Tag Archives: New Wave

Film, The Playlist

I Swiped This Real Life Song From Voyage of the Rock Aliens

Voyage of the Rock Aliens 1984 movie title card

There’s a Real Life song that’s creeping into my DJ sets and it’s not “Send Me An Angel.” I’ve played “Openhearted,” from the band’s 1983 debut album, Heartland, in my sets at Splash! twice this month. Most likely, it will keep turning up in my new wave sets, at least at bar gigs or early in the night, because it’s a good alternative to the Australian band’s big hit, packed with drama and a sticky melody. Also, the song has been stuck in my head for most of this month, so I probably need to keep playing it until I dislodge the earworm. 

But, I have to make a confession about “Openhearted.” I totally, 100% swiped this Real Life song from Voyage of the Rock Aliens. In fact, I wouldn’t even know the song were it not for that bonkers movie and I probably should be embarrassed for saying that. But, also, I’m from L.A., where “Send Me an Angel” has been such a dominant banger for so long that any other Real Life song has long since faded from memory. That is, unless you are so baffled by Pia Zadora’s turn as a high schooler torn between her controlling rockabilly boyfriend and a new wave alien that you watch Voyage of the Rock Aliens every time it pops up in your Tubi recommendations. 

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played for Splash! at The Mermaid on July, 23, 2024

Christmas in July at The Mermaid on July 23, 2024 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Christmas in July continues at The Mermaid. (Pic: Liz O.)

It was totally last minute, but I filled in for Splash! at The Mermaid on Tuesday night, playing ’80s music from 8 p.m. until last call. I was in a Roxy Music, Japan and Duran Duran mood, which manifested in the set. Plus, I’ve had the Real Life song “Openhearted” stuck in my head on-and-off for a few weeks, so that made an appearance in the set too. Check out the set list below.

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played for Splash! at The Mermaid on July 9, 2024

Christmas in July at The Mermaid in Little Tokyo with Christmas tree tiki mug, sand snow man tiki mug and gingerbread man tiki mug (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
The Mermaid’s Christmas in July tiki mugs, including a Christmas tree, a sand/snow man and a gingerbread man. (Pic: Liz O.)

Splash! is Dolce Vita’s new Tuesday night ‘80s party at The Mermaid. You’ll still hear Italo disco in the mix, but you’ll also hear new wave, synthpop and more subgenres of the decade’s dance music . I played for the first time since the rebrand for the first half of the night tonight and it was lot of fun to get to drop some of my Italo favorites (Ken Laszlo, Pino D’Angio) with a few of the ‘80s night standards (OMD, The Cure, etc.), some tunes that I don’t get to play out so much (Olivia Newton-John “Twist of Fate”) and a few tracks from the era that are actually new to me (Angelyne “Sex Goddess,” thanks to the Dark Entries reissue). Oh, and I was able to work in the best song from Voyage of the Rock Aliens (Real Life “Openhearted”), a movie I’ve been trying to write about for a while, but I still can’t make sense of it, which might be the point. My only regret is not adding Pia Zadora to my ‘80s virtual crate. Next time. 

Also, it’s Christmas in July at The Mermaid. The tiki mugs in the top photo are part of the promotion. You can buy one solo or with one of the drinks on the Cocktails for a Cause menu, all of which have Christmas horror names, like Santa’s Slay. The mugs were so cute— my favorite is the sand/snow man in the center of the photo— so I had to take a photo. 

Anyhow, keep reading for the set list. Seen you next on Friday, July 12, for Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite at Club Underground.

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Decadanse x Underground on July 5, 2024

Photo of full dance floor at Club Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown, Los Angeles on July 5, 2024
The scene at Grand Star Jazz Club for Decadanse x Underground on July 5, 2024

Decadanse x Underground was such a great time and I’m happy to have been a part of it. DJs Pierrot and Fifi LaRoux played French pop on vinyl downstairs. Larry G. and I brought the indie vibes upstairs. We switched off on the controllers about every half hour or so. 

“Amour Ex Machina,” from L’Impratrice’s new album, Pulsar, did pretty well for my first time playing it out. “Digitalism in Cairo,” the Digitalism track that samples “Fire in Cairo” by the Cure, made a reappearance after many years. People probably don’t recall it was a big track back in the ‘00s. 

Anyhow, I’ll be back at Underground next Friday, July 12, for Siouxsie x Yeah Yeah Yeahs Nite. Tickets are already available on Restless Nites, Dice and Eventbrite. 

Check out my set list from Decadanse x Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club on July 5, 2024.

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Klub Nocturno on Saturday, June 15 2024

Sambas and fishnets (photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Summer 2024 DJ uniform: Sambas and fishnets.

On Saturday, it felt like summer had arrived. That is unfortunate if you, like me, have an aversion to sunlight and sweat. The upside was that I was DJing in the new wave/darkwave room at Nocturno on Saturday night, so I could avoid the sun. Since online tickets had already sold out, though, I had to prepare for a hot night. That’s when fishnets really come in handy. In fact, I think fishnets and Sambas might end up being my 2024 club uniform. After a four-and-a-half-hour DJ set, I felt pretty good. (Three cans of water probably helped too.)

It was a really fun night. There were stilt walkers who came out to the stage in the new wave/darkwave room twice, dancing to French Police and Sisters of Mercy during one set and Depeche Mode and Visage in the other. The crowd let out disco calls during “Blue Monday.” It was a vibe. 

Boy Harsher’s remix of Chelsea Wolfe’s song “House of Self-Undoing,” which was released earlier in the week, made its second appearance in my sets this weekend. Since it’s brand new, I’ve been testing it out early in the night, but I’m really into it, so you’ll probably be hearing this later in the nights going forward. The remix is available on Bandcamp, by the way, so get it into your own collection if you’re so inclined. (That’s not an ad or a sponsored link, btw, but Bandcamp is my personal first choice for digital music.)

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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.

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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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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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Got It On Vinyl, Record Collecting

The Extended Mix of Toto Coelo “Milk from the Coconut” Is New Wave Heat

Toto Coelo "Milk from the Coconut" extended dance mix 12" single on vinyl (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Toto Coelo 12″ single with the extended dance mix of “Milk from the Coconut.” (Pic: Liz O.)

On a Sunday afternoon, I flipped through a bin of new wave records at Sonido del Valle in Boyle Heights. At this point in the dig, I had already found a 12” of Bananarama’s cover of “He Was Really Saying Something” for 99 cents that was dusty, but definitely playable. I was starting to feel lucky. Not lottery ticket lucky, but lucky enough to take a chance on a Toto Coelo 12” single called “Milk from the Coconut.” 

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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. 

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