Cover of the single for “Heart Like a Wheel” by The Human League
In 2022, a 32-year-old song from The Human League started creeping into my sets. I’ve been a fan of the band since childhood and play them often when I DJ. Yet, I never played “Heart Like a Wheel,” let alone the extended mix of the song, before this year. I began playing “Heart Like a Wheel” because I heard it on a MARS FM broadcast nearly as old as the song itself.
MARS FM 103.1 was a short-lived radio station in Los Angeles during the early 1990s with a truly alternative format. While MARS was known as the “rave” radio station, they played everything from Morrissey to Arrested Development to Messiah. (Check out these old playlists.) It was wild. Years after the station’s demise, my friends and I recalled it in many conversations. A lot of us were, in some way, influenced by the sound of MARS.
Kickstart 2023 with DJs Larry G., Malvada and me (Liz O.) at Underground’s New Year’s Eve Ball. We’ll light up the dance floor at Chinatown’s Grand Star Jazz Club on December 31, 2022 from 9:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. Head over to Underground’s website to get your tickets now.
This Little Twin Stars CD booklet still holds my secret weapons from the ’00s.
One of the songs I played most in 2022 didn’t come out this year. In fact, “Drop the Numb” is an indie dance mashup that dates back to the mid-’00s. I retrieved it from my Little Twin Stars CD booklet filled with music from the heyday of Soulseek and music blogs.
I still don’t know the name of the remixer who fused together Mylo’s club hit “Drop the Pressure” with Scissor Sisters’ cover of “Comfortably Numb.” I wish I did, just so I could say thank you for this banger.
Your record collection should reflect how your interests have grown over time. Seen here: The Velvet Underground, Giorgio Moroder, Green Velvet, Cissy Houston, Throbbing Gristle, The White Stripes, Leonard Cohen, Mike Oldfield, Fun Boy Three
In many ways, I don’t think of myself as a record collector. I’m someone who happened to start DJing when CDJs were not as user-friendly as turntables and vinyl, particularly dance and alternative music from the ‘70s and ‘80s, fit my college student budget. Many years later, though, I’ve managed to build a record collection that I still sometimes use to DJ. Mostly, though, it’s a source of personal enjoyment.
Over years of crate digging, I’ve learned how to build a record collection. I’ll share what I learned here, beginning with how to source records in a way that’s sustainable for you.
Vinyl copies of Up and Away, The Runner, A Bit of Previous and Wet Leg
There was a lot of great music that came out this past year, so much that making a list of the best 2022 albums is a near-impossible task. Fortunately, last year, a good friend gave me a notebook designed for keeping track of music, so I was able to keep decent notes on most of the albums I heard in 2022. I followed the format of that notebook in putting together this list of albums I love and think you should hear. It’s not short— there are 23 full-length albums listed below— nor is it confined to any single genre. These albums aren’t ranked either. Each listing is followed by a link where you can buy the album.
Getting down to “Genius of Love” at Underground on 12/09/22
I somehow remembered to record all three of my sets from Underground on Friday night and have posted them on Mixcloud. Special thanks to Larry G., Tea, Malvada, Grand Star Jazz Club and everyone who showed up last week for making this year’s birthday DJ gig a special one.
I’ll be back at Underground for New Year’s Eve. Tickets are already available and I highly recommend getting yours now via Eventbrite.
Check out the sets below. I’ve included the set lists underneath each recording.
