Patrick Adams (March 17, 1950 – June 22, 2022) – Flying High (1982)
The genius producer Adams wrote this amazing cosmic boogie funk masterpiece and co-produced it with his musical partner Peter Brown.
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On St. Patrick’s Day, it’s fitting that we are remembering the birthday of the late musical genius Patrick Adams, a prolific songwriter and producer who earned many gold records and whose music helped shape the direction of disco and beyond.
Patrick Peter Owen Adams was born and raised in Harlem in New York City. When he was barely out of high school he began working with Perception Ventures, the parent company of two New York-based record labels. Before long, he was promoted to executive vice president and running its subsidiary Today Records.
He took a young group from Harlem called Black Ivory under his wing, signing them to Today and co-writing and producing their early records, like the masterpiece “I Keep Asking You Questions” from their 1972 debut LP Don’t Turn Around.
Throughout the seventies, Adams wrote and produced an astounding number of disco records for his musical partner Peter Brown’s label P&P Records and other associated imprints.
He masterminded numerous disco studio groups including Phreek, Logg, Cloud One, and The Universal Robot Band, who did “Dance and Shake Your Tambourine” (1977) and the sexy disco jam “Freak With Me” (1978) and later became known as Kleeer.
His most successful studio project was arguably Musique, who went to #1 on the dance charts twice with their singles “In The Bush” and “Keep On Jumpin’,” both released in 1978. “In The Bush” also charted at #29 R&B and #58 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was featured on Soul Train. Musique’s album Keep On Jumpin’ was recorded quickly on a low budget, with Adams writing the horn section parts in the studio while the musicians waited.
Later, he co-wrote and produced the top-ten dance hits “I’m Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)” (1979) by Inner Life and Fonda Rae’s “Touch Me (All Night Long)” (1984).
In 1982, Adams wrote the amazing cosmic boogie funk masterpiece “Flying High (Part 1)” which he co-produced with P&P Records owner Peter Brown. It was released under the name of his studio project Cloud One, on Heavenly Star Records, one of the other labels run by Brown and Michael Campbell.
“Flying High (Part 2)” on the flip side of the 12” was also brilliant, and featured much more of the very trippy voices heard scattered throughout Part 1. Although not a record to spin for anyone already hearing voices.
For a more personal look at Adams’ life, we turn to disco DJ/remix pioneer John Luongo, who was one of his close friends, and posted a heartfelt tribute to him last year on Facebook following his passing.
My friend of many years, a true friend of the music industry and especially the dance music industry and community, the incredible incomparable Patrick Adams, has passed away succumbing to a long bout with cancer.
(This is) a moment of loss, finality and great sadness of the passing of a wonderful, much under appreciated quiet giant who was my very close friend that I would often talk for hours on end with.
He was overlooked when it came to awards, a genius who immersed himself in his music as he would create songs, dreaming of instrumentation and arrangements worthy of the finest acknowledgment in the world, and yet possibly because of his quiet demeanor and the fact that dance music, his genre of choice, was never given the true attention and respect that it and he truly deserved early on. In spite of it all, he did have an impact on just about every sort of music at the height of his (career) and its heyday.
Most people out there, outside of the dance community historians and true fans, may not know his name, however for people like myself he was a hero, a superstar, somebody to be reckoned with, and a constant source of visionary achievements which others would marvel at.
I think it was the defensive shell he put around himself that enabled him to keep creating and realize that the accolades he never received at the level he should have received them weren't that important as knowing the people who cared for him, loved him, and worked in the industry were inspired by him and were simply attracted to him for what he did, because they sincerely knew just how great he was.
I’m sure those in Heaven are up there waiting as they Keep on Jumpin', awaiting his tardy entrance as one of their own to come strutting in, humming Push Push In the Bush and knowing that from now on he will be there making every day a special musical Weekend for everyone in Heaven!
Rest in Power, Patrick Adams.
More info:
Patrick Adams - Red Bull Music Academy interview with Jeff “Chairman” Mao, 2013
“A Celebration of Patrick Adams: Exploring the back-catalog of the black musical genius whose work defined ’70s and ’80s soul, funk, disco and post-disco,” by Jason King, Red Bull Music Academy Daily, May 8, 2017
“Patrick Adams: the 'underground disco' super-producer whom DJs still adore,” interview by Melissa Locker, The Guardian, May 9, 2017
“Meet the Legendary Producer That Time Forgot,” by Andy Beta, Vulture.com, May 12, 2017
#disco #funk #soul #boogie #PatrickAdams
Outstanding. 🎼👍🏾🎼