Being one hell of a cool friend, Paul the ex-Go Go Box Whore sent me some more Carter USM cover tunes after yesterday's post.

Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine "Trouble"
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This comes to you from the first single for "The Young Offender's Mum." Check around on Carter's site for updates because it appears that they put up merch on Ebay pretty regularly.

Paul said he sent this to me because he remembered how much I loved the original.

Shampoo "Trouble"
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This is taken from my copy of Shampoo's 1994 CD EP Delicious. While this song was played quite frequently on Rodney on the Roq, it did not become a huge hit. Hence, I was able to find this import in the used bins at Record Trader a year or two after its release for 99 cents.

"Trouble" is right up there with Supergrass' "Caught by the Fuzz" as a top-notch ode to teenage fun and inevitable groundings. Back in the early days of Bang!, Joseph would play "Trouble" every now and again and I would go crazy on the dancefloor. Most times, the song would propel me straight to the top of the go-go box where I would dance with the GGBW and/or my friend Avery.

You can find Shampoo goodies on Amazon (mostly used).

Thom Yorke (if you don't know who he is, just who the fuck are you anyway?!) has a solo album coming up on July 11. Naturally, the pretentious assholes known as Pitchfork Magazine have collectively nutted all over it.

You can find out for yourself via Limewire/Soulseek/whatever-you-use-to-download. It leaked about two days ago. Happy hunting!

Soft Cell is the ultimate club band, more so than any dance-rock outfit you might see spinning old records at the indie club near you. When was the last time you went to an 80s club and didn't hear "Tainted Love?" Right, I thought so. It's not just 1980s clubs, though, "Tainted Love" still gets played with nearly the same frequency as "Blue Monday" (although, unless you are playing the "Where Did Our Love Go?" extended mix, it's not good for a bathroom break). But, dear readers, I would like to remind you that there is so much more to Soft Cell than a Northern Soul cover that half the world (including Marilyn Manson, I presume) didn't realize was a cover. (For the record, I might not have known that it was a cover had I not been the daughter of soul-loving folks who informed me of such when I was six and made them turn up the radio whenever Soft Cell came on.) Like I said, though, there is much more to Soft Cell than "Tainted Love," namely three albums stemming from the band's first incarnation (four, if you include Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing) and loads of singles of dirty, electronic dance music with lyrics that describe the nightlife more accurately than any newspaper or alternative weekly club column ever could. When you go out in LA, it is as likely that you will hear "Tainted Love" as you will see a drunkard puke in the corner of a booth, but you might also hear "Sex Dwarf," "It's a Mugs Game," "What?" or "Bedsitter," in addition to many other tracks (I played "Down in the Subway" a lot at Bang!, while "Torch" and the re-formed Soft Cell track "Monoculture" were biggies at Transmission).
Soft Cell is a huge personal influence (and I could probably name a handful of other DJs out here who would feel the same). As such, I plan on doing Soft Cell and Soft Cell-related posts whenever the opportunity presents itself. Today's edition features a cover.
Now, if Soft Cell is the ultimate club band, then "Bedsitter" is the ultimate club song. While we don't have bedsits in the U.S., studio apartments and/or bachelors provide a nice substitute. This is the morning-after song, when you wake up alone and realize that the people that see you every week at some establishment don't really contact you outside of the club. Then you realize, much like in an episode of the short-lived That 80s Show, that you don't even know the last names of all of your friends. (So true, so very true.)

