The Glove on record (Photo: Liz O.)

I played early last night at Underground, which was surprisingly fun. I did the 9:30 p.m. warm-up set, which means that I played to, maybe, five non-employees, but I got to play stuff that would probably tank in the middle of the night. My second set was sometime in the 11 o’clock hour, which is still early. However, we had enough people on the dance floor where I felt like I could do my thing and keep people dancing, which is good.

Remember that set I was practicing last week? Well, I did play it. The three songs– “Rippin Kittin,” “Like a Pen” and “House of Jealous Lovers”– sounded pretty good together. I could have probably mixed in “House of Jealous Lovers” a bar earlier, but, whatever, people were dancing.

Check out the set list after the jump.
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The Knife "Like a Pen" 12" (Photo: Liz O.)

This week, I’m documenting how I put together a DJ set for Underground. Even though my sets are, ultimately, spontaneous, I try to spend a little time every day working on them. We’ll see how it all works out on Friday night. RSVP for Underground’s Siouxsie and the Banshees vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs night on Facebook.

The record in the above photo is The Knife’s remix 12″ single for “Like a Pen.” It came out on Mute back in 2006 and that’s probably right around the time I bought it. I’ve had it in my crate for a gigs here and there, but I’m not quite sure I’ve ever dropped any of the mixes in a set.
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This week, I’m documenting how I put together a DJ set for Underground. Even though my sets are, ultimately, spontaneous, I try to spend a little time every day working on them. We’ll see how it all works out on Friday night. RSVP for Underground’s Siouxsie and the Banshees vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs night on Facebook.

Sunday night, I found out that this week’s theme at Underground is Siouxsie and the Banshees vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs. My first mission, then, was to figure out which songs from those two bands I want in my crate. Yeah Yeah Yeahs doesn’t have a massive catalog, so I can bring whatever I have with me. The Banshees, on the other hand, have a couple decades of albums– all of which I have– and many singles. I own a few of those too. The challenge is narrowing down the picks for the party.
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Sound check Instagram (Photo: Liz O.)

Last night was Depeche Mode vs. Daft Punk at Underground and– OMG!– it was great. We had a big crowd of people who were on the dance floor most of the night. As DJs, that’s all we can ask for in this party world. And when I see you mouthing the words to the newer songs (please note that the DJ sees all when we’re in the tiny clubs), then I’m happy.

I still get pretty nervous when I spin, probably more so now than ever. After two gig-free years, going back into the booth can be a bit daunting. You know how people say you never forget how to ride a bike? Well, I’m pretty sure I did forget that and I thought the same might happen for DJing. That’s why playing vinyl-only sets are really important for me right now. I have to push myself to get back to the technical level I was at back when I was playing three to seven nights a week, often for four-hour stretches. I have to do that in public, in a situation where I could completely embarrass myself, because fear always pushes me forward.
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Tomorrow night is Depeche Mode vs. Daft Punk at Underground. I’m pretty heavily into Depeche Mode (check out my favorite B-sides on the Underground blog) and am a Daft Punk fan as well, so this will be fun. If you plan on going, make sure you RSVP on Facebook.

Here’s a sample of what I’m bringing.

1. The Classic

Photo: Liz O.

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Dancing to Cold Cave at Underground (Instagram pic by Liz O.)

Last night was our Joy Division vs. Interpol party at Underground. We had a really great crowd and dance floor was full for the bulk of the night.  Check out my set lists after the jump.
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