Turn The Lamp Down Low

At a time when DJs switch their entire sound at the request of a promoter like they’re changing undies, The Gaslamp Killer is an enigma; a DJ on a quality controlled mission to warp minds and bring the real, raw shit everywhