Back in 2009, I was standing in at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo for a massive Giant Robot exhibition and ended up chatting with one of the artist’s in the show, Albert Reyes. I had just started working full-time at L.A. Weekly, so I hit him up for an interview and then he invited me to his Halloween house party/art maze. Considering how many stories of mine have been lost within the black hole of the Internet over the years, I’m surprised that short interview is still online. Over the years, I interviewed Albert a few times, the most recent for Los Angeles Magazine in 2019, when he had a solo exhibition at Eastern Projects in Chinatown, and have seen a number of his haunted houses. This year, for the second year in a row, I got to DJ at Albert’s haunted house.
Every year, Albert builds a new haunted house and they’re one of my favorite things about Halloween. They’re really art installations that are built like mazes and filled with smaller installations inside. To get through it and see everything, you need to get lost and you need to hit the dead ends, which is what I love about it.
Coinciding with the haunted house was a backyard party with DJs, of which I was one, and bands. I played early and improvised multi-genre sets of Halloween-ish music. There’s a pretty good amount of film and TV references in the sets too, including music from Suspiria, Tenebrae, The Wicker Man (1973), Bedazzled (the 1967 version, which is the only one worth watching) and Groovie Goolies.
Set List:
(Some of these tracks link to their corresponding listings on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made from the links in this set list.)
Set 1
Bauhaus – Party of the First Part
Goblin – Suspiria
Coil – Hellraiser
Chromatics – Famous Monsters
Drimble Wedge and the Vegetation – Bedazzled
Magnet – Willow’s Song
Marie Laforet – Paint It Black
Coven – Wicked Woman
Luv Machine – Witches Wand
Atomic Rooster – Night Living
Motörhead – I’m Your Witch Doctor
Misfits – 20 Eyes
The Cramps – I Was a Teenage Werewolf
Man or Astroman? – Munster’s Theme
Groovie Goolies – Goolies Get-Together
The Crystals – Frankenstein Twist
Gorillaz – Dracula
Lee Perry & the Upsetters – The Vampire
Set 2
The Bollock Brothers – Horror Movies
Goblin – Tenebre
Patrick Cowley – They Came at Night
Michael Jackson – Thriller (Borgie Dig It Edit)
Book of Love – Tubular Bells
Cerrone – Supernature (Ethan Wood Remix)
Alaska y Dinarama – Mi Novio Es Un Zombi
Bobby O. – Frankenstein
Toto Coelo – Dracula’s Tango
Set 3
Andy Forray – Drac’s Back
Chromatics – Shadow (Maceo Plex Remix)
Goldenboy, Miss Kittin – Rippin’ Kittin
Echo and the Bunnymen – Killing Moon
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs.
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HERE’S WHAT I PLAYED FOR CLUB UNDERGROUND’S HALLOWEEN PARTY ON OCTOBER 27, 2023