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  • Sextile “S Is For” + More of What You Heard at Klub Nocturno 1/09/26

    View from the DJ booth in the new wave vs. darkwave room at Klub Nocturno on January 9, 2026 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    View from the DJ booth in the new wave vs. darkwave room at Klub Nocturno on January 9, 2026 (Pic: Liz O.)

    Yes, Please by Sextile was my favorite album of 2025 because it has bangers for days. Last year, I mostly played “Women Respond to Bass” and “Rearrange,” although “Freak Eyes” and “Push Ups” have gotten some love too. Last night, for the first Klub Nocturno of 2026, I finally had the chance to play “S Is For,” which I love because it has such a early ‘00s electro punk vibe. Also, who doesn’t just want to shout out “shit” over and over again while raging on the dance floor right now? 

    Full set list is below and the new-ish releases link back to previous mentions on this here blog. As always, thanks for dancing! To keep up on when and where I’m playing next, either check back here or sign up for the newsletter or follow me on Instagram. 

    Ploho – ???????? (Gestalt)

    Actors- Only Lonely

    Cold Cave – Everlasting

    French Police – Sueño Humedo

    Eleven Pond- Watching Trees

    New Order – Sub-Culture

    Boy Harsher – Electric 

    Ultra Sunn – Wrong Floor

    Kittin and the Hacker – Leather Forever 

    Crystal Castles- Celestica 

    Glass Spells – Thrills

    Male Tears – Model Citizen

    The Cure – The Walk

    Depeche Mode – Get the Balance Right 

    Psychedelic Furs – Love My Way

    Pastel Ghost – Dark Beach 

    TR/ST – Dressed for Space

    Actors – Face Meets Glass

    She Past Away – Kasveli Kutlama

    Joy Division – She’s Lost Control

    Bloc Party – Banquet

    Twin Tribes – Fantasmas

    Blood Club – No Quiero Bailar

    Molchat Doma – Toska

    The Cure – In Between Days

    Depeche Mode – World in My Eyes

    Yaz – Situation 

    New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle

    Boy Harsher – Machina

    Crystal Castles – Vanished

    Ladytron – Playgirl

    Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams

    Nitzer Ebb – Join in the Chant

    Sextile – Disco 

    Pixel Grip – Reason to Stay

    Kittin and the Hacker – Frank Sinatra

    French Police – Club de Vampiros 

    Mareux – The Perfect Girl

    Real Life –  Send Me an Angel

    Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy

    Trans X – Living on Video

    Sextile – Women Respond to Bass

    Boy Harsher – Pain 

    Crystal Castles, Robert Smith- Not In Love

    She Wants Revenge – Tear You Apart

    Molchat Doma – Sudno (Boris Ryzhy)

    French Police – HER

    Twin Tribes- Sangre de Oro 

    Depresion Post Mortem – Yo Voy

    Berlin – The Metro

    Joy Division – Digital 

    The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry

    The Smiths – Bigmouth Strikes Again

    Depeche Mode – Personal Jesus

    The Flirts- Danger

    Stacey Q – Two of Hearts

    Lime – Babe We’re Gonna Love Tonight

    New Order – Blue Monday

    Sextile – S Is For

    Alice Glass – Catch and Release

    Soft Cell – Tainted Love

    The Cure – Lovesong

    Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

    Q Lazzarus – Goodbye Horses

    Boy Harsher – Country Girl 

    Ultra Sunn – Keep Your Eyes Peeled 

    Crystal Castles – Suffocation

    Pastel Ghost – Iris

    Mareux – Nonstop Romance 

    Human League – Don’t You Want Me

    Mr. Flagio – Take a Chance

    Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls

    Glass Spells – Hechizos

    The Smiths – There Is a Light

    The Cure – Just Like Heaven

    OMD – Enola Gay

    Soft Cell – Sex Dwarf

    B Movie – Nowhere Girl (request)

    Twin Tribes- Monolith

    French Police – Sugar Killer

    Echo and the Bunnymen – Killing Moon

    Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Follow on Instagram  or sign up for the weekly, Beatique newsletter for updates on new stories and gigs.

    Listen to the January, 2026 Beatique Mix.

