My only gig this weekend is a private event, so I want to encourage everyone to get out and hit up one of the many other parties and shows that are happening around town. Here’s what’s happening between Thursday, March 14 and Wednesday, March 20.
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It was so good to be back at Underground last night. Both floors of the Grand Star were open on Friday night, with Larry playing Depeche Mode and New Order jams upstairs and Scarlett Casanova and I playing everything else downstairs. The crowd was a lot of fun. I was happy to see “Loneliness,” the latest Pet Shop Boys single, do well on the dancer floor. What did even better though was TR/ST’s cover of the PSB classic “Being Boring,” which is one of my current favorites. The most successful of the new tunes, though, was “Sangre de Oro,” from Twin Tribes’ latest album, Pendulum. The song also did extremely well at Nocturno’s party in Phoenix last month. Anyhow, thank you for dancing. Here’s the set list.
Set 1:
ABC “Be Near Me”
Kylie Minogue “Cupid Boy”
Saint Etienne “We’re in the City”
Royksopp “Ice Machine (Ewan Pearson Remix)”
Sally Shapiro “Rent”
Human League “Seconds”
Echo and the Bunnymen “In Bluer Skies”
Chromatics “Ceremony”
Chameleons “Reptile”
The Cure “Primary”
Set 2:
Ladytron “Playgirl”
Gorillaz “Dare (DFA Remix)”
Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls”
TR/ST, Jake Shears “Being Boring”
Boy Harsher, Ms. Boan “Machina”
Yaz “Situation”
Talking Heads “Girlfriend Is Better” (request)
Sophie Ellis Bextor “Murder on the Dancefloor” (request)
The Bucketheads “The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind) (Armand Van Helden Re-edit)”
The Rapture “House of Jealous Lovers”
Confidence Man “Angry Girl”
Le Tigre “Deceptacon”
Wet Leg “Chaise Longue”
Set 3:
Donna Summer “Our Love”
New Order “Blue Monday”
Trans X “Living on Video”
Vitalic “La Rock 01”
Crystal Castles, Robert Smith “Not in Love”
Soft Cell “Tainted Love”
Bloc Party “Banquet”
Molchat Doma “sudno (Boris Ryzhy)”
Twin Tribes “Sangre de Oro”
Los Prisioneros “Tren al Sur (Basic Remix)”
Nine Inch Nails “Closer”
Tom Tom Club “Genius of Love”
Daft Punk “Da Funk”
Chumbawamba “Tubthumping”
Set 4:
Pet Shop Boys “Loneliness”
Hercules & Love Affair “Blind”
Animal Collective “My Girls”
Tame Impala “Is It True”
Mr. Flagio “Take a Chance”
My Mine “Hypnotic Tango”
Righeira “Vamos a la Playa”
Desireless “Voyage Voyage”
Q Lazarus “Goodbye Horses”
Depeche Mode “Nodisco”
New Order “Sub-Culture”
If you’re around Cypress Park today, catch me playing records at Footsie’s for Razorcake’s party, which is from 5-10 p.m. and keep checking back here or follow me on Instagram because I have a bunch of stuff to announce in the next day or so.
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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It’s the rare week when I’m playing three nights in a row, so if you want to follow along for the ride, here are the details. On Thursday, March 7, Night Shift launches at Bar Franca, where I’ll be playing post-punk, synthpop, darkwave and shoegaze from 9 p.m. until close. You’ll find Bar Franca downtown at 438 S. Main Street. There’s no cover and it’s 21+
The following night, Friday, March 8, is Depeche Mode x New Order night at Club Underground. Larry G., Scarlett Casanova and I will be playing your favorites from both bands as well the best in new wave, post-punk, indie and more. Underground is at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown’s Central Plaza (943 N. Broadway 90012) and it’s 21+. Tickets are available via Dice and Eventbrite.
This Saturday, March 9, is Razorcake Hearts Drinking Beer & Listening to Records at Footsie’s. This is an early, all-vinyl party with no cover. I’ll be playing alongside Nikki Nothing and Samantha Beerhouse between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. As for what I’m bringing, that’s still up for debate, but I’m in a dubby ‘80s mood, so we’ll see where that goes. Footsie’s is located at 2640 N. Figueroa St. in Cypress Park and it’s 21+. Since we’re done at 10 p.m., there will be more than enough time to check out other happenings in L.A., so that’s where this list of music events begins. Also, there are a few super cool movies screening this week, so I’ve added those to the list as well.
