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.
Continue reading Here’s What I Played for Splash! at The Mermaid on July, 23, 2024
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.
Continue reading Here’s What I Played for Splash! at The Mermaid on July 9, 2024
This Friday, May 10, Klub Nocturno celebrates its 4th anniversary with a bash at Catch One. It’s a massive party with five themed rooms: Rock en Español vs. Cumbia, New Wave vs. Dark Wave, Deftones Night, Sad Bunny Night and Disco. I’ll be in the New Wave vs. Dark Wave room and hope to see you on the dance floor. It’s 18+ and starts at 9:30 p.m. Click here to get your tickets and make sure you get there early. Catch One is at 4067 W. Pico Blvd.
On Tuesday, I’ll be back at The Mermaid for Dolce Vita and will be playing an Italo vs. French Disco set from 8 p.m. until closing time. I’m really excited to dig up some heat for you, so stop by. The Mermaid is at 428 E. 2nd Street in Little Tokyo. There’s no cover and it’s a 21+ venue.
I know there’s a lot going on this weekend and next week, but here are some more suggestions that aren’t Cruel World and still have reasonably priced tickets available.
Continue reading Happening in L.A.: Thursday, May 9 – Wednesday, May 15
The Mermaid was busy last night. People filtered in and out of the bar. Guest bartenders from The Wolves poured specialty cocktails. Scenes from Star Odyssey, the “Italian Star Wars,” played on the TV set. I played a mix of Italo disco, space disco and other assorted, related tunes from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. A couple friends turned up and got a dance party going. It was a good time. Check out the set list.
Continue reading Here’s What I Played at Dolce Vita’s Italo Disco vs. Space Disco Night on April 30, 2024
I’m so excited to be back at Catch One with Klub Nocturno this Saturday, March 30, in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room. Playing Nocturno’s L.A. party in January was such a wild vibe, as was last month’s party at Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Saturday night has in store. Tickets are already sold out online, but there will be a few at the door, so if you want one of those, please be sure to arrive early. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. for this 21+ event. Catch One is located at 4067 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles 90019.
As for the rest of the weekend and into early next week, here are my recommendations.
Continue reading L.A. Music Events: Thursday, March 28 – Wednesday, April 3
I popped into The Mermaid at the last minute on Tuesday to play about 90 minutes of music for Dolce Vita. I knew that there was a screening of Dave Attell’s Netflix special happening beforehand. What I didn’t know, however, was that Dave Attell was actually going to make an appearance. We didn’t meet, but it was wild to be in the same room as him because I loved Insomniac.
Continue reading Here’s What I Played at Dolce Vita on March 26, 2024
It was a little unexpected, but I did turn up at The Mermaid on Tuesday night to provide the music for the first half of Dolce Vita. I also didn’t have a chance to eat dinner beforehand, which led to another unexpected delight. The jalapeño and pineapple wontons at The Mermaid are amazing. I hadn’t had them before last night and loved them. Even with the chili sauce, they won’t set your mouth on fire. It’s more of a subtle sweet-and-spicy hybrid. Plus, they are shaped like starfish, which I find endearing.
Anyhow, here’s what you may have heard if you were at The Mermaid between 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Continue reading Here’s What I Played at Dolce Vita on March 5, 2024
I popped into The Mermaid on Tuesday night to play the opening set for Dolce Vita. The party starts at 8 p.m. now and there was already a good crowd at the bar by then, so I dropped more familiar tunes than I normally would for the early portion of the night. Also got to work in some themed portions of the set. I won’t disclose the themes right now, but if you look through the playlist below, you might be able to figure out what they are.
Next up is Disco Matinee on Sunday, March 3, at Grand Star Jazz Club. The theme is freestyle and hi-NRG and I’ll be playing it all on vinyl. Anyhow, keep reading to see what I played at Dolce Vita on February 27, between (roughly) 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Continue reading Here’s What I Played at Dolce Vita at The Mermaid on February 27, 2024
For as long as I’ve been DJing, I’ve been keeping track of my set lists. Somewhere in my, er, archives (really, boxes of folders that I haven’t gone through since college), there are probably old playlists of my KXLU shows and crumpled bits of paper from my early club sets. I started sharing the set lists online before social media mostly so that people who went to the clubs could familiarize themselves with the new music and people who weren’t in L.A. knew where they could dance to Ladytron or Miss Kittin or whoever when they visited our fine city. (And, that actually worked, I did meet people from as far as London and Berlin who saw my set list in some electro-indie-whatever forum.)
Continue reading Here’s What I Played for Dolce Vita at The Mermaid on January 16, 2024
You have two chances to catch me in the DJ booth this week. First up is Club Underground’s Bowie Nite this Friday, January 12, at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. Underground is taking over both floors of the Grand Star this week, with Larry G. playing open to close on the main floor and me, Liz O., doing the same on the second floor. Discounted tickets are available now via either Dice and Eventbrite.
The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway, Los Angeles 90012. It’s inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, right next to the Bruce Lee statue. Both street and lot parking is available in the neighborhood. The venue is also right across Broadway from Metro’s A Line station in Chinatown. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and it is a 21+ event.
On Tuesday, January 16, you’ll find me at The Mermaid loaded up with Italo disco jams for L.A. Industrial’s weekly party, Dolce Vita. There’s no cover and it’s 21+, so stop by with your pals for some tasty cocktails and a soundtrack filled with tunes by the likes of Fancy, Fun Fun, Ken Laszlo, Sabrina and more.
The Mermaid is located at 428 E. 2nd Street in Little Tokyo. There’s typically loads of free parking available after 9 p.m., which is the same time that Dolce Vita starts. The bar is also a (very) short walk from Metro’s A/E line stop in Little Tokyo.
As for the rest of the week, here are my picks.
Continue reading L.A. Music Events: January 11 – January 17, 2024