    Keep Reading:

    Best of 2025: Top 10 Albums

    Best of 2025: Top 10 Bangers

    My First Protest of 2026 (Probably Won’t Be the Last)

  • Album Review: Dry Cleaning ‘Secret Love’

    Album cover of Secret Love by Dry Cleaning

    “Hit My Head All Day,” the first single and lead track from Secret Love, the latest album from Dry Cleaning, has been in DJ queue for months now. It’s a song that I keep meaning to drop into a set, but for some reason haven’t yet. It’s such a weird little jam, a slice of ‘80s-style post-disco for the 2020s doomscroller with echoes of Flying Lizards and Dominatrix and the title repeated throughout the song. It’s slow— languid, really— which is probably why I haven’t played it out yet, but the groove is tight. It actually feels like you’re dragging yourself through another day of bad news to the beat of a world that’s on the verge of collapse, which is a very fucked up way to describe a song that you like, but its also art. It’s not supposed to be all hands-in-the-air escapism all the time. And there’s a catharsis that comes with that. 

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  • Klub Nocturno + More Happening in L.A. 1/08 -1/14/26

    Klub Nocturno Catch One Los Angeles January 9, 2026

    This Friday, I’m back at Klub Nocturno for another full-venue takeover of Catch One. I’ll be in the new wave vs. darkwave room with a mix of your favorite throwbacks and new school bangers. This is Nocturno’s annual free night and, well, I hope you already RSVPed because tickets are sold out on Dice. Follow Klub Nocturno on Instagram for more info (and to catch me talking about one of my favorite albums). 

    Keep reading if you want my recommendations for the rest of the weekend and early next week. 

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  • My First Protest of 2026 (Probably Won’t Be the Last)

    Protesting against war in Venezuela at Pershing Square Los Angeles, January 3, 2026 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    A crowd protests against Trump’s strike on Venezuela on a rainy Saturday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles. (Pic: Liz O.)

    The most smartly dressed protester at Pershing Square on Saturday afternoon was the person in a Tyrannosaurus Rex suit, an inflatable blue number with a red pattern winding down the back. I can only imagine that this person emerged from the protest much less drenched than the rest of us. Umbrellas, hoodies and hats were only somewhat useful as the rain grew heavier through the afternoon. In the end, it took hours in front of the heater to mostly-dry the wide legs of my black jeans. But, the minor inconvenience was worth it to be part of the crowd chanting “No war on Venezuela.” 

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  • New Year, New Mix

    Overlooking the L.A. River after a storm. January 1, 2026 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    L.A. River after the rain. January 1, 2026 (Pic: Liz O.)

    As usual, one of my New Year resolutions was to spend less time scrolling. And, also as usual, I failed sometime during the morning of January 1. By lunch, I was still in my pajamas, sitting on the sofa with my eyes darting back and forth between devices. On my phone, I tapped through the New Year’s Eve stories of virtually everyone I know. On my laptop, I hate read an op-ed in the billionaire-owned L.A. Times about why taxing the rich is bad and felt no remorse for using a paywall remover to do it. And I did all this while watching the Rose Parade, plus an hour’s worth of cartoons. Then I figured I should cosplay an adult, so I put on real world clothes, sat back on the couch and watched General Hospital. It was a repeat of the final episode with Luke Spencer played in memory of the actor Anthony Geary, who recently died, so I kind of had to watch it. 

    New year, same ol’ Liz. 

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  • Everything You Heard Upstairs at Club Underground’s New Year’s Eve Party

    View from the stage upstairs at Grand Star Jazz Club for Club Underground's New Year's Eve Party 2025/26 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    View from the stage upstairs at Grand Star Jazz Club for Club Underground’s New Year’s Eve Party 2025/26 (Pic: Liz O.)

    Last night, my friend asked if I had a song for the new year. I didn’t. I thought about it, though, and answered Kneecap “H.O.O.D.,” more for the band than for the specific song. They’re the group I would consider the MVP of 2025, one that has had a lot of bullshit thrown their way just for speaking out against the genocide that so much of the world has watched transpire on their phones. Yet, they’ve stuck to their principles and refuse to be silenced. They’re the real deal in a time of fakers and I appreciate that so much. That’s the kind of energy we need this year. 

