Tag: darkwave

  • Night Ritualz: “We won’t be here forever, but our music potentially could live for a very, very long time”

    Night Ritualz promo photo 2025
    Night Ritualz (photo courtesy of the artist)

    When Vincent Guerrero had a venue in San Antonio, called Vice Versa, he spent his days organizing, which also meant going through the vinyl collection housed in the space. “Every day, I would get a random record and I would listen to it,” he recalls. 

    He was struck by the album covers with photos of the musicians, sometimes large bands, all dressed up for the occasion. “At some point in their life, this was their dream,” Guerrero remarks. He’d listen to the music, some of which could not be found on Spotify or YouTube. “It was kind of scary, but kind of beautiful,” he says. “We won’t be here forever, but our music potentially could live for a very, very long time.”

    All this inspired Guerrero, who records under the name Night Ritualz. “I always wanted a record, a vinyl,” he says. “That was a dream.”

    So, after Vice Versa closed, Guerrero put his efforts into attaining that dream. On March 7, Night Ritualz’s self-titled debut album was released via Metropolis Records on both digital and vinyl formats. Following the album drop, he hit the road. He headed back to San Antonio for the record release shows, then to Austin, where he now lives, and played a string of South by Southwest dates. A West Coast tour, which concludes with Night Ritualz’s first headlining gig in California at The Cathedral in Pomona on April 4, followed. 

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  • Beatique Mix April 2025 feat. Mark Lane, Model/Actriz, Joy Division and More

    Photo of cars whizzing down 110 freeway in Los Angeles. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    The 110 freeway in L.A. as seen from a Metro J Line stop (Pic: Liz O.)

    It’s time for another Beatique Mix. The April 2025 edition of this mix series includes new music from Mark Lane, Night Ritualz, Marie Davidson, Model/Actriz, The Horrors, French Police and more. It also includes a few classic cuts from the likes of Kittin and the Hacker, Joy Division and others. 

    One thing that I want to stress is that these aren’t club mixes, even if they partially sound very clubby. The Beatique Mix series is a reflection of the music that’s been in my head for the past month, regardless of genre or vibe or whatever. For the April mix, specifically, I had transportation in mind, which explains the first three songs, as well as the last one. The photo for this mix is of the 110 freeway as seen from an L.A. Metro J Line stop. 

    If you want to hear my club sets, then you have to go to the gigs. Click this link to see where I’m playing next. 

    A Number of Names – Shari Vari

    Night Ritualz – Take Me 2 the Crib

    Mark Lane – Yelling at Cars

    Marie Davidson – Y.A.A.M. 

    Model/Actriz – Cinderella

    The Rapture – House of Jealous Lovers

    Fcukers – Bon Bon

    Big Black Delta – Pik Pok

    Kittin and the Hacker – 1982

    The Horrors – L.A. Runaway

    Fontaines D.C. – It’s Amazing to Be Young

    Joy Division – Digital

    French Police – Venado

    Kneecap – H.O.O.D. (2025 Mix)

    Berlin – The Metro

    Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique MixFollow on Instagram  or Bluesky for more updates.

    Keep Reading:

    “You could pop on the internet right this second and find people road-raging”: Mark Lane on New EP, Yelling at Cars

    The Horrors Bring Melancholy to Night Life

    French Police Has a New EP, Espera, Out Now

    It’s Marie Davidson vs. Big Tech on City of Clowns

  • Franz Ferdinand Live, Mulholland Drive Screenings and More Happening in L.A. 3/27-4/02/25

    Photo of Agender by Lindsey Byrnes
    Agender (Photo: Lindsey Byrnes) plays a free show to celebrate new album, Berserk, at Zebulon on 3/28/25

    I made an executive decision to scale back on the event listings here, just to save myself some time. Going forward, I’ll post these on Thursdays and the list will include my top five recommendations for events happening in L.A. through Wednesday of the following week. 

    The top 5 will be in addition to my DJ gigs. (I’m not playing anywhere this week.) If an event is going on multiple days, like a week-long movie run, it will be listed at the top. After that, everything is listed chronologically. 

