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.
Scream + Dance – In Rhythm (12” mix)
Blondie – Tide Is High
Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie
Matthew Wilder – Break My Stride
Talking Heads- I Zimbra
Basil Kirchin – Silicon Chip
Gang of Four – I Love a Man in a Uniform
Bianca – La Fourmi
Ruth – Polaroid Roman Photo
Q – The Voice of Q (Reflex Revision)
Freeez – I.O.U.
Robin Gibb – Secret Agent
Angela – Fantasy
Eleven Pond- Watching Trees
Japan – Life in Tokyo
Yoko Ono- Walking on Thin Ice
Ian Dury and the Blockheads – Reasons to Be Cheerful Pt. 3
The Clash – Train in Vain
Erasure – Oh L’amour
Pet Shop Boys – In the Night
Vicious Pink – Cccan’t You See
Real Life- Openhearted
Los Prisioneros – Estar Solo
Depeche Mode – No Disco
Ken Laszlo – Hey Hey Guy
Bananarama – Robert De Niro’s Waiting (Reflex Revision)
OMD – Tesla Girls
Soda Stereo – Tele-Ka
Joe Jackson – Steppin’ Out
Olivia Newton-John – Twist of Fate
Angelyne – Sex Goddess (Dance Mix)
The Cure – Close to Me
INXS – Need You Tonight
Skatt Brothers – Walk the Night
Pino D’Angio – Ma Quale Idea
Pet Shop Boys – What Have I Done to Deserve This?
C-Bank – One More Shot
Teena Marie – Lovergirl (M+M Mix)
Klymaxx – The Men All Pause
Patrick Cowley – Menergy
Eartha Kitt – Where Is My Man
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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