The Doors of Exception – Words with the Gaslamp Killer
“I’m a hair farmer man! I grow it, then cut it, then grow it again! Its fun! You never know what to expect!”.
LA’s Gaslamp Killer is all beards, beats, cuts and afros. A rock star for the scratch generation. The fact that he looks more like one of the Mars Volta than your typical DJ only adds to the mystique.
Emerging as one of the most ferocious party-rocking DJs in the world, one can only wonder how the Gaslamp Killer’s vertabrae hasn’t literally snapped in two from the intense head nod factor that is now characteristic of his DJ sets. This dude is a hiphop DJ without the hiphop, a cat who plays all the right off-kilter tracks at the least expected times. Boasting a truly global record collection, his own description of his style explains just how frantic things can get. “Well my newest mix/set goes from dirty skratch beats to dirty south raps to that future stuff like Fly Lo, Samiyam and Flako into some 1974 bollywood shit into Jaylib – and that’s just in the first 10 minutes!”.
Take a look at the amount of projects, collectives and tours that the Gaslamp Killer is involved in and you’ll start to realise that sleep isn’t too high on his list of priorities. Even getting a few words with the man via email is tough, as it seems he’s either on a plane or rockin’ out at a show.
“Tell me about it! I’m in a bloody airport again as we speak, man! No time for anything anymore! But I can’t complain about my crew or my travel! I wouldn’t change a thing!”
They must be putting something special in the orange juice over there in California at the minute, which could explain the immense musical creativity emerging from the sunny State. Cross pollination in terms of genres have led to the birth of a scene that is increasingly producing music thats melds all these styles and aesthetics into a new unique movement. To quote the Gaslamp Killer directly – “LA is back on the musical map, that’s for sure! We just can’t stop! Too many dope motherf@*kers out here, man!”.
Along side Daddy Kev, Daedelus, D-Styles, and his close buddy Flying Lotus, the Killer has been holding it down as one of resident record spinners at the Low End Theory, a cross-cultural live music night, exalted as one of the most exciting artistic events in Los Angeles since the jazz clubs of the 50’s. Already holding down residencies in both Japan and New York, GLK even goes as far as to say that there’s plans for a Low End Theory London in 2009. This kind of news makes me want to move there fast. The Killer no stranger to UK shores, regularly jumping the Atlantic to spin records at B-Music, the infamous psych DJ throwdown hosted by collector of all thats vinyl and obscure, Andy Votel.
However, its his mixes that have garnered him the most press attention. Regarded by many as the mixtape king du jour, musos and journalists from various backgrounds have been screaming and moaning in written delight at his recent ‘I’ll Spit on Your Grave’ and ‘Protons’ mixes – unpredictable paranoid journeys where the likes of Can and The Electric Prunes are forged into the dark sounds of dubstep and grime. Recent more high profile work has seen him produce mixes for both the highly respected Stones Throw label and the Mary Anne Hobbs show on BBC1, alongside Ireland’s own Mike Slott.
The Gaslamp Killer’s genre-splicing antics will be on show upstairs in Baker Place on the 15th of November, a must for any fans of obscure abstract beats, razor sharp cuts, debonair flair and a slab of humour. Joining the LA resident on the night will be Cork/Kerry’s Heliopause and Kerrynini founding members (Johnny Doobs, TheManWithNoName and King Dumb), all doing their utmost to push psychedelic wonderment on any unsuspecting ears. Things are gonna get heavy – you’ve been warned!
In the words of the GLK;
“Limerick better be ready to get FU@%ED HARD! I’m thirsty for blood! Its gonna be smashing!”.
[youtube]http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=DgbsVLxGKL0[/youtube]