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Club Underground‘s next Depeche Mode x New Order night is Friday, March 8. Larry G., Scarlett Casanova and I, Liz O., will be your DJs and both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open.
Tickets for Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Club Underground are available on both Eventbrite and Dice. Pick up yours as soon as possible and join us at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown on March 8. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and is 21+.
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For all-vinyl gigs, I often bring my copy of Living in a Magazine, the 2001 debut full-length from Zoot Woman, with me. The reason why is simple. No matter which song I play off this album, at least one person will come up to the booth and ask about it. In fact, that happened last Friday night, when I played the band’s cover of “The Model” at Club Synth. More than 20 years later, this album is still a vibe.
Living in a Magazine is one of my favorite records of the early ‘00s. In fact, I would argue that it’s one of the finest, and certainly most under-appreciated, albums of the era. The brand of soft funk-meets-indie disco that Zoot Woman cultivated on this album helped solidify a sound that persists this day, whether or not the bands who land Spotify playlists like Pollen and Indie Chillout realize it. At the turn of the 21st century, few outside of Zoot Woman and Phoenix were riding such a mellow groove. This was a handful of years before bands like Hot Chip and Holy Ghost hit the scene, before the fascination with “yacht rock” and definitely before the vinyl resurgence sent a new generation of crate diggers on the hunt for the smoothest sounds of the 1970s and 1980s.
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Fun Times were had at Club Synth on Friday night. I was delighted to have the chance to drop vinyl on the turntables alongside Drayk and Jen Rock. Plus, some old friends stopped by the Rio Room at the Stowaway to join in the fun.
Tonight, I’ll be in Phoenix to play with Klub Nocturno on Saturday night at Crescent Ballroom. That said, this is a quick update and there is more info on some of the specific records played in this set coming next week. And, for those reading in L.A. (most of you), my next gig is another all-vinyl set on Sunday, March 3 for Disco Matinee: Freestyle Hi-NRG Edition at the Grand Star in Chinatown. RSVP on Instagram, Facebook or Partiful for $5 entry before 4 p.m.
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This Sunday, Disco Matinee is back at Grand Star Jazz Club for an afternoon of disco, funk, Italo, hiNRG and whatever else we feel like working into the mix. Guest DJ Jen Rock joins residents Jus’ B and me (Liz O.) from 3 until 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 4. RSVP via email, Facebook, Instagram or Partiful for $5 entry before 4 p.m. Otherwise, the cover is $8, cash or Venmo, at the door. Grand Star Jazz Club is located at 943 N. Broadway in Chinatown’s Central Plaza. Both street and lot parking is available, plus Metro’s A Line stop in Chinatown is right across Broadway from the venue. (Bonus: Metro is offering free rides on Sunday, February 4.) Join us for a spin on the dance floor! This is a 21+ event.
On Tuesday, February 6, I’ll be playing Italo disco from 9 p.m. until last call at The Mermaid for Dolce Vita, L.A.’s only, weekly Italo disco party. This is a 21+ venue and there’s no cover. Parking is ample in the neighborhood and The Mermaid is about a block or so away from Metro’s A and E line stops in Little Tokyo. Find us at 428 E. 2nd Street.
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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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This Saturday, I’ll be DJing at Klub Nocturno’s massive, multi-room bash at Catch One. The RSVP list has already filled up and if you’re on it, be sure to arrive early because entry is first-come-first-serve. See Klub Nocturno’s post on Instagram for more details. I’ll be playing in the New Wave vs. Dark Wave room and can’t wait to see those of you who are going on the dance floor.
As for the rest of the week, here’s what’s happening. I’m keeping this brief on account of not having much time to write this week.
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My first club gig of 2024 was Underground’s Bowie Nite on January 12. Both floors of the Grand Star Jazz Club were open, so Larry G. played all the David Bowie jams downstairs. That’s also where people were able to get their Bowie makeovers from Miho. Meanwhile, I was upstairs playing all the other Underground jams, or as many as can be squeezed into a four hour set. Thanks to Larry for having me play and for everyone who spent some time on the upstairs dance floor!
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