Sine - Happy Is the Only Way (1977) Hi-Res

Patrick Adams was the doyen of '70s underground disco, having produced, written and performed on many classic tracks, such as Weekend by Phreek, and I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair) by Inner Life. While highly regarded as a producer his keyboard skills are now generally forgotten, his tools of choice were the Minimoog and ARP, cutting edge synthesizers at the time, which is a shame as on Happy is the Only Way, his innovative playing is to the fore.

On the title track his Minimoog is needling and insistent, like a wasp flying around your head. It takes up most of the track, like a thread stitching the whole thing together.

On "Chimi" the keyboard sound is wistful and flying high, the track itself could be the theme tune to a detective drama, it has a certain mysterious quality. The following track, "Just Let Me Do My Thing", has more of the high wire synthesizer but it shares more of its running time with lovely vocal melodies, sung by Craig Denny and Venus Dodson. Patrick also adds some percussive piano to nice effect.

If the idea of more of Patrick Adams improvisatory synth appeals then you're in for a treat, as Keep it Coming clocks in at hefty eleven minutes and fifty seven seconds. It's yet another galloping track with the bass, congas and drums not letting up. His piano is yet again more percussive rather than melodic. This is designed for the dancefloor after all. Midway through the synth jets off into outer space, Patrick seems to be auditioning for Star Trek.

"Mosquito Walk" is another perfectly tailored disco tune, the keyboard buzzes around the mix, like an angry swarm of bees. This is a bit of throwaway fun after the previous track, and it's mammoth run time, although it doesn't slow the pace any.

So there we are, five tracks displaying one facet of one man's talent. The fact Patrick Adams produced so much disco music at a constant rate and in equal quality shows how much talent he had and how unfortunate he was that it didn't result in commercial success but his music still sounds vibrant and alive.