Now, more than ever, it’s important to support your local music scene. Here in Los Angeles, venues were shuttered for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Musicians and DJs went largely without gigs for that same amount of time. Even though nightlife in my hometown returned in June of 2021, it’s naive to think that things are back to normal.
Continue reading How to Support Your Local Music Scene
On January 12, I’m playing vinyl for Disco Heat at Lost But Found here in downtown Los Angeles. Our guest DJ for the night is my pal Clifton, who is one of L.A.’s best and busiest DJs and always plays amazing sets. This night will be a real treat.
Since I don’t play vinyl that often these days, preparing for this gig is a fun opportunity to go through my collection. I pulled some of my favorite disco tracks and found a few tunes I haven’t played out before. Here’s a sneak peek into my crate.
Continue reading Want a Sneak Peek Inside My Disco Heat Crate? Here It Is.
If you love Italo disco, Dolce Vita at The Mermaid in Little Tokyo should be your regular Tuesday night haunt. The weekly party is presented by L.A. Industrial and features a rotating roster of DJs dropping Italo disco jams from 9 p.m. until last call. Catch me there on January 24.
Continue reading I’m Playing Italo Disco at Dolce Vita on January 24 and It’s Free
There are a lot of venues in Los Angeles, but one like The Lash, where I DJed a lot over the years, is rare. That’s why I’m saddened to learn that the downtown venue has closed.
I’m grateful to Ross, KB and everyone with the venue for providing a home for a cross-section of niche scenes in the city for so long. The club was most closely associated with the darkwave/goth world, but, really, you could hear anything from techno to city pop there. The club boasted a truly eclectic line-up of parties, which is part of what made it unique.
Continue reading The Lash Will Be Missed, But It’s Legacy Lives On
I’m happy to announce that Disco Heat will be back at Lost But Found on January 12 *and* that DJ Clifton will be our special guest. Clifton is one of L.A.’s best (and busiest) DJs and his taste is impeccable. Plus, we haven’t played together since Sunday Sessions at Grand Park back in August of 2021! All that said, you really don’t want to miss out on this special night.
Continue reading Disco Heat Returns to Lost But Found on January 12
What a New Year’s Eve! It was amazing to play with Larry G. and Malvada for the sold out crowd at Club Underground’s New Year’s Eve Ball at Grand Star Jazz Club. Thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday night to ring in 2023.
Continue reading New Year’s Eve Was Amazing. Listen to Part of My Set from Club Underground’s Sold Out Party
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
If you know DJs, then you’ve probably heard or read their complaints about requests. At the very least, you’ve seen a meme or two floating around on Instagram. It’s not necessarily a faux pas to request a song at a club, but there’s a way to do it politely. Unfortunately, plenty of people don’t know how to do that, so I’ll break down how to request a song step-by-step.
Continue reading How to Politely Request a Song from a DJ
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
I fell in love with a incredibly fun and thoughtful disco take on The Cramps’ 1981 cult hit “Goo Goo Muck” from Mark James and Peewee Ferris this morning. It’s not something I expected to find. In fact, I never considered playing a disco variant of any song by The Cramps. But, that’s likely going to change soon.
Continue reading This New Disco Remix of “Goo Goo Muck” Is Incredibly Fun