Tag Archives: darkwave

The Playlist, Upcoming Gigs

Klub Nocturno Is Back at Catch One on 6/15/24 + My Set List from Nocturno’s San Diego Show

Klub Nocturno Catch One June 15, 2024

On Saturday, June 15, Klub Nocturno heads back to Catch One in Los Angeles for five rooms of dancing. You can hop between Rock en español vs. cumbia, new wave vs. darkwave (where I’ll be DJing), Deftones night, Sad Bunny Night and disco. Tickets are available now. Click this link to get yours.

On Friday, May 24, I headed down to San Diego to play in the new wave vs. darkwave room at Klub Nocturno’s show at House of Blues. This was the first time I’ve played a club in San Diego and it was definitely a good night. The energy was fantastic, with people staying on the dance floor until the house lights went up. Plus, there were some great requests and a few cool band t-shirts that I read as requests.  Keep reading for the set list.

Continue reading Klub Nocturno Is Back at Catch One on 6/15/24 + My Set List from Nocturno’s San Diego Show →
The Playlist

Here’s What I Played in the New Wave vs. Darkwave Room for Klub Nocturno’s 4th Anniversary Party

Klub Nocturno 4th Anniversary Party, May 10, 2024, New Wave vs. Darkwave Room at Catch One in Los Angeles. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Dancing to “Love Will Tear Us Apart” in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room at Klub Nocturno’s 4th Anniversary Party on May 10, 2024 (Pic: Liz O.)

Thanks to Klub Nocturno for asking me to be a part of their 4th anniversary party last night. It was amazing. Online tickets sold out a few days before the event and, from what I saw on Insta, the few remaining tickets at the door went quickly. A big surprise for the night was the first U.S. performance of Depresíon Post-Mortem. I didn’t get to see their set, but did get to hear soundcheck, which was a real treat. You can hear Depresíon Post-Mortem on Soundcloud or Spotify and you should do that as soon as you have the chance because both their covers and original tunes are fantastic. 

I played open to close in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room. Sometime after 11 p.m., while playing “Sex Dwarf,” I flashed back to Stigmata, which was *the* big Friday night alternative club when I was fresh out of high school. It was a combination of the song and the energy inside the room that made me think about being out with my friends when we were 18 or 19 and dancing so hard that we were dripping sweat, but still couldn’t leave the dance floor. I dropped “Sex (I’m a…)” into the set after that and realized that I’m 99% sure that’s how those two songs were played at Stigmata. It was long time ago— like, back in the days of paper flyers and L.A. Weekly club ads— so maybe I’m misremembering, but some things just stick with you. And, for me, those things are usually songs. 

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Beatique Mix

Listen to the New Beatique Mix with Music from French Police, Twin Tribes and More

It’s been a while, but I finally made a new Beatique mix. It’s a bunch of relatively new music, a mix of indie, darkwave and synthpop with a touch of shoegaze. I’d say more, but DJs talking about DJing is boring af, which is why I hate Threads. Anyhow, give the mix a listen here or on Mixcloud. Share it if you like it. Turn it up (all the way up) in the office or car or wherever if you really like it. Set list is below. 

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Klub Nocturno (New Wave vs. Darkwave Room) on March 30, 2024

New Wave vs. Darkwave room at Klub Nocturno at Catch One in Los Angeles on March 30, 2024
View from the DJ booth.

Klub Nocturno is the be exception to the “nobody in L.A. goes out in the rain” rule. Saturday night was the second time I played a Nocturno event at Catch One and, just like the first time, a storm hit. Yet, the crowd was still massive. And so much fun. Shout out to Kill for Kickz and Color Void, both of whom played fantastic live sets in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room. 

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New Music, The Playlist

Pet Shop Boys, Optometry, Ride and More New Music

Cover for Interplay 2024 album by Ride
Cover for Ride’s new album, Interplay, which I was listening to for the first time while finishing this post.

It sounds like we’re on the verge of another Pet Shop Boys moment. Or, at least, that’s how I hope 2024 will sound and, judging from the response on the dance floor, the L.A. crowds seem to agree. But, then again, L.A.’s affinity for the British duo has endured since the 1980s. 

In January, I fell for the cover of “Being Boring” by TR/ST, with guest vocals from Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. Shortly after that dropped, Pet Shop Boys themselves released “Loneliness,” the first single from their forthcoming album, Nonetheless. It’s a gorgeous dance song that reflects the strange isolation of 2020s life. (The Guardian has a good interview with the band, if you’re interested in reading more about Pet Shop Boys’ new music.) Around the same time, I stumbled across a cover of “Rent” that Sally Shapiro released last fall. I wondered how I missed this release last year, then snapped it up on Bandcamp. 

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Upcoming Gigs

Night Shift Returns to Bar Franca on April 4

Night Shift at Bar Franca with DJ Liz O. playing post-punk, synthpop, darkwave, shoegaze on Thursday, April 4, 2024

Thanks to everyone who made it out to Bar Franca on March 7 for the first installment of Night Shift. We’ll be doing it again on Thursday, April 4, so join me from 9 p.m. until last call for a night of post-punk, synthpop, darkwave and shoegaze.

If you want to see what I played for the first Night Shift, check out my playlist. And if you want to RSVP for the next event, head over to Restless Nites.

Bar Franca is located at 438 S. Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles. Look for the neon cherries above the door. There’s no cover and it’s 21+.

See you on April 4 for Night Shift.

The Playlist

Here’s What I Played for Night Shift at Bar Franca on March 7, 2024

Bar Franca DTLA Exterior March 7, 2024 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)

Thank you to everyone who came out to Bar Franca for Night Shift last night. It was so much fun to play post-punk, synthpop, darkwave and shoegaze for you all night. Plus, as always, it was great to catch up with some pals and meeting some lovely new people. Anyhow, I’ve posted the set list below. See you tonight at Underground’s Depeche Mode x New Order party. 

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played: Klub Nocturno’s Rockero Night (New Wave v. Darkwave Room) at Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix on February 24, 2024

Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, Arizona on February 24, 2024 Klub Nocturno Rockero Night (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
The backside of Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, taken while we were loading out at the end of the night. (Pic: Liz O.)

I’ve been DJing for a very long time, but had never played a gig outside of Southern California until last weekend. I headed out to Phoenix with Klub Nocturno last weekend to play their Rockero Night at Crescent Ballroom. It was so much fun and I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to play for such a wonderful crowd and meet some of the people who came out to the party on Saturday night. Thanks so much to Klub Nocturno and to everyone in Phoenix for making the experience so awesome. 

There is definitely a challenge that come with playing in a different city, but it’s a fun one. I’ve been going to L.A. clubs since I was 18 and DJing at them almost as long, so I have a really good understanding of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to my hometown. But, playing a city that I’ve only visited once previously, and where I’ve never been to a dance club, means that I’m trying to figure all that out as I’m playing. So, I was paying attention to all these small cues in the crowd, like what band t-shirts people were wearing (Depeche Mode, The Faint), while I was scrolling through my collection. Anyhow, here’s what I played. 

Continue reading Here’s What I Played: Klub Nocturno’s Rockero Night (New Wave v. Darkwave Room) at Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix on February 24, 2024 →
Upcoming Gigs

Night Shift Begins Thursday, March 7 at Bar Franca

Night Shift at Bar Franca DTLA with DJ Liz O. playing post-punk, synthpop, darkwave, shoegaze

On Thursday, March 7, join me, Liz O. for the start of the Night Shift at Bar Franca. From 9 p.m. until last call, you’ll vibe and imbibe to a soundtrack filled with post-punk, synthpop, darkwave and shoegaze. We’ll blast back to the past and ride forward towards the future with a mix featuring everyone from Siouxsie and the Banshees to the Pet Shop Boys to Slowdive to Fever Ray to Twin Tribes. 

Bar Franca is located 438 S. Main Street in downtown Los Angeles. There’s no cover and this is a 21+. See you at Night Shift on March 7!

The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Klub Nocturno on January 20, 2024

View of the dance floor from DJ booth at Catch One in Los Angeles for Klub Nocturno January 2024 (Liz Ohanesian)
One of these days, I’ll remember to take a real photo instead of screencapping my video clips

I don’t know what to say about last night except, thank you, Klub Nocturno! I played in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room from open to close, where the night went by so quickly, at some point, I realized that it was past 1 a.m. and I had yet to play “Blue Monday.” 

I noticed people had started dancing during “Something to Remember Me By,” which was great on account of that being my favorite song from The Horrors.” When I dropped “10:15 on a Saturday Night,” which ended at the time stated in the song title, I looked up and the room was pretty full. It was a really fun crowd and I’m very grateful to have had the chance to play for them. 

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