Carter USM "Bedsitter"
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This version is provided, as noted above, by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. You might recall this band from its minor modern rock hit "The Only Living Boy in New Cross" (also, I think "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" got some radio play). Note that the end of this true Soft Cell cover is actually "Torch." Nice little mash-up, boys.
When I found this, I immediately emailed my friend Paul the (ex) Go Go Box Whore, a friend I met at the clubs whose last name I actually can say and spell. Paul is a big Carter USM fan, so I offered to send it to him. Turns out he already had a copy. He also noted that it was released on the U.S. version of the single "Bloodsport for All." Man, if it weren't Paul, I probably wouldn't know jack about Carter USM (and, off the subject, I would only know one Bloodhound Gang song if it weren't for him). I couldn't find copies of this cover version available, but you can check Carter USM's website for CDs and other related fangear.
Now, that we're on the subject of clubs...
Last night, Carlos and I went to this show at the Avalon. We learned an important lesson that I want to pass on to you. Never park in the lot across from Avalon, as they charge $20 on WEEKNIGHTS! The lot behind Capitol Records charges $10. The lot at the Music Box, where I parked, charges $8 and it's only a two-block walk to the club from there.
In other last night news, it took a long time for the headliner to hit the stage, so long that 3/4 of Disintegration played over the PA. By the time side 2 (not really side 2, as I heard "Last Dance" and the sound didn't suck, so it was obviously a CD) of the album kicked into gear, the crowd was screaming, as if they thought that "Prayers for Rain" was part of the band's set. Couldn't they tell that the music was pre-recorded? Couldn't they tell that this was from the best Cure album ever created (yup, better than Pornography)?
I thought that everyone had a copy of Disintegration. I was wrong. With that in mind, I'd like to urge anyone who doesn't have a copy of this album to get one. This album is epic, so much so that Robert Smith has spent the following decade-and-a-half writing music that ranged from mediocre to "Dude, what were you thinking?" in comparison. Go to your local record store and purchase an actual copy because the cover art and lyric sheet are imperative to this album. Also, note that there are two songs missing on the vinyl version. For the record, I will never, ever post an MP3 from this album on account of the fact that you must listen to it from start to finish in one sitting in order to get the true effect.

If you ever hear House of Love at a club, consider yourself lucky as it doesn't happen very often. In these instances, you are most likely listening to Dia or Chris B., both of whom spent a good chunk of the 1990s at the former LA Brit pop hot spot Cafe Bleu, or you're at Violaine. In these instances, you might hear "Christine" or this diddy.

House of Love "Don't Know Why I Love You"
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This is the song that I remember best, having seen the video more times than I could count through a combination of 120 Minutes and Request Video viewings.

House of Love "Destroy the Heart"
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My main memory of this song was that I thought it was Jesus & Mary Chain for years.
You can still catch videos for both songs, as well as the previously mentioned, but not posted, "Christine" if you watch The Alternative on VH1 Classic.

House of Love "Pink Frost"
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"Pink Frost" was originally performed in 1984 by The Chills, one of those New Zealand/Flying Nun bands that you probably read about at some point in time or other. I never really knew much about the Chills, which is probably expected since "Pink Frost" was not the hit in the US that it was in New Zealand. However, I can tell you that this number has been covered a lot, probably not as much as "Tainted Love," but you get the point. I first heard "Pink Frost" in the hands of LA band Babyland. When Carlos and I first met, one of the only bands we both dug was Babyland and he had played me the cover, telling me it was originally done by this band called The Chills. I only had a passing knowledge of the group from rummaging through the archives at KXLU, so I ran almost literally into the stacks, found the record and put it on one of the turntables. It became an instant favorite for both of us. Now that I have House of Love's cover, I think my "Pink Frost" collection might actually be going somewhere.

Now, because this is America, land of demographics and home of males aged 18-35 ("Give me ROCK or give me death"), your best bet for finding these songs is to look through the Import sections of your local record stores. Here's a starting point (you might not want to look at the price), and here is a list of similar items that might be more affordable.

When I was a freshman in high school, somebody asked me if I was a goth and I answered, "Huh?" I had gone to this really small parochial school beforehand (graduating in a class of 25) where pretty much everyone was into either metal or hip-hop and I was considered the freaky kid who listened to Morrissey and Depeche Mode, so even though I had seen other kids who looked like me and wore t-shirts of bands that I liked at the mall or Tempo Records, the whole idea of music subcultures was a novel concept in my mind. When these things were pointed out to me, I definitely did gravitate towards goth, since I already had the beginner's record collection (Siouxsie, The Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy) and could get the look without trying (my hair is two shades shy of black when it isn't dyed and my skin only knows two hues, alabaster and crimson). Later, when I was old enough to start clubbing, the goth scene became my sanctuary. I felt more at home at goth clubs than indie rock shows because, oddly enough, it seemed friendlier. At the indie rock shows, for the most part, people just stood around in various aloof postures, shifting their weight from foot to foot and offering only polite applause after each song. At goth clubs, people were actually having fun, waltzing around the dancefloor to everything from Legendary Pink Dots to "This is Halloween" (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) as though nobody was watching. At goth clubs, you could wear an outfit that would make you hide your face in shame when you looked at the picture five years after the fact (although some of the looks were so incredible that even John Galliano might be jealous) and it didn't matter. Off the dancefloor, you could strike up conversations with virtually anyone and end up discussing everything from that Switchblade Symphony show that everyone was at the weekend prior to Camus.
The thing about goth that differentiates it from any other music subculture is that it never was, nor will it ever be, cool. At the same time, no matter how much anybody, whether its the kid down the street or a smarmy journalist, disses goth, you can't kill the scene. For one thing, while there is a specific look and sound attributed to goth that changes oh-so-slightly over time, it is not fueled by trends. Second, goths actually have a sense of humor, so there is nothing anyone can say about it that goths haven't said about themselves first. When goths say things like, "I wish I lived in the 17th century, where people could embrace my darkness" (actual quote heard on Oprah sometime in the late-1990s), people think they are serious. Yeah, like some portly teenage guy in black lipstick and chains seriously thought he could have a higher rate of survival in the 17th century. Ask a stupid question and ye shall receive a stupid answer.
I haven't DJed at a goth (and/or industrial) club in six years and my connections to the scene now are minimal. However, I continue to defend it as a valid scene that has spawned plenty of creative sounds. The tune below probably gives a better picture of goth than I ever could.

