All posts by Liz O.

I'm a longtime, cross-genre DJ and writer living in Los Angeles.
The Playlist

The DJ Set Where I Didn’t Play New Order

Excetera La Cuevita flyer April 25, 2025 DJ Malvada, DJ Liz O.

Even I’m surprised that I got through a two-hour DJ set without playing New Order. I came pretty close to dropping “Bizarre Love Triangle” into the set at La Cuevita on Friday night, but then I thought, “Liz, you’re at a bar, not a dance club, no one has requested ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ and you played a New Order and Depeche Mode night last week. Give yourself a break.” So, I did. Also, I forgot to take photos

Anyhow, here’s the set. Thanks to Malvada for having me play Ex-Cetera at La Cuevita. 

Continue reading The DJ Set Where I Didn’t Play New Order →
Interview

Friend of a Friend Didn’t Intend to Record in a Haunted House, But That’s What Happened

Friend of a Friend Claire Molek Jason Savsani press photo (Credit: Ashleigh Dye)
Friend of a Friend (Photo: Ashleigh Dye)

Claire Molek and Jason Savsani didn’t intend to record Desire!, their latest album as Friend of a Friend, in a haunted house. In fact, they didn’t know that the Illinois abode, once a home for spiritualists and said to be a site of demonic possession, had that reputation until a few days into their stay. 

“I think when we share this tale, people might assume that we’re obsessed with this sort of stuff and we watch Ghost Hunters and we’re all about that lifestyle,” says Savsani. “We are not. We are not seeking that out.”

In fact, he adds, “We weren’t thrilled about it.”

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Classic Jams

The Smooth Socialist Soul of the Style Council

Style Council vinyl including Introducing the Style Council mini LP, My Ever Changing Moods, The Internationalists (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
My tiny collection of Style Council vinyl (Pic: Liz O.)

I was holed up in a hard-to-find shady corner of Grand Park, watching the crowd and taking nearly illegible notes during the Fighting Oligarchy rally when the familiar opening notes of a song caught my attention. Style Council? It was “Shout to the Top,” I knew that for certain before Paul Weller’s voice came in with the first verse. But, here? At a political rally in the U.S.? 

That’s weird, I thought, but whoever added the song to the playlist deserves some props. “Shout to the Top” was a good choice, thematically appropriate with the lyrics, “and when you’re down on the bottom/there’s nothing else/but to shout to top.” Still, your average American has little-to-no-idea who Paul Weller is. They might have heard “A Town Called Malice” or “My Ever Changing Moods” somewhere in their lifetime, but they probably do not know that both come from the same guitar hero/fashion icon— the Modfather, as he’s often called—  and that he also has a treasure trove of songs about class politics. 

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Happening in L.A.

Circuit de Yeux Live , Marcell Jankovics Film Screening & More L.A. Events for April 24 – April 30

Excetera La Cuevita flyer April 25, 2025 DJ Malvada, DJ Liz O.

This Friday, I’ll be joining my friend Malvada at La Cuevita in Highland Park for Ex-Cetera. Anything goes when we DJ from 10 p.m. until last call, so stop by and join us. La Cuevita is at 5922 N. Figueroa Ave. and there’s no cover, but it is a 21+ night. 

Continue reading Circuit de Yeux Live , Marcell Jankovics Film Screening & More L.A. Events for April 24 – April 30 →
The Playlist

New Wet Leg and Everything Else You Heard at The Mermaid for Splash on April 20, 2025

Mermaid skeleton at The Mermaid bar in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Greetings from The Mermaid (Pic: Liz O.)

One of the first things I learned as a baby DJ was that genres aren’t all that useful. On a very basic level, they can refer to stylistic conventions (dub) or specific movements (punk) or both (hip-hop), but then the terms get overused (post-punk) and are totally watered down (psychedelic) until they become a meme (goth) and, ultimately, meaningless (indie). 

Genres define music for marketing or search engine purposes, but they don’t mean much for human ears. Whether or not songs fit together has less to do with metadata and more to do with qualities that are objective, subjective and pretty hard to describe. That’s all just a long way of saying that I really like when there’s no genre tagged to a gig, which is the case for Splash at The Mermaid, where I played last night. Here’s the set list, which includes new music from Wet Leg, Marie Davidson, Model/Actriz and clipping., classics from Max Romeo (RIP), The Smiths and The Delfonics, a holiday tune from I-F and more. 

