Hailing from sunny San Diego, William Benjamin Bensussen aka The "Mutherf@@kin'" Gaslamp Killer as he likes to call himself has quickly become a highly sought after beat maestro.

The Gaslamp Killer is a raw revolutionary who sets every moment on shatter. A GLK DJ set is an experience in the ultra-unexpected. Wrecking the decks like Animal minus the soft Muppet facade, Gaslamp is a tornado of exploding hair and energy. The Gaslamp Killer’s ruthless focus is on high. This murderer continues breeding brightness by evaporating boring beats.

Gaslamp Killer is a rare treat for Vietnam’s music-starved masses--this is the real deal, folks, so come out and represent...

AnyArena.com managed to catch up with Gaslamp before his Vietnam show on the  27th @ the Cage.

Where did the name “The Motherf@@king Gaslamp Killer” come from?

I played in downtown San Diego, which is Naval Surf Academy meets the Laguna Beach MTV show—that’s what I grew up with. I didn’t have a nurturing community to DJ from. I’d be playing—from the age of 17—every weekend, escorted in and out of fancy Gaslamp District clubs to play for meatheads. Give me one Coca-Cola and escort me out—couldn’t sell CDs, couldn’t give away stickers. Usually I cleared the dance floor and made the meatheads mad—the girls wouldn’t dance. But the promoters liked it. So they kept bringing me back to educate these meatheads. I was always playing instrumental psych dirty beats. A friend of mine was like, ‘You’re the only one in the Gaslamp doing what you’re doing—the only one killing the Gaslamp!’ I was makin a mix tape at the time with my boy ADM, & we didn’t have a name for the mixtape, so we called it Gaslamp Killers. The name came from the mix & those hard times in my life.

You music style has been called a lot of things, How would you describe it ?

Dirty Instrumental Beats Mixed with World Music & Rap + Some Radiohead & Jimi Hendrix too!

You have toured America, Europe and Asia... how did people from each continent react to your music?

All of us kids are the same in the world. We all want to be free & have fun when we go out & listen to music. everyone just wants to be themselves & when i play i think people can really let loose & be themselves. Europe to the USD to Australia & Asia, were all just trying to be free & have some f@ckin fun!

I Love playin in Europe & the UK tho - there is nothing like it in the world, (besides The Low End Theory of course) - the energy is a bit higher at the festivals in Europe than in the states from what I have experienced, I think it may have something to do with the fact that most places I have been in the UK & EU, the Government actually supports the arts & gives grants to artists putting parties & festivals together, there by supporting the young people that go to said parties & festivals! Where as in the US the City, State, & federal Government wants to stop any large gathering of young people from taking place & if they can't stop it, then they make sure to keep the events policed to no end, filling the place with undercover cops & security out the yingyang!

My Troubled Mind’ and your previous releases all share a similar disturbing, nostalgic sound. What the story behing the production this  album ?

My Troubled Mind is a bunch of music I recorded & manipulated over the course of 3 years - the samples range from Turkish to Russian to Mexican to Indian + some Italian synth shit - it's a 16 minute ride thru my fav styles of music - fucked up & re arranged by me.

What do you expect from your gig in Vietnam?

I know its gonna be f@ckin nuts! High energy people just like me! I cant wait! Peace 2 nam baby! GLK OUT!

Thanks to Gaslamp Killer for his words and beats. Witness him live this Friday.

Friday 27th Nov

@ the Cage
3a Ton Duc Thang
Entry 100,000 VND

Watch Gaslamp Killer's greeting to Saigon on YouTube, click here

The event proudly brought to you by THE BEATS + Yan Tv

Interview by Jase Nguyen

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