    Anyhow, I played upstairs at the Grand Star for Underground’s New Year’s Eve party. Super cool crowd. Thank you all for being there, especially on a rainy L.A. night. It was great to overhear someone in the crowd saying, “I love this song…it’s Confidence Man” when “Gossip” came on. Even better to hear from people who came up to the booth because you were excited to hear “Juicebox” or “¿Porqué te vas?” or some other song that I can’t recall right now. Hope to see more of all of you in 2026. Set list is below. The 2025 songs link to other mentions on this blog. 

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  • The Smell Anniversary, L.A. Fights Back and More Happening in L.A. This Weekend

    HLLLYH live at The Smell on Saturday, August 9, 2025 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    HLLLYH plays The Smell’s 28th Anniversary party on Friday, January 2, 2026. (Photo: Liz O.)

    If your New Year’s Resolution is to get out of the house more often, you might as well start now because there are some very cool events happening in Los Angeles for this first weekend of 2026, including The Smell’s weekend-long anniversary bash, the L.A. Fights Back benefit show with Sextile, Automatic and Choir Boy, a David Bowie-themed skate party, film tributes to Bowie, David Lynch, Rob Reiner and Udo Kier, plus lots more. Keep reading for the breakdown. 

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  • Everything You Heard at Club Underground on December 26, 2025

    Bruce Lee statue in Los Angeles Chinatown Central Plaza after 2025 Christmas storm, December 26, 2025 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    If you’re ever like, “I can’t find the Grand Star!” just look for Bruce Lee. (Pic: Liz O. 12/26/25)

    Last night at Underground might have been the first time ever that I’ve played “Friday I’m in Love” at a club. The reason is that, yesterday, news broke that Perry Bamonte of The Cure died. He had been playing with the band live in recent years and is in The Show of a Lost World (a terrific concert film that you really must see). However, his tenure with the band in the studio was from 1992-2004, so any song I played in tribute would likely have to come from Wish and, really, it would have to be “Friday I’m in Love.”   That’s just how it works out. 

    Anyhow, the Christmas storm finally ended right before the club opened and it was great to see people out and about. Thanks so much for dancing last night. Club Underground is on Wednesday next week for New Year’s Eve. Both floors of the Grand Star will be open. Larry G. and I are on the decks all night. It will be a good time. NYE at Underground always sells out, so be sure to get your tickets in advance. 

    Get tickets for Club Underground’s New Year’s Eve Party at Grand Star Jazz Club

    Set list from last night is below. All 2025 releases are linked to other references to the band on this wee blog. 

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  • New Year’s Eve at Club Underground + More Happening in L.A. 12/25- 12/31

    Club Underground New Year's Eve 2025 Flyer

    Next Wednesday is New Year’s Eve and both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open for Club Underground’s last bash of 2025. Larry G. and I will be your DJs, playing the best indie, darkwave, new wave, post-punk, Britpop and more. If you’ve been to an Underground NYE party before, you know it’s a blast and that it also sells out. Head over to Club Underground’s website now and get your tickets before they’re gone. 

    Us L.A. lifers know that Christmas week is a notoriously slow one as far as nightlife is concerned. But, there are still a few things happening that I want to shout out, so keep reading. 

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  • Best of 2025 + More of What You Heard at Klub Nocturno 12/20/25

    Crowd shot in new wave darkwave room at Klub Nocturno in Los Angeles on December 20, 2025 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    View from the DJ booth in the new wave/darkwave room at Klub Nocturno on 12/20/25

    I’m writing this on Sunday morning and the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, so IDK what to say except that last night at Klub Nocturno was a vibe. I DJed alongside Milagro in new wave/darkwave room. Played a few of my favorite tunes from this year, like “Women Respond to Bass” by Sextile, “Catch and Release” from Alice Glass, Pixel Grip’s “Reason to Stay” and “Everything We Thought We Knew” by N8NOFACE. People danced. Good times were had. Anyhow, set list is below. The newer songs (past year or so) are in bold and link to other mentions here on the blog. Wishing you all happy holidays!

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