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Biography
Bensussen grew up in San Diego, California, U.S. and became a DJ in the Gaslamp district, developing the nickname The Gaslamp Killer for his notoriety for ruining the music vibe in various clubs. The DJ soon became known in the local area for his beat-driven tracks, psychedelia influences and left-field hip hop, releasing a whole host of mixes from 2007 including “Gaslamp Killers” and “Hell and the Lake of Fire Are Waiting for You!”. The DJ and producer became synonymous with L.A.’s huge and thriving underground party scene and earned himself resident tenure at the club Low End Theory, which led to a series of club-sponsored podcasts.
Bensussen made his production debut at the tail end of the 2000s with the EP “The Killer Robots” in 2008, and subsequently released “My Troubled Mind” in 2009 and “Death Gate” in 2010. The release of “My Troubled Mind” marked Bensussen’s signing with Flying Lotus’ label Brainfeeder Records.
After producing Gonjasufi’s debut album “A Sufi and a Killer” alongside Flying Lotus and Mainframe in 2010, Bensussen released the single “Flange Face” b/w “Seven Years of Bad Luck for Fun” in August 2012. The single became highly popular and was chosen by Pitchfork Media as Best New Track. The single paved the way for the DJ and producer’s debut album “Breakthrough” released in September 2012. The album earned positive reviews, features a multitude of samples and has contributions from Gonjasufi and Daedelus.
Live reviews
My girlfriend bought me tickets to a concert for my birthday gift. The tickets were for a dubstep/trip hop concert. The name of the artist that was headlining the show was The Gaslamp Killer.The Gaslamp Killer is a dj/producer based out of Los Angeles, CA . The atmosphere at the venue was completely, chaotic with people dancing all over the place. On several occasions the security for the venue had to come in and escort people out for acting wildly near the dj booth. There seriously was barely any room to move. Despite the tight confinements The Gaslamp Killer put on a magnificent show. The Gaslamp Killer kept dropping grimy track after grimy track that kept the crowd on their feet dancing. Each time there was a wobble or a bass drop the crowd went insane. The Gaslamp Killer is a true technician on the turntables. It seemed like each mix the whole night was seamless, I could barely tell where one song ended and another began. I also want to commend The Gaslamp Killer for his originality. In a time where multiple musician sound exactly the same, it is really refreshing to see an artist follow their on initiation for being creative.
They say a DJ should never be digging his own set more than the crowd is but seeing The Gaslamp Killer give himself whiplash every night is at least half the show. No one goes harder behind the decks than The GLK and seeing that massive ‘fro bobbing away melts any inhibitions the crowd may have had and almost guarantees a party of epic proportions.
His sets are as wild as he is, and although his style rooted in the west-coast beat scene, no one experiments more with sounds than Gaslamp. He dips into everything from club friendly hip hop to jazzy deep cuts with the general chaos of the proceedings being elevated by his unorthodox scratching or him acting as his own hypeman. The unpredictability of it all is most of the fun – I’m not even sure if he knows what he’s going to play most nights and the whole set feels like it could fall apart at any moment, but of course never does. A lot of people will go see an artist like this to appreciate the music, but GLK, whilst still delivering impeccable tunes, takes his performance one step further and has established himself as an unmissable act.
CATFROMJAPAN
William Benjamin Bensussen, better known by his stage name The Gaslamp Killer is on a one man mission to bridge the gap between alternative and hip hop. The man has played on some of the circuits most esteemed stages including Coachella and the Voodoo Music Experiment so he has had to develop his live show fast in order to stand up against the mighty pressure of these platforms.
With his energetic personality and expert mixing abilities, he gets away with it with ease. He barely stays still all evening behind his deck with his huge hair bobbing around for the whole crowd to see. They raise their arms in one as he commands them whilst holding out for a big drop during his personal remix of a Flying Lotus track. He brings the party home with a number of mixes from his debut album 'Breakthrough' whilst the audience are bathed in reds, oranges and pinks as they keep moving along to the infectious beats. A big hip hop breakdown has the whole tent bouncing before the lights cut and Will takes a triumphant final bow.
sean-ward
Gaslamp Killer is a genius. I first saw him with Flying Ltous, Thundercat and George Clinton, at the Fox, Oakland. When I saw he’d be playing The Monarch I was very excited to see him in a smaller, more intimate venue. While I’m not familiar with his catalogue of work, specifically, I noted he did some of the same stuff from the Flying Lotus show. He is technically skilled, and combines elements of rap, turntablism and songwriting & vocals to create a fantastic and unique sound. I’d recommend anyone check him out, and hope he returns to the bay, as well as trys Portland and the Northwest. The more intimate venue, as with most artists, the better.
sw0rdf1sh
Incredible show. GLK and the Heliocentrics complemented each other perfectly. Venue was packed out, and the sound was intense, and the show lasted two hours. He just kept coming back with more. Everything was helped along even further with some great visuals. Blown away...
dave-goodall
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