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Patrick Joseph Cowley (October 19, 1950 - November 12, 1982) was a musician and record producer based in San Francisco, recognized as an early pioneer of electronic dance music, particularly in the HI-NRG and experimental genres. He grew up in upstate New York, where he played in local rock bands and studied English at the University of Buffalo. After relocating to the Bay Area, Cowley engaged in an intensive study of synthesizers at San Francisco City College. His recording career began when he was invited to join a San Francisco-based artist in the studio after the artist was impressed by Cowley's innovative synthesizer techniques. This collaboration resulted in the album "Step II," which propelled Cowley to international fame and led to his role as a back-up musician on the artist's world tour. Cowley maintained a strong connection to the San Francisco club scene and partnered with a producer to establish Megatone Records in the summer of 1981. Under this partnership, he produced a successful dance-oriented 12" single that paved the way for his acclaimed "Megatron Man" LP. During the same period, he wrote and produced the hit dance single "Right on Target" for another San Francisco artist, which reached #1 on Billboard's Disco Charts. He also reunited with the initial artist to create the popular track "Do You Wanna Funk," released on the Megatone label. Patrick Cowley passed away in 1982 due to complications related to AIDS.

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