Everybody knows who Nile Rogers is, and deservedly so, an architect of some of the most danceable hits of the late 70s and early 80s. But what about Patrick Adams? The man that Rogers described as “not only one of my favourite composers/producers… also one of my greatest influences.”

Patrick Adams is enmeshed in the DNA of modern dance music through a slew of recordings such as The Universal Robot Band's “Dance And Shake Your Tambourine” Inner Life's “Ain't No Mountain High Enough” and Musique's “Keep On Jumpin'”. The list goes on, but central to the legend is the 1975 album 'Atmosphere Strut', the point where Adams reinvented himself as a dancefloor maestro.

Adams was inspired one night when he heard Donna Summer's “Love To Love You Baby” prompting him to go into the studio and create something similar. The result was “Atmosphere Strut” a near ten-minute groove, built up on a metronomic swinging beat, Adams’ bass guitar and vibes, and a female chorus, all lead by Adams’ mini-Moog improvisation. Credited to the group name Cloud One, it became a hit on the floors of some of the most adventurous New York clubs such as the Paradise Garage and the Loft.

It was released on Peter Brown's P+P label, one of the more colourful characters around the Harlem music scene. As well as the club success, Brown arranged for Frankie Crocker, the most important R&B DJ in New York, to play “Atmosphere Strut”, giving it city-wide visibility. Adams went back into the studio to create more music under the Cloud One banner with the resulting, perfectly constructed, cosmic disco album.

The title track “Atmosphere Strut” was rapidly absorbed as a club classic and as dance music became a world-wide phenomenon “Disco Juice” was a much-sampled groove in house music while hip-hop stars from Nas to Mac Miller sampled “Dust To Dust”.

DISCO ONE

Side A

1. Spaced Out

Side B

1. Charleston Hopscotch
2. Dust To Dust

DISCO TWO

Side A

1. Atmosphere Strut

Side B

1. Disco Juice
2. Doin’ It All Night Long