I had just returned home after a meeting and noticed a text asking if I could fill in for the opening DJ set at Splash!, which was set to start in a little over an hour. I said I could get there at 7:45, then ran out, got dinner, ate half a banh mi, wrapped up the other half for later that night, grabbed my laptop and the controller that I had yet to unpack from Nocturno on Saturday night, scheduled a ride and showed up at 7:43 p.m., which was more than enough time to set up and get started at 8 p.m.
Since I still had my Nocturno folder loaded into Rekordbox, I played more of an alt. ‘80s set, with a few other random songs that I either happened to have on my laptop or was able to download quickly. It ended up being a great night. I met some super cool people, dropped some tunes I hadn’t played out in a while (“Get the Balance Right,” “Our Darkness,” “No More Words) and finished with Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson’s duet “When the Rain Begins to Fall,” from the sci-fi epic Voyage of the Rock Aliens, because why not?
Here’s the set list. I’m still scheduling August gigs, so I don’t know when I’m playing next, so follow on Instagram and I’ll the next date when I have it.
The Mermaid’s Christmas in July tiki mugs, including a Christmas tree, a sand/snow man and a gingerbread man. (Pic: Liz O.)
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.
This is going to be a whirlwind of a weekend. I’m playing four gigs in the next seven days and hope to see a few you out at least one of them. Friday night is Decadanse x Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club with Larry G. and me playing all your Underground favorites and Decadanse DJs Pierrot and Fifi LaRoux bring French heat to the dance floor. Tickets are available through Eventbrite or Dice.
On Saturday, I’ll be playing records for Malvada’s party at Bigfoot Lodge in Los Feliz with DJ Felix. Sunday is the first anniversary party for Disco Matinee over at Grand Star and Tuesday I’ll be joining David Christian for Dolce Vita’s ‘80s night Splash over at The Mermaid. Details for all those gigs, plus a handful of recommendations for the rest of the week, are listed below.
Thursday, July 4
4th of July Block Party w/Healing Gems, Tropo Magica, Grupo Soñador & more @Gloria Molina Grand Park
200 N. Grand Ave., DTLA 90012; 4 p.m.; All ages; No cover
96 Tears w/perksandkisses @ Grand Star Jazz Club
943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 9:30 p.m.; 21+; Get tickets
Subtract on the Pier 9 Year Anniversary @ Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier
15 39th Place, Long Beach 90803; 1 p.m.; 21+ ; Get tickets
Dávila 666, Self Improvement, Op-Ed, Space Horse @ The Paramount
2708 E. Cesar E. Chavez, Boyle Heights 90033; 8 p.m.; All ages; Get tickets
Friday, July 5
Decadanse x Underground w/Fifi LaRoux, Larry G., Liz O., PierrotGrand Star Jazz Club
943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 9:30 p.m.; 21+; Get tickets
Saturday, July 6
DJ Felix, Liz O. @ Bigfoot Lodge
3172 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Feliz 90039; 10 p.m.; 21+; No cover
Sunday, July 7
Disco Matinee 1st Anniversary Party w/Liz O. and Jus’ B @ Grand Star Jazz Club
943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 3 p.m.; 21+; $5 at the door, RSVP on Instagram or Facebook for free entry before 4 p.m.
Monday, July 8
Izzy Outerspace, Essencer, Ter, Voice on Tape @ Genghis Cohen
740 N. Fairfax, Hollywood 90046; 7 p.m.; 18+; Get tickets
Tuesday, July 9
Splash w/David Christian, Liz O. @ The Mermaid
428 E. 2nd St., Little Tokyo 90012; 8 p.m.; 21+; No cover
Wednesday, July 10
The Future Is Female: L.A. Filmmaker Screening @ Vidiots
4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock 90041; 7:30 p.m.; Get tickets
