William Benjamin Bensussen (born November 7, 1982), better known by his stage name The Gaslamp Killer, is an American

alternative hip hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...

producer and DJ based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Career

He grew up in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, where he became a DJ in the

Gaslamp district The Gaslamp Quarter is a historic neighborhood in downtown San Diego, California. It extends from Broadway to Harbor Drive and from 4th to 6th Avenue. The neighborhood is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places ...

. His sets often ruined the music vibe in the clubs, earning him the nickname "The Gaslamp Killer". After moving to

in 2006, he helped found

Low End Theory Low End Theory was a weekly experimental hip hop and electronic music club night that took place every Wednesday from 2006 to 2018 at The Airliner in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California. History Low End Theory was founded in 2006 by produ ...

, "L.A.'s monolithic weekly showcase for uncut beat-driven tracks". The Gaslamp Killer has played at

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colora ...

, the

Austin Psych Fest Levitation and Austin Psych Fest are two annual multi-day music festivals developed and produced by The Reverberation Appreciation Society. Starting out under the name Austin Psych Fest as a single-location, three-day festival, the festival was r ...

, the

Decibel Festival The Decibel Festival was an annual music and digital arts festival in Seattle, Washington, which featured live electronic music performances, visual arts, and new media. History The festival was launched in 2003 by Sean Horton and a team of vo ...

, and the Voodoo Fest. He produced

Gonjasufi Sumach Valentine (born 1978), better known by his stage name Gonjasufi, is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi. Life and career Ecks was born in 1978 to a Mexican mother and an American-Ethiopian father. He spent his formativ ...

's debut album, ''

A Sufi and a Killer ''A Sufi and a Killer'' is the debut studio album by Gonjasufi (Sumach Ecks). It was released by Warp on March 8, 2010. The album was produced by Flying Lotus, The Gaslamp Killer, and Mainframe. Ecks said of the album: "I didn't want it to be t ...

'', with

Flying Lotus Steven Ellison (born October 7, 1983), better known as Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, DJ, filmmaker, and rapper. He has released seven critically acclaimed albums: ''1983'' (2006), ''Los Angeles'' (2008), '' Co ...

and Mainframe in 2010. In August 2012, he released a single, "Flange Face" b/w "Seven Years of Bad Luck for Fun", which was listed by

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

as their "Best New Track" of July 2012. His debut album, '' Breakthrough'', was released in September 2012. In 2015, he released a live album, ''The Gaslamp Killer Experience: Live in Los Angeles''. In 2016, he released a studio album, ''Instrumentalepathy''. In 2020, he released his latest album ''Heart Math''. In 2023, he released a collaboration with the Heliocentrics entitled '' Legna''.

Personal life

Bensussen is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and his ancestry includes

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

, Lebanese,

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

and

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

. His great-uncle is activist

Herbert Aptheker Herbert Aptheker (July 31, 1915 – March 17, 2003) was an American Marxist historian and political activist. He wrote more than 50 books, mostly in the fields of African-American history and general U.S. history, most notably, ''American Negro ...

. 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.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Breakthrough'' (2012) * ''Instrumentalepathy'' (2016) * ''Break Stuff'' (2019) * ''Heart Math'' (2020) * ''Legna'' (with the Heliocentrics) (2023)

Live albums

* ''The Gaslamp Killer Experience: Live in Los Angeles'' (2015)

EPs

* ''The Killer Robots'' (2008) (with

Free the Robots Free the Robots (born Christopher Mark Alfaro) is an underground hip hop producer from Los Angeles, California. Style Free the Robots pulls together jazz, dubstep, psychedelic music, electronic music and hip hop. History Free the Robots started ...

) * ''My Troubled Mind'' (2009) * ''Death Gate'' (2010)

Singles

* "Impulse" (2010) (with Daedelus) * "Flange Face" b/w "Seven Years of Bad Luck for Fun" (2012) * "Brass Sabbath" (2013) (with Jungle by Night) * "Murder Man" (2015) (with Mophono) * "Residual Tingles" (2016)

Mixes

* ''Gaslamp Killers'' (2007) * ''It's a Rocky Road: Volume 1'' (2007) * ''It's a Rocky Road: Volume 2'' (2007) * ''I Spit on Your Grave'' (2008) * ''We Make It Good Mix Series Volume 5'' (2008) * ''Akuma No Chi Ga Odoru'' (2009) * ''All Killer: Finders Keepers Records 1-20 Mixed by The Gaslamp Killer'' (2009) * ''Hell and the Lake of Fire Are Waiting for You!'' (2009) * ''Vs Finders Keepers'' (2009) * ''A Decade of Flying Lotus'' (2010) * ''Helio x GLK'' (2013) * ''Lavender AM: Meditation Mix'' (2013) * ''90's Hip Hop Mix'' (2024)

Productions

- "GNG BNG" from ''

'' (2008) * The Beastmaster - ''Have You Ever Bled from Your Eyes? Do You Want To?'' (2009) *

- "Kobwebz" and "Kowboyz & Indians" from ''

'' (2010)

Guest appearances

* Free the Robots - ''Free the Robots'' (2008) *

Prefuse 73 Guillermo Scott Herren is an American producer who has been based in Atlanta, Barcelona, and New York City. Herren releases music under the aliases Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora, Ahmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord, and is also part of the groups S ...

- '' Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian'' (2009) *

Nocando James McCall (born June 3, 1983), better known by his stage names Nocando and All City Jimmy, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is the 2007 Scribble Jam champion and founder of Hellfyre Club. He is a member of hip hop grou ...

- "Hurry Up and Wait" from ''

Jimmy the Lock ''Jimmy the Lock'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Nocando. It was released by Alpha Pup Records on January 26, 2010. It includes productions from Nosaj Thing, Nobody, Thavius Beck, Free the Robots, and Daedelus. The remix v ...

'' (2010)

Compilation appearances

* ''The Change Up EP-V.01'' (2006) * ''T7L: Audio Promo Disc 707'' (2007) * ''ArtDontSleep Presents... From L.A. with Love'' (2007) * ''Echo Expansion'' (2007) * ''Secret Hangout'' (2007) * ''Brainfeeder Sampler'' (2008) * ''Warp Records Spring 2008'' (2008) * ''Stussy x TurntableLab - Beats'' (2008) * ''Dublab Presents: Echo Expansion'' (2009) * ''Choice on 12'' (2010) * ''Radio Galaxia'' (2010) * ''Low End Theory Podcast'' (2010)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaslamp Killer Alternative hip-hop musicians American DJs American hip-hop record producers Hispanic and Latino American entertainers Living people American musicians of Mexican descent Musicians from San Diego Jewish American musicians American people of Lebanese-Jewish descent American people of Syrian descent American people of Syrian-Jewish descent American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American people of Turkish-Jewish descent American people of Mexican-Jewish descent Jewish hip-hop record producers Hispanic and Latino American musicians Brainfeeder artists Record producers from California Year of birth missing (living people) American Mizrahi Jews 21st-century American Sephardic Jews