    This week’s recommendations include David Lynch movies screening in L.A. and Orange County. Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire or David Lynch: The Art Life? Take your pick. There’s also animation studio Titmouse’s annual 5 Second Day shorts fest over Vidiots on Friday night. For shows, Agender’s free, album release gig at Zebulon will be a blast on Friday. On Saturday, consider Franz Ferdinand at The Wiltern or Vague Lanes and Darkswoon at The Goldfish. All the details are listed below. 

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  • “You could pop on the internet right this second and find people road-raging”: Mark Lane on New EP, Yelling at Cars

    Black and white photo of minimal synth artist Mark Lane
    Mark Lane (photo courtesy of the artist)

    “You could pop on the internet right this second and find people road-raging,” says Mark Lane. “It’s so ubiquitous, such a part of the culture.”

    That unabashed anger so often on display online and in the streets is what Lane is referencing in “Yelling at Cars,” the title track from his latest EP, released last November. “I saw you standing in the street/Yelling at cars,” he sings over a beat that’s a little electro, a little EBM, a clubby sound that still conveys the shock and dismay of his observations.

    “It’s really hostile now,” he says. “The record touches on this psychosis of imagined road ownership. These people really believe, the road is mine. You see it over and over.”

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  • It’s Marie Davidson vs. Big Tech on City of Clowns

    Marie Davidson City of Clowns album cover

    Is there an album title better suited for 2025 than City of Clowns, the latest from Marie Davidson? Just this week, Meta dropped some Instagram users into a new level of doomscroll hell, Jeff Bezos decided that WaPo’s opinion page would push “personal liberties and free markets,” and I can’t even keep up with the New Adventures of Trump and Musk. These dudes are a bunch of fucking clowns with far too much power over our daily lives. 

    But, enough about politics, let’s get the music, right? Sorry, that’s not going to happen with City of Clowns. Influenced by Shoshana Zuboff’s book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, the not-so-subtle theme throughout Marie Davidson’s new album is the control that Big Tech wields over us. Take “Demolition” as an example, when Davidson whispers, “I want your data” in a flirtatious voice, like the platform that’s going to seduce you into handing over the details of your life that you don’t even share with your closest confidantes.

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  • French Police Has a New EP, Espera, Out Now

    French Police Espera EP cover
    Cover of French Police’s new EP, Espera

    French Police released a new EP, Espera, last week. If you haven’t already added the four-song release to your listening queue, get on that asap because this is a good one. 

    Based in Chicago, French Police is a trio on the post-punk/darkwave tip who have been steadily gaining popularity over the past few years. Anecdotally, I can tell you that their songs were requested at virtually every party I played with Klub Nocturno this past year. Frequently, their songs were requested more than once during the course of one night. Outside of the clubs, you have probably heard them in the ether somewhere in L.A. Recently, when I was at Alamo Drafthouse to see Pump Up the Volume, there was a French Police playlist on in the bar. 

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  • New Wave vs. Darkwave at Klub Nocturno on January 17, 2025

    Nosferatu statue at Klub Nocturno in the New Wave Darkwave room on January 17, 2025
    Nosferatu welcoming you to the New Wave vs. Darkwave room at Klub Nocturno on Friday, January 17, 2025

    If New Wave vs. Darkwave were a real battle, IDK who would have won. Last night, in the Loft at Catch One, where I DJed all night for Klub Nocturno’s fundraiser for those impacted by the recent wildfires, new wave was visibly the clear winner. Nothing packed the floor like the ‘80s jams last night. However, the requests were overwhelmingly for the darkwave bangers and the groups nearest to the DJ booth, some of whom were dancing virtually the entire night, definitely were into Boy Harsher, French Police, Molchat Doma, etc. , so darkwave was also a winner.

    Anyhow, here’s the set list from the New Wave vs. Darkwave room at Klub Nocturno on January 17, 2025. The only new song— as in the first time I’ve played it out— in the set is “God Whispers” by Soft Vein, whose latest album, Through Blinds, came out on Friday. Check it out if you’re into dark, EBM-influenced synthpop, which you probably are if you’re reading this post. 

