Photo courtesy of Stylus.la.
After spinning all over the city for the past two decades house DJ Thee-O, also a label owner and producer, is currently focusing on producing tracks for his own label as well as playing shows this summer throughout California.
We caught up with the veteran LA DJ to find out some of his favorite stops and secret spots in the LA.
What are some mandatory stops for a night out in LA, starting with happy hour?
Usually the night begins with some food in San Gabriel Valley. Since I live in San Gabriel, I will usually stop by the Spirit House in Monterey Park before heading into downtown. If I happen to be in downtown I will make a stop at Cole’s for a French Dip, an Old Fashioned and a piece of Bourbon Pecan Pie.
Then I’ll walk next door to The Association or across the street to Las Perlas for a drink. After that, I try to dance it off. Going to Exchange when then have someone like John Digweed or Carl Cox is a must. Afterwards I always end up at The Pantry. I have been going here for years for breakfast at about 4am. It has great food and even better people watching.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the nightlife scene in LA?
LA is awesome. There are not many places where you have a thriving club scene, a thriving live music scene and also a thriving underground scene.
I love the fact that I can go DJ a high-end bottle service club in Hollywood one night, a downtown LA Pool Party at The Standard and then go off and do a warehouse show or some desert rave. There is truly something for everyone here. It is a unique place and I love it.
What would you change?
There seems to be this need to compete with Las Vegas in Hollywood. It seems like a lot of Las Vegas or Las Vegas style clubs are coming to Hollywood, which I don’t think is needed. Does Hollywood need another bottle service club that plays that “Celebrity EDM” type of music? No!
Hollywood needs a dirty underground spot where you can hear deep house and techno until the sun comes up. Save the bottle service and give me a good sound system and some proper house music, please.
What’s your favorite venue for live shows?
Hollywood Bowl. I love open-air venues for live music. There is just something magical about the Bowl. Being able to take in a bottle or two of wine, having some cheese and nibbles and being able to listen to some music under the stars is something that can’t be beat. Other venues I like are the Wiltern and the Orpheum. There are great spots all around LA, though.
What’s your favorite club to pop bottles?
I am not a “pop bottles” kind of guy. I am more of a scotch on the rocks kind of guy. My favorite place to get a drink and listen to some good music will have to be King King. It’s a great place and typically there is some damn fine music there.
Most Memorable local gig?
This is a tough one for me. I have had so many great memories at gigs here. It is hard to pick just one because there are so many unique experiences here in Los Angeles.
Best meal for $10 or less?
Pho is my value meal. I love Golden Deli and Pho Super Bowl. Both are in Alhambra and both are different enough to warrant a visit to each.
I would also recommend Dog Haus. There are a few locations that I know of, one in Pasadena and another in Alhambra. They have killer hot dogs and burgers.
In Echo Park, I would hit up Brite Spot Diner. They have a $6 menu from 3pm to 6pm and it’s also a great late night spot.
Favorite dive bar?
Golden Gopher is the non-dive bar that feels like a dive bar.
Not really a dive bar, but the bar at Umamicatessen is great and you can have a Umami burger there, which is win-win for me.
Also, you can check out Spirit House in Monterey Park. It is a somewhat upscale bar that is located in this crazy ugly hotel near Garfield and Garvey Blvds. Not a lot of people know about the place yet, but I am sure that will change.
Best late-night bites?
Well I already mentioned The Pantry of course for those 24 hour hunger pains. I will also recommend Honda Ya Izakaya in Little Tokyo. It has great Japanese food that is open until 1am from Monday to Saturday.
Another favorite is Tasty Garden in Monterey Park. It is a Hong Kong Cafe that looks like it was decorated by Prince’s interior decorator and serves filling Chinese food and Thai Tea in glass boots until 4 am. You can’t beat that.
Best place to shop for music gear?
I tend to get a lot of my gear at Guitar Center, although I am still hoping to randomly run into a used Roland TB-303 while at a pawn shop.
When I shop for vinyl records, I always hit up Amoeba Music, of course, and also will trek down to Orange County to Dr. Freeclouds mixing lab.
Top stops for a wardrobe update?
I am a huge online shopper. I go to thetiebar.com for all my ties and get all most of my glasses from Warby Parker. I would recommend check out Old Focals for some custom vintage frames, though. They have a tiny shop in Old Town Pasadena and are super helpful. I have been meaning to take a visit to Den.M Bar downtown to get some custom built jeans. For kicks, you might want to try out RIF Los Angeles in Little Tokyo.
5 tracks that are on heavy rotation for you now?
I try to change my tracks all the time. But here are some heavy hitters this spring:
Hot Natured “Reverse Skydiving (Shadow Child Remix)”
Hamza “Sun Dance”
Philip Bader “Loose Talk”
Thomas Schumacher feat. Caitlin Devlin “Every Little Piece (Hot Since 92 Remix)”
Riva Starr & Rssll “Absense (Adam Port Remix)”
LA’s best kept secret?
It used to be the great Asian food in San Gabriel Valley, but all the food bloggers are letting in everyone on that secret. The thing about LA is that the good spots don’t stay secret for long so I think I may hold on to my secrets a little longer.