Continue reading New Wet Leg and Everything Else You Heard at The Mermaid for Splash on April 20, 2025 →
The Playlist

Depeche Mode, New Order and More of What You Heard at Club Underground on April 18, 2025

Crowd shot from Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Club Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles on April 18, 2025 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
View from the DJ both at Club Underground on Depeche Mode x New Order Night (Pic: Liz O.)

Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Club Underground was a blast. I played the opening and closing sets last night. Rose Knows and Larry G. played in the middle. The dance floor got going early, like before 10 p.m., and it just seemed to keep going, even after the house lights rose at the end of the night.

I’ve posted my own set lists below. Underground is every Friday night at the Grand Star in Chinatown with DJ Larry G.. I’ll be playing there again in May, so stay tune for details. My next gig is Sunday, April 20, at The Mermaid in Little Tokyo for Splash. It’s an open format night and I’ll be playing from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m.

Continue reading Depeche Mode, New Order and More of What You Heard at Club Underground on April 18, 2025 →
New Music

Three Former Members of Chromatics Reunite on New Video Game Soundtrack

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage video game soundtrack cover

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is a new video game from French developer Don’t Nod. Since I’m not much of a gamer, I can’t tell you anything about that, aside from that it’s narrative-driven and about grown women in 2022 reconnecting with a secret from their 1990s teenage past. What I can tell you about, though, is the soundtrack, which, like the game was released in two parts, the second of which dropped this week. And, really, the reason I’m telling you about the soundtrack is because 3/4 of Chromatics— Ruth Radelet, Nat Walker and Adam Miller— reunited to contribute five songs to the Lost Records soundtrack album. 

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Interview

Acidtrain Asks “What’s This Obsession with Cultivating Wealth?” in New Song

Acidtrain live at Slipper Clutch on Sunday, April 13, 2025 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Acidtrain live at Slipper Clutch on Sunday, April 13, 2025 (Pic: Liz O.)

It’s just before 9:30 p.m. on a Sunday night and red lights beat fast against the upstairs stage at Slipper Clutch. Acidtrain, aka Ryein Evan, has just launched into “Delulu,” a song, he says to the crowd, that’s about the billionaire class. 

It’s the day after 36,000 people turned up for Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’s Fighting Oligarchy event at Grand Park, just a few blocks away from this downtown club. Plus, “fuck billionaires, fuck Trump” has been the general theme of club conversations for months, so “Delulu” is a good fit for the moment. The frenetic beat and a squelchy synth sound that comes and goes throughout the song captures the vibe of downtown Los Angeles. Evan dances and bounces across the stage, growling lyrics like, “what’s this obsession with cultivating wealth?”

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Happening in L.A.

Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Underground and More Happening This Weekend in L.A.

Flyer for Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Club Underground on Friday, April 18, 2025 with DJs Larry G., Liz O. and Rose Knows

This Friday is Depeche Mode x New Order night at Club Underground and I’ll be back on the decks with Larry G. and special guest Rose Knows. Both floors of the Grand Star Jazz Club will be open and, in addition to a motherload of Depeche Mode and New Order hits and deep cuts, we’ll be playing indie, Britpop, new wave, darkwave, electro and more. Click on this link to get discount, advance tickets now. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, April 18 and it’s 21+. The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway, inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, right next to the Bruce Lee statue. See you on the dance floor!

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Sound of L.A.

When the Sound of L.A. Is Fighting Oligarchy

Bernie Sanders speaking to crowd at Gloria Molina Grand Park for the Fighting Oligarchy tour on Saturday, April 12, 2025 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Fighting Oligarchy with Bernie Sanders at Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles on April 12, 2025 (Pic: LIz O.)

“Welcome to Berniechella,” Maggie Rogers says to the crowd. It’s Saturday afternoon and tens of thousands of people— 36,000 we’re later told— packed into Gloria Molina Grand Park to fight oligarchy alongside Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Rogers, the Grammy-winning recording artist, is there to perform, as are Dirty Projectors, Joan Baez and Neil Young. To be honest, the downtown Los Angeles stop on Sanders’ Fighting Oligarchy tour isn’t all that different from a music festival, although it did not cost half-a-month’s rent to attend. 

Outside the event gates, people hustle for causes and cash. Sign this petition! Buy this shirt! On Hill Street, near the Grand Park Metro stop, vendors hawk merch to the beat of the old school funk jams pulsing across the sidewalk. Badges with some variation of “Fuck Trump” are common. The AOC shirts in Lakers colors provide a nice, local touch.

Continue reading When the Sound of L.A. Is Fighting Oligarchy →