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  • The 2024 Year End Mix Is Online Now

    The Beatique 2024 Year End Mix is here. I recorded a live set at home featuring songs from all of the albums featured on my Best Albums of 2024 list, plus a few of the bangers that made their way into my DJ sets this year. I didn’t want to rank club hits this year, but there are four songs that really stood out for the crowd reaction that they get. Those are: French Police “Her”; Twin Tribes “Sangre de Oro”; Blood Club “No Quiero Bailar”; Glass Spells “Hechizos.” All four songs are on this mix. There are also a couple songs that actually came out in 2023, but turned up in my sets this year, so I figured those were worth including as well.

    But, this isn’t a club mix. Think of it more like a college radio show without the mumbly airbreaks. There are some more ambient tracks, rock songs, etc. in here as well. The mix is a little over an hour-and-a-half, so put it on whenever you have time to listen and, if you like it, share it. Thanks for listening and, for those of you in L.A., I hope to see you at Underground’s New Year’s Eve party on Tuesday night. Scroll down for the set list. 

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  • Happening in L.A.: Thursday, December 12 – Wednesday, December 18

    Club Underground Grand Star Jazz Club Chinatown Liz O. Friday the 13th darkwave birthday party

    I’ll be back at Underground with Larry G. this week. Join us at Grand Star Jazz Club for a special Friday the 13th edition of Club Underground. It’s darkwave night and my birthday party, so don’t miss out on this one. Advance tickets for Underground on Friday the 13th are available now and, while you’re at it, click here to pick up tickets for Underground’s New Year’s Eve bash

    “What else is happening this week?,” you (didn’t) ask. Well, here’s the lowdown. Saturday night is going to be a busy one this week. Cut Chemist, one of L.A.’s very best DJs, and friends are playing at Lodge Room. Lara Sarkissian, an amazing producer who merges both modern electronic and traditional Armenian music, is playing live at Sooki Studio in Frogtown to celebrate the release of her debut full-length, Remnants. Plus, later in the evening French pop soirée Décadanse is happening downstairs at the Grand Star, while goth night Disintegration goes down upstairs. 

    Sunday is the annual Depeche Mode Convention at Avalon, which is always a good time filled with DJs, tribute bands, contests and host Richard Blade. This year, Devotional and Blasphemous Rumors are playing live and the DJ lineup includes Alex Transistor, Larry G., Protokall and Dark Chrystal. It’s also an all ages event. On Monday, Museum of Home Video, the fantastic found footage livestream, will be at Vidiots, where IVOR hosts “A Holly Jolly Dollython” filled with music videos, live clips and TV performances. Check out the trailer to see what’s in store. There’s a lot more happening in L.A. this week too, so check out the list below. 

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  • Here’s What I Played In the New Wave vs. Darkwave Room at Nocturno on 11/30/24

    Klub Nocturno at Catch One in Los Angeles November 30, 2024 in the New Wave vs. Darkwave Room. Photo taken from the DJ booth by Liz O.
    The crowd in Nocturno’s New Wave vs. Darkwave room on Saturday, November 30, dancing to Mareux “Lovers from the Past” (Pic: Liz O.)

    It’s 9 a.m. and I just poured my second cup of coffee after waking up an hour ago, so last night is a still kind of a blur. I played in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room at Nocturno, which was lit almost from the start. Like, I remember seeing people dancing in the line for the bathroom by the third or fourth song of the set. 

    I finally had the chance to play “Digital Slaves,” from Gesaffelstein’s latest album, Gamma. I’ve been listening to the album for a few months now and keep going back to that song because the lyrics are very 2024, but the sound is very 2004, and that juxtaposition makes a lot of sense in my brain. But, I haven’t had a gig where I thought it would work until last night, right after I heard the screams for She Wants Revenge “Tear You Apart” and noticed that the room was packed. Tl;dr is that “Digital Slaves” did really well and it’s a total keeper in the sets now, which is nice because I haven’t really played his music out since The Lash closed. 

    Anyhow, overall, the vibe was more darkwave than new wave, which is always fun. Thanks to Nocturno for having me play and for everyone who hit the dance floor last night. Check out the set list below. 

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