The Gaslamp Killer

Last updated

The Gaslamp Killer
Born
William Benjamin Bensussen

(1982-11-07) November 7, 1982 (age 42) [1]
Origin San Diego, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
Instruments
Years active2000–present
Labels
Website thegaslampkiller.com

William Benjamin Bensussen (born November 7, 1982), better known by his stage name The Gaslamp Killer, is an American alternative hip hop producer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. [3]

Contents

Career

He grew up in San Diego, California, where he became a DJ in the Gaslamp district. His sets often ruined the music vibe in the clubs, earning him the nickname "The Gaslamp Killer". [4]

After moving to Los Angeles in 2006, he helped found Low End Theory, "L.A.'s monolithic weekly showcase for uncut beat-driven tracks". [5]

The Gaslamp Killer has played at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, [6] the Austin Psych Fest, [7] the Decibel Festival, [8] and the Voodoo Fest. [9]

He produced Gonjasufi's debut album, A Sufi and a Killer , with Flying Lotus and Mainframe in 2010. [10]

In August 2012, he released a single, "Flange Face" b/w "Seven Years of Bad Luck for Fun", which was listed by Pitchfork as their "Best New Track" of July 2012. [11] His debut album, Breakthrough , was released in September 2012. [12]

In 2015, he released a live album, The Gaslamp Killer Experience: Live in Los Angeles. [13] In 2016, he released a studio album, Instrumentalepathy. [14] In 2020, he released his latest album Heart Math.

In 2017, a woman named Chelsea Tadros accused Bensussen of drugging and raping her and another woman at a party in 2013. [15] Bensussen denied the accusation and sued Tadros for defamation. [16] The accusation led venues such as Low End Theory to stop booking Bensussen and his label, Brainfeeder to disown him. [17] In 2019, Tadros and Bensussen settled their lawsuit and issued a joint statement maintaining that Tadros had been incapable of giving consent, but acknowledging that Bensussen was unaware of Tadros's incapacitation and that the identity of the person who drugged Tadros is unknown. [15]

In 2023, he released a collaboration with the Heliocentrics entitled Legna. [18]

Personal life

Bensussen is Jewish, and his ancestry includes Turkish, Syrian, Lebanese, Mexican and Lithuanian. [19] [20] [21] His great-uncle is activist Herbert Aptheker.

Bensussen was in a scooter accident in 2013, which nearly cost him his life. He lost his spleen and was at one point three hours from death. Due to this outcome, he is no longer able to drink alcohol. [22]

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

EPs

Singles

Mixes

Productions

Guest appearances

Compilation appearances

References

  1. ↑ The Gastlamp Killer Facebook post. Facebook. November 7, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Breakthrough by The Gaslamp Killer". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  3. ↑ Glazer, Joshua (November 20, 2010). "Gaslamp Killer at the center of the L.A. beat". Los Angeles Times .
  4. ↑ Weiss, Jeff (September 8, 2010). "The Gaslamp Killer: His troubled mind". Resident Advisor .
  5. ↑ Krimper, Michael (August 12, 2009). "Sound of vertigo: Why the Gaslamp Killer leads listeners into a hallucinatory odyssey". San Francisco Bay Guardian . Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  6. ↑ Rubin, Mike (May 25, 2010). "Lost, With Laptops, in Psychedelic Space". The New York Times . Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  7. ↑ Dewitt, Matthew (April 12, 2010). "Austin Psych Fest 3: The Gaslamp Killer". Austinist . Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  8. ↑ Segal, Dave (January 26, 2010). "The Motherfucker of Invention". The Stranger . Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  9. ↑ "10 Must-See Acts at Voodoo Fest: The Gaslamp Killer". Rolling Stone . October 15, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  10. ↑ Tewksbury, Drew (March 15, 2010). "Tonight: The Gaslamp Killer and Mainframe at Gonjasufi record release". LA Weekly .
  11. ↑ Cohen, Ian (July 31, 2012). "The Gaslamp Killer: "Flange Face" (ft. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on July 12, 2012.
  12. ↑ Murray, Robin (July 11, 2012). "The Gaslamp Killer Completes New Album 'Breakthrough' due on September 17th". Clash .
  13. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (October 5, 2015). "Watch Gaslamp Killer Experience's Trippy 'Ritual' Video". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  14. ↑ Leight, Elias (August 11, 2016). "The Gaslamp Killer Announces 'Instrumentalepathy' Album". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Blistein, Jon (July 30, 2019). "Gaslamp Killer Drops Lawsuit Against Rape Accuser, Issues Joint Statement". Rolling Stone.
  16. ↑ Newman, Jason (November 14, 2017). "Gaslamp Killer Sues Rape Accusers for Defamation". Rolling Stone.
  17. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (October 14, 2017). "The Gaslamp Killer Shows Canceled Following Rape Accusation". Rolling Stone.
  18. ↑ "The Gaslamp Killer meets the Heliocentrics - LEGNA, by the Gaslamp Killer & the Heliocentrics".
  19. ↑ Lewis, John (October 18, 2010). "The Gaslamp Killer: A bright spark hits the decks". Metro.
  20. ↑ "Run The Jewels live in two cities". Run The Jewels live in two cities - The Observer. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  21. ↑ Beeber, Steven Lee (August 10, 2012). "The Gaslamp Killer / Jeremiah Jae". Spex.
  22. ↑ "Gaslamp Killer Nearly Dies in Scooter Accident, Loses Spleen". July 18, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.