It’s been a while, but I finally made a new Beatique mix. It’s a bunch of relatively new music, a mix of indie, darkwave and synthpop with a touch of shoegaze. I’d say more, but DJs talking about DJing is boring af, which is why I hate Threads. Anyhow, give the mix a listen here or on Mixcloud. Share it if you like it. Turn it up (all the way up) in the office or car or wherever if you really like it. Set list is below.
On Saturday night, I played Scarlett Casanova’s Indie Sleaze party at The Offbeat. It was a ton a fun. It was also a reminder that I need to go through my collection and rip a bunch of CDs that I used to play in sets during the ’00s because I was continually reminded of songs I have and probably haven’t heard since I had a laptop with a CD drive. I need to get one of those external drives too.
If ’00s indie is your thing, mark your calendar for Underground x 2000s Nite on May 31. Maybe I wll have ripped some of those old CDs by then.
You can catch me at the clubs twice this coming weekend. On Friday, April 26, I’ll be joining my pal Clifton Weaver in the DJ booth at Apotheke in Chinatown, from 9 p.m. until close. We’ll both be playing all-vinyl sets filled with soul, funk, disco, boogie and more. I’ll definitely bring my favorite Candi Staton album and my current Toto Coelo jam. You might hear Chaz Jankel too and maybe that Scream + Dance 12” I found at Rubycon last weekend. Party starts at 9 p.m. and goes until close. There’s no cover and it’s 21+ Apotheke is at 1746 N. Spring Street.
On Saturday, I’ll be joining Scarlett Casanova, Killed by Synth and Drayk for an Indie Sleaze night at The Offbeat. We’ll be playing ‘00s indie jams and more for the 21+ crowd and there’s no cover this one-off party. The Offbeat is at 6316 York Ave. in Highland Park.
You can also catch me on Tuesday night at The Mermaid, where I’ll be providing the music for Dolce Vita’s Space Disco vs. Italo Disco night. I have some really fun tunes for this night, so stop by between 8 p.m. and closing time. There’s no cover and it’s 21+. The Mermaid is at 428 E. 2nd Street in Little Tokyo.
Here’s a short rundown of other events happening in L.A.
Bob Baker Day is this Sunday at L.A. State Historic Park. Vintage Bob Baker marionettes from the 60th anniversary exhibition at Forest Lawn in 2023. (Photo: Liz O.)
No gigs for me this week, but stay tuned because I have three coming up the following week. If you want to get out of the house between April 18 and April 24, check the list below for some fun happenings. There is a decent amount of events that are all ages on the list this time around, including Bob Baker Day at L.A. State Historic Park on Sunday, which is ideal if you have young kids. Also, two of the events listed below are part of weekend-long happenings, Akiba Live in Little Tokyo and Plantstock over at Philosophical Research Society, so check out their websites and see if there’s anything else you might want to attend.
I took a photo while I was DJing and then remembered why I don’t take photos when I DJ.
Thanks to Larry G. for having me back at Underground on Friday night and for everyone who showed up and hit the dance floor. Some notes on last night’s set: I played the newest additions to my virtual crates really early, so you probably didn’t hear them. Mostly, I wanted to see what “Cadenas de la Infancia” and “I Forget” sounded like in a club. I might stick with them. I might not, but both Mueran Humano’s album, Reemplazante, and Jaako Eino Kalevi’s album, Chaos Magic, have been playing on repeat at home and I absolutely recommend getting both.
When everyone is vibing to Animal Collective at Underground and they realize I’ve turned my camera on the crowd.
I’m back at Club Underground on Friday night for The Strokes Nite. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open, with Larry G. and me playing from 9:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. Tickets are available now via either Eventbrite or Dice. Hope to see you there! Here’s what else is happening in L.A. this weekend and into next week.
This Friday, April 12, is The Strokes Nite at Club Underground and I’ll be DJing alongside Larry G. for it. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open, so you’ll get a good dose of hits and deep cuts from The Strokes, as well as all your Underground favorites. The party starts at 9:30 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m.
Tickets are available now on both Dice and Eventbrite, so scoop up yours now.
The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway in Chinatown’s Central Plaza. Both street and lot parking is available and the venue is a short walk from Metro’s A Line station in Chinatown. This is a 21+ event.
I got to play Dildox’s remix of Taleen Kali’s song “Flower of Life” in my set last night.
Here’s most of the set list from Night Shift at Bar Franca on on Thursday, April 4. I was using flashdrives and wrote everything down because it just takes too long to wait around for the history to load into Rekordbox on my laptop and I have no patience for that. I definitely forgot to write down a couple songs and can’t remember what they were. There’s at least one instance where I couldn’t read my own handwriting, which is generally terrible and always gets worse the more I write. The important thing, though, is that the new tunes in last night’s set include Taleen Kali “Flower of Life” remixed by Dildox, “Monaco” by Ride, Optometry’s cover of “Into the Groove” and Pedal Steel Noah’s cover of “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” They’re all keepers.
Next gig is Disco Matinee on Sunday at 3 p.m. With Jus’ B, Televandalist and I digging for our punkiest, funkiest jams, I have a feeling this will be a good one. Click here to get discount advance tickets now on Restless Nites.
Cover for Ride’s new album, Interplay, which I was listening to for the first time while finishing this post.
It sounds like we’re on the verge of another Pet Shop Boys moment. Or, at least, that’s how I hope 2024 will sound and, judging from the response on the dance floor, the L.A. crowds seem to agree. But, then again, L.A.’s affinity for the British duo has endured since the 1980s.
In January, I fell for the cover of “Being Boring” by TR/ST, with guest vocals from Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. Shortly after that dropped, Pet Shop Boys themselves released “Loneliness,” the first single from their forthcoming album, Nonetheless. It’s a gorgeous dance song that reflects the strange isolation of 2020s life. (The Guardian has a good interview with the band, if you’re interested in reading more about Pet Shop Boys’ new music.) Around the same time, I stumbled across a cover of “Rent” that Sally Shapiro released last fall. I wondered how I missed this release last year, then snapped it up on Bandcamp.
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.
