a line of cocaine, and shake their booty to the latest music for days at a time.  Unfortunately this Paradise on Earth was soon to crumble as that spectre of the 19080’s gay lifestyle, HIV, was already infiltrating the city.

Two prominent members of the community that crossed at the corner of Disco and Fabulous were Sylvester (known as the Queen of Disco) and Patrick Cowley. When the two met, Sylvester already had a moderately successful career. He was an founder of a musical group made up of black transwomen and cross-dressers called The Disquotays, a member of The Cockettes and a solo artist. He also had released several albums and had signed with Fantasy Records who’s best known act was Creedence Clearwater Revival.

One of Sylvester’s better known songs is his first hit single, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real.)”

Liking his sound, Sylvester asked Cowley to join his studio band and lay down some synthesizer tracks. One of their collaborations hit #4 on the Billboard dance chart in 1982 – “Do Ya Wanna Funk.”

Hear we can hear a great early electronica 4/4 beat that is the cornerstone of many modern House, Techno and Electronica songs. Patrick Crowley also had a successful solo career with hits such as “Menergy” and “Megatron Man,” as a writer for many other artists of the time, and as a successful DJ at Dance Club The EndUp. (Which is still in business, and plays music, especially Cowley’s, from this era every Sunday.)

But his other major musical contribution was the sound tracks to many Gay Porn movies. The pure sensuality and energy of his synthesizer is such that decades later they continue to be used across the entire porn industry.

Patrick Cowley died of HIV November 12, 1982, bringing his music career and pioneering musical influence to an unfortunate halt. But not before completing two entire albums in the year between when he first became sick and his death. Sylvester also succumbed to HIV on December 16, 1988 after a year of increasingly ill health. He followed his partner who had died a mere year before in 1987.

Fortunately for us, both men’s music lives on. We have even been fortunate to recently uncover some of  Crowley’s lost works that have complied and released as “School Daze.” Both were heavy influencers of the “Hi-NRG” style of uptempo disco and electronic dance music that first came out in the 1970’s. Combining high tempo beats with great lyrics that make just about anyone want to jump out of their seat and dance the night away, this style embraced electronic musical instruments to create unique sound.

Hi-NRG saw it’s peak in the 1980’s, with artists such as Donna Summers, Dead or Alive, Bannarama, and the Village People all getting into the Hi-NRG scene. Many of them used electronic music as backups to drive the beat of their songs. During this time they genre and style spread to Canadian and British Dance Clubs as DJ’s incorporated it into their play lists. It is interesting to note that many Electronica and Techno artists continue to remix Hi-NRG songs to this day.

In turn, Hi-NRG music heavily influenced House Music. Based on the pedigree of those highly sexualized rhythmic beats, House Music likely started in Chicago night clubs that catered to the African American and Latino Gay population of that city. It expanded to Detroit, New York, San Francisco and other American cities before spreading across the Atlantic Ocean to British and European Dance Clubs.

By the end of the 90’s House Music had not only superseded the Hi-NRG genre in popularity, it had become incredibly fragmented also. Techno, Electro, Trance and the various House Derivatives such as Electro House and Progressive House all come from House music as artists bent and recreated sounds in an effort to differentiate themselves from other groups.

Today, groups such as Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, Moby, Front 424 and thousands of others continue to push the frontiers of Electronica music splitting it even further into more and more diverse genres. But if you listen closely you can still hear that driving, penetrating, sensual 70’s Gay Porn Disco beat pioneered by Sylvester and Patrick Cowley.

What music by today’s artists do you hear that 70’s Disco Porn beat in? Please comment below!

Unintentionally Scary Song by They Might Be Giants

Unintentionally Scary Song

I have been a fan of They Might Be Giants for quite some time, actually since before college. But until today, for some reason, the actual words to this song titled “Sleepwalkers,” on their “No!” album have escaped me.

If you listen to the original version, which was only available on the original “Dial-A-Song” not the “new” Internet enabled version (which is also down!)

Compare this to some of their more lighthearted songs such as “Particle Man” from “Flood” which is still one of my most favorite albums.

or Birdhouse in your Soul, from the same album.

If you really listen to the lyrics of this song, it’s actually very comforting.

Even for fans of TMBG like myself, I still find surprises. Like this even MORE scary song they did for ABC’s Nightline.

Yeah… I’m not going to be sleeping tonight.

Sleepwalker Lyrics:
See them over there
See them moving down the road
Their arms held out ahead
And their eyes, their eyes are closed

Don’t make any noise
Cry out loud or stamp your feet
You’ll wake the girls and boys
Who are walking in their sleep

Every night they throw aside their blankets
Swing their feet down, stand up and move out to the street
Like they’re under a spell and together
They roam across the country and they’re walking in their sleep

You’ll recognize them when you see
Their rumpled hair and stocking feet
It seems like they want something
But we don’t know what it is
But here they come again
Yes, here they come again

Move aside and let the people go by
They don’t see you thinking that they’re home in their beds
They must not be disturbed when they’re wandering
All across the country and they’re walking in their sleep

Perhaps when they awake
They’ll remember everything
They’ll think it was a dream
It will be forgotten then

But don’t make any noise
Cry out loud or stamp your feet
You’ll wake the girls and boys
Who are walking in their sleep

Particle Man Lyrics:
Particle man, particle man
Doin’ the things a particle can
What’s he like, it’s not important
Particle man

Is he a dot, or is he a speck?
When he’s underwater does he get wet?
Or does the water get him instead?
Nobody knows, particle man

Triangle man, triangle man
Triangle man hates particle man
They have a fight, triangle wins
Triangle man

Universe man, universe man
Size of the entire universe man
Usually kind to smaller man
Universe man

He’s got a watch with a minute hand
Millennium hand and an eon hand
When they meet it’s a happy land
[Inaudible] man, universe man

Person man, person man
Hit on the head with a frying pan
Lives his life in a garbage can
Person man

Is he depressed or is he a mess?
Does he feel totally worthless?
Who came up with person man?
Degraded man, person man

Triangle man, triangle man
Triangle man hates person man
They have a fight, triangle wins
Triangle man

Birdhouse in Your Soul Lyrics:
I’m your only friend
I’m not your only friend
But I’m a little glowing friend
But really I’m not actually your friend, but I am

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you?
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

I have a secret to tell from my electrical well
It’s a simple message and I’m leaving out the whistles and bells
So the room must listen to me filibuster vigilantly
My name is Blue Canary one note spelled L I T E
My story’s infinite like the Longines Symphonette it doesn’t rest

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you?
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

I’m your only friend
I’m not your only friend
But I’m a little glowing friend
But really I’m not actually your friend, but I am

There’s a picture opposite me of my primitive ancestry
Which stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck free
Though I respect that a lot I’d be fired if that were my job
After killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts
Bluebird of friendliness like guardian Angels its always near

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you?
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

While you’re at it
Keep the nightlight on inside
The birdhouse in your soul

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
(And while you’re at it)
Who watches over you?
(Keep the nightlight on inside the)
(Birdhouse in your soul)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
(And while you’re at it)
Who watches over you?
(Keep the nightlight on inside the)
(Birdhouse in your soul)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

All I want to do is Sing and Dance

All I want to do is Sing and Dance

I’m looking for suggestions on new music to check out. I use to use Kazaa Lite for this. I’d randomly type in a word, or perhaps a type of music and download everything I came across. Then I’d spend hours going through what I downloaded looking for stuff I liked. Then it was a quick trip down to Everyday Music to look and see what they had that I liked.

I found a good group called Toybox after looking for the word “Sailor.” I was actually looking for Ray Steven’s “The Pirate Song, (I Want to Sing and Dance,)” after seeing some friends perform it at Embers (also known locally as “the” Bar,) for a GBLT benefit.

Anyways – I liked it so much that I downloaded a few more of their songs. They’re very Aqua like – but for some reason the tunes and words are much catchier. I mean, Barbie Girl is ok, but Toy Box takes that a step further and puts it in all their songs. From the first album Fantastic, I like “The Sailor Song,” “ET,” “Tarzan and Jane,” and “Best Friend.” Best Friend is funny, on the CD there is a music video included that brings us back to Aqua’s Barbie Girl.

Anyways, I think that my favorite type of music has become Techno or Punk Remakes of more famous songs. Me First and the Gimme Gimmeies are a really good example. Pretty much their entire discography is based on remakes. One of my favorites is “Science Fiction Double Feature,” being a big Rocky fan back in the day (a mere two years ago,) it really hit the spot with me.

Another type that I enjoy is Old Time Radio. Jack Benny is probally my personal favorite, but (George) Burns, and (Gracie) Allens, Bob Hope, Fibber McGee, etc, are all really good too. My only gripe is that my car MP3 player won’t play these at the lower bit rates. Most are 30 minute shows, since the orginial format is so bad they’re ripped at a really low rate, so 21 – 30 minutes ends up being your typical 5-7MB file. Being a bit of an amateur historian, it’s really cool to listen to these old shows. Unluckily I don’t have the 45 minute commute to work like I use to, so it’s hard to find time to listen to them. 9 times out of 10, they’re usually funnier then anything that’s on the air today.

So if anyone has any suggestions for some music to check out, hamellr@yahoo.com. (remove the extra period,) would be appreciated. Please no Modern Country or Rap! I don’t want to shoot myself, or get shot for listening to the wrong type of music.