Qntal "Ad Mortem Festinamus"
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When I started DJing at Coven 13, this was already a big hit. It combines several major elements of goth. First and foremost, it's electronic and goths are a technologically savvy bunch. No need for lo-fi crap here. Second, it's in Latin (I asked my Latin-major brother to translate the title and said that it means, roughly, "Rushing Towards Death") and features operatic vocals, pointing to the goth tendency to develop interests perceived to be odd by the tabloid-reading, trashy expose-loving public at large. Finally, it's definitely a dance song and goths are some of the most avid dancers you will ever find.
Qntal actually formed in the early-1990s with the intent of making medieval-influenced electronic music and succeeded with that formula until it disbanded in 1999. "Ad Mortem Festinamus" initially appeared as a 12" single in 1992 and was later released on the album Qntal I, which was available here as an import. Used and sealed/collectible copies can be found in very limited quantity through Amazon. I would also suggest checking with Vinyl Fetish, which is the best resource for goth/industrial music in Los Angeles.

My dear friend Balthazar Monsoon, who posts as often as possible on this blog, graduated college this weekend. To celebrate, I thought it would only be appropriate to post two tracks that combine both his love of dance music with his love of Kate Bush.
One thing that always disturbed me was the copious supply of Kate Bush material in the used bins at Los Angeles record stores. One could easily acquire the bulk of her catalogue, or at least the essentials, on vinyl in a single trip to a well-stocked used record store. Perhaps Kate Bush fans are simply older folks who lost interest in record players and swapped vinyl for cds. However, part of me fears that she's the sort of artist that people just don't get. Maybe she's too out there for Adult Album Alternative types and too NPR for hipsters. I just don't know.
Certainly, though, the scope of Bush's influence is huge. Tori Amos aside, however, Kate Bush is a frequently referenced artist. Her songs have been covered extensively throughout numerous genres. Two of my favorites are The Futureheads' version of "Hounds of Love" (hear it on My Space) and Placebo's rendition of "Running Up That Hill" (available for preview and purchase on the band's website).
Dance club aficionados know that Bush's music has been sampled and reworked nearly as often as it has been covered over the years. Perhaps the best known of the Dancefloor Kate tracks is the one below.

Utah Saints "Something Good"
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Released in 1992, "Something Good" gives a kick to the best known lyric Bush sang throughout the course of "Cloudbusting."
"Surely something good is going to happen."
I heard this track for the first time somewhere in the midst of ninth grade and the line stuck with me. I hated school, hated my boring, virtually friendless life, but something good was going to happen, right? Even today, I hum that line, trying to mimic the pitched-up sound of this Utah Saint's track, whenever I need some sort of reassurance.
A few years later, I came across the 12" while rummaging around at Aron's in search for stuff to play at the DJ gigs that I was just starting to book. I didn't think I would have any use for this number at a club, but at $2, the record called me. It said, "Liz, buy me and you won't be sorry. Someday, you will play me and your friends will dance." I think I played it two or three times on my show at KXLU, obscuring the name on the playlist I had to fill out so that no one could say anything about playing a song that was too dated and too dance. However, I never played it at a club until the spring of 2003 (roughly) at Transmission, which has everything to do with the following track.

Kate Bush v. Infusion "Running Up That Hill"
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Again with the rummaging. I was in Amoeba one day following my usual ritual inside the store: brief overview of the new releases in rock and dance; perusal of various artist files in search of albums on my mental list; serious dig of the white label section. I picked up this remix by Australian group Infusion with no clue as to its sound. All I understood was that it was some sort of dance mix of "Running Up That Hill" and I had to have it.
Now, "Running Up That Hill" is actually a big goth club track, or at it least it was for a lengthy period of time. However, even the original 12" extended version is incredibly difficult for non-goth dancing, which is why you probably won't even hear it at a 1980s club unless you arrive fairly early. (For the record, I don't believe that I ever played it at an 80s club, although it was pretty much required spinning at my goth gigs.) When I put this record on my turntable for the first time, it was like manna falling into my hands. The beat was perfect for an electro-heavy club like Transmission and there was just enough of the original song incorporated into this mix to pique the attention of the late-20s/early-30s crowd that the club attracted. It became a staple of my set for the rest of the year. Avid followers of dance music probably heard it frequently in the sets of major progressive house DJs and/or read about it in magazines like Jockey Slut.

Finding these songs in a tangible form:

Amazon does have used and sealed copies of the CD version of "Something Good." As for vinyl, while copies of "Something Good" don't match the proliferation of "Running Up That Hill" 12" singles in the bins, it isn't that hard to find. Keep your eyes open and you'll find it.

Although it was issued in limited quantities as a white label, I have seen copies of the Kate Bush v. Infusion vinyl at Amoeba in the past year. This is what you will be looking for.

There is a wealth of information regarding Kate Bush available online. Start with her Wikipedia entry and work your way through the links. Also, Mojo ran an incredible piece on her about three years ago, that you should seek.

Remember how I recommended that people show up to Beat It early? Well, the club essentially sold out before 11. Sometime after someone snapped a photo of Erika (out from Arizona!), Anthony and I dancing behind the gear to Lady Sovereign, Erika got a text message from our friends Diana and Vince (in town from San Diego), who were apparently amongst a line of roughly 200 people going down Hollywood Boulevard.
Inside, the room was so packed and filled with energetic sing-alongs for nearly every song that I lost track of time. When the lights came on, my first thought was, not only have I gone without a smoke for almost five hours (in a nightclub, no less), but I didn't have to pull a "Blue Monday."
The big hit of the night was "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. No surprise there, since this song has hit LA big post-Coachella. "Crazy" was closely followed by Wolfmother's hit "Woman" in its remixed form and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The most requested bands were She Wants Revenge, Ladytron, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Faint. Here's the setlist.
Arcade Fire-- Rebellion (Lies)
Spoon-- I Turn My Camera On
Scissor Sisters-- Take Your Mamma Out
The Killers-- Jenny was a Friend of Mine
Angels & Airwaves-- The Adventure
Radiohead-- Idioteque
Golden Boy feat. Miss Kittin-- Rippin Kittin
Goldfrapp-- Number One
Shiny Toy Guns-- Don't Cry Out
Ladytron-- Seventeen
The Sounds-- Living in America
Franz Ferdinand-- Do You Want To?
White Stripes-- Seven Nation Army
The Strokes-- 12:51
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-- By the Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth
The Rapture-- House of Jealous Lovers
The Faint-- Paranoia Attack
Panic! at the Disco-- The Only Difference Between Suicide and Martyrdom is Press Coverage (Tommie Sunshine Mix)
Louis IV-- Finding Out True Love is Blind
Bloc Party-- Banquet
Hot Hot Heat-- Bandages
Interpol-- Obstacle 1
She Wants Revenge-- Red Flags and Long Nights
Fischerspooner-- Emerge
Peaches-- Fuck the Pain Away
Lady Sovereign-- Random
MIA-- Bucky Done Gun
Dead 60s-- Riot Radio
Kaiser Chiefs-- I Predict a Riot
Hard-Fi-- Hard to Beat
Daft Punk-- Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Franz Ferdinand-- Take Me Out (Daft Punk Mix)
The Faint-- Your Retro Career Has Melted
Wolfmother-- Woman (MSTRKFT Mix)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs-- Gold Lion
Modest Mouse-- Float On
Gorillaz-- Feels Good, Inc.
Gnarls Barkley-- Crazy
Madonna-- Hung Up
Mylo vs. Scissor Sisters-- Drop the Numb
Felix da Housecat-- Silver Screen, Shower Scene
Blur-- Boys and Girls
Ladytron-- Playgirl
The Bravery-- An Honest Mistake
Bloc Party-- Two More Years (MSTRKFT Mix)
She Wants Revenge-- Tear You Apart
Le Tigre-- Deceptacon
Yeah Yeah Yeahs-- Y Control (Tommie Sunshine Mix)
The Sounds-- Song with a Mission
The Rapture-- Out of the Races and Onto the Track
White Stripes-- Blue Orchid
Fallout Boy-- Dance Dance (Tommie Sunshine Mix)
Dirty Sanchez-- Fucking on the Dancefloor
Franz Ferdinand-- Michael
The Strokes-- Juiceboxx
Arctic Monkeys-- Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Morningwood-- Nth Degree
The Killers-- Mr. Brightside
Interpol-- Slow Hands
Editors-- Munich
Ladytron-- Destroy Everything You Touch
She Wants Revenge-- These Things
Shiny Toy Guns-- Le Disko
Elastica-- Connection
Scissor Sisters-- Filthy Gorgeous
Kylie Minogue-- Can't Get You Out of My Head
Rock Kills Kid-- Paralyzed
Nightmare of You--- I Want to be Buried in Your Backyard
Spinto Band-- Oh Mandy

On a final note, since several people were asking me about the Mylo v. Scissor Sisters mash-up, here's a link where you can presumably acquire it. The Panic! at the Disco remix that a few others asked about is available on the 7" for "But It's Better If You Do," which is a UK import.

This is the part where I hype of tonight's gig at Beat It, which will be the best damn time you have had in ages. I've posted the ad at the bottom, just in case you forgot.
I'm playing new rock and electro in the front room beginning at 9:30 p.m. and will be on for the whole night. Marathon set! Now, the important thing to remember about marathon sets, from the DJ perspective, is to keep the set diverse. I'm bringing pretty much everything I have that fits with the room's theme, so whether you have a hankering for Editors, Miss Kittin, Lady Sovereign or Nine Black Alps, you will be in for treats.
Having played a good deal of holiday weekend events over the past nine years, I've learned a lot about surviving the madness. With that in mind, here are some holiday club tips.

• Show up early. Holiday parties always pack quickly and there is nothing more tedious than standing in line when you can hear a song you love filtering through the smoking patio door. Plus, if you like to dance without bumping into people, you'll get more floor time in the beginning of the evening.
• Drink lots of water. Summer weather, crowds and lots of dancing mean that you will probably sweat a lot. Start drinking water beforehand. I usually go through two bottles before I even get to the club and another few at the club.
• Eat light. Again with the heat thing. Nothing is worse than trying to dance in a thick crowd with a bean & cheese burrito sitting at the pit of your stomach.
• Dress for the occasion. Of course, you should dress your best, but also make sure your clothes and, especially, your shoes are comfortable.
• Be careful! Remember that there is a DUI checkpoint near the club and the Sheriff might not just wave people through tonight. I hate to sound like my mom, but if you are the designated sucker (like me) tonight, please stay sober.
• Most importantly, have fun. When you go out with a group of your friends, there is bound to be some sort of drama. It's inevitable. Just ignore it and you'll have a much better time.

This message brought to you by The People's Dance Party, leaders of the dance revolution. ;-)

Last night, I played a barbecue hosted by a school friend who also happens to be a DJ. Having finished up fairly early, Carlos and I decided to head over to Bang! so that I could talk to Frankie about the gear in the front room, where he was DJing last night and I am DJing tonight.
We left fairly early, which is when the real story begins.
We pulled out of the lot only to realize that the line of cars on Sycamore is dead stopped. Thinking that there must have been an accident at the corner or on Franklin, we turned around and headed out on Hollywood Boulevard, where it took roughly five minutes to get through the intersection at Hollywood. The gridlock was such that we got stuck in the intersection along with three other carloads of people while going through the turn signal. From there, we spent another half-hour waiting. We cursed the city's powers that be for thinking that building a mall on the corner of an already congested intersection and then hyping said mall so that every Midwest tourist will travel 2000 miles to shop at The Gap was a good idea. We muttered about how there better be a good reason for this bullshit, how it better be a bomb threat or something equally gnarly.
Our reason for spending a back-spazzing amount of time in the same spot on Highland Boulevard was far less interesting that we had imagined. The County Sheriff (odd considering that this is Los Angeles city and, therefore, the LAPD's terrain) set up a DUI check point six feet from the 101 entrance, thus narrowing the street with a series of cones and brawny men in blue to one lane. On top of this, not a single person in the miles of line in front of us seemed to be stopped. We just had to slow down as Sheriff Dude waved a light, thus motioning us through the stop, without even glancing inside the car. Of course, they had to set up shop at the Highland offramp, the exit that all of us northern types (i.e. The Valley and the crap that surrounds the Valley) must take to get to most destinations in Hollywood, as well as every location in WeHo, Miracle Mile, etc. Hence, our fifteen-minute drive back to my house lasted over an hour. Thanks, dudes.