Falco: Verdammt, wir leben noch! is a 2008 Austrian biopic of the late pop singer Falco, released in the U.S. under the title, Falco: The Rise and Fall of an ‘80s Pop Icon. Now, you might be scratching your head and thinking, “There’s a Falco biopic? Why?” In fact, that’s exactly what went through my dumb American brain when I recently learned of the existence of this film.
Continue reading Watch This Now: Falco- Verdammt, wir leben noch!
It’s probably pointless to write about Cracker Island, the latest album from Gorillaz, almost a month after it was released. It’s already been heavily reviewed. It’s a Billboard chart hit. If you’re into the long-running collaboration between Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett and a revolving cast of star musicians and producers, you probably already have Cracker Island.
Still, I’m going to write a couple paragraphs about Cracker Island here just in case you missed it. After all, it is very easy for the albums you want to hear to get lost in the algorithms.
Continue reading Get This Album Now: Gorillaz “Cracker Island”
Star Creature Universal Vibrations is a Chicago-based record label dedicated to “contemporary boogie” that’s been around since 2015. They first hit my radar a couple years after that, back when Salt Box Records had a brick-and-mortar in Chinatown and I picked up a new release from a Russian outfit called Venus Express II based almost solely on the cover art. As it turns out, the record was just as cool as the album sleeve, so now I consider Star Creature to be a mark of quality for funky, synth-heavy tunes.
Continue reading Get This Album Now: Star Creature Vibes
Perhaps like a lot of other DJs, I’ve been playing Nuovo Testamento a lot in my sets since nightlife returned. The disco mix of “Vanity” was one of the most-played tracks in my sets last year, in fact, I think I only played “Machina” from Boy Harsher more often.
Continue reading Get This Album Now: Nuovo Testamento “Love Lines”
The summer before the pandemic, my husband and I went to go see The Space Lady at Zebulon. It was a strange night. An earthquake hit while we were eating dinner and watching Skyfall in Spanish at an Armenian restaurant not far from the venue. That might have also been the night at Zebulon that ended with a parking ticket as well, but my memory of pre-pandemic times fails me. Regardless, what I do remember is that we got to Zebulon early enough to catch opener Maraschino, who I had never heard before that night. Her sound, a synth pop-disco hybrid, caught my attention immediately and I’ve been following her work since then.
The moral of the story is always try to catch the opening act, even on those very strange nights.
Continue reading Get This Album Now: Maraschino “Hollywood Piano”
Taleen Kali has a new album out today called Flower of Life and you need to hear it.
Last August, I got to DJ for Taleen Kali’s tour kickoff show at Rubycon Records in Los Angeles. One of the joys of that night was getting to hear Taleen and the band play music from Flower of Life, an album that was, at that point, still months away from release. I remember them ripping through “Trash Talk” most vividly. There’s an immediacy to the song. I had never heard it before that night— it wasn’t released as a single until that November— but, by the song’s end, I felt like I knew it. To me, that’s the sign of a killer pop song.
Continue reading Get This Album Now: Taleen Kali “Flower of Life”
I just posted this month’s Beatique mix, which you can listen to either on Mixcloud or on this page. It’s composed of two eclectic sets, with the second set being a club-style mix, that includes indie dance, disco, soul, psychedelic and weird electronic tunes. Give it a listen and check out the full track list below.
Continue reading Listen to Beatique #3 Now
In 1972, the concept of a music television show designed to keep people glued to their television sets in the middle of the night was novel. In fact, it was so unusual that, according to various interviews with the Burt Sugarman, the veteran TV producer funded The Midnight Special himself to get the pilot on the air. That initial episode aired at 1 a.m. and featured performances from War, Linda Ronstadt, The Isley Brothers and more. The format was a hit and The Midnight Special ran until 1981. Today, there is plenty of footage to watch online and multiple DVD sets available, all of which serve as a 1970s time capsule. If you watch enough clips from The Midnight Special— and, trust me, I have— you’ll see the decade evolve from funky hippies to disco to new wave.
On The Midnight Special, viewers could check out artists from across genres. T. Rex, Kraftwerk, Minnie Riperton, The Doobie Brothers and Dolly Parton are just a few who appeared on the show. Here, though, I’m focusing on the disco clips you need to see. Check them out below.
Continue reading The Five Midnight Special Disco Performances You Need to Watch
If you have some time, check out the first installment of my Beatique Mix series. These monthly shows will be about an hour long and divided into two sets. The first set is more like a regular radio segment and the second is a club mix. It’s not tied to any genre or era of music. It’s just good music that has been in my personal rotation lately. Hope you enjoy it.
Continue reading The Beatique Mix Is Out Now
There’s one band I’ve played more than any other in my DJ sets. That’s Depeche Mode. The British synthpop pioneers have been a part of my gigs, often regardless of the vibe of the party, since I started DJing. I doubt this will ever change.
I’ve been a Depeche Mode fan since I was a kid, but there are a lot of bands that I’ve loved for most of my life and don’t play nearly as often. It does help that L.A. has a lot of Depeche Mode fans. Outside of the clubs, the band frequently appears on request lists for weddings and birthday parties. But, that’s also not really the reason for so much Depeche Mode play.
Continue reading I Love Playing These Five Depeche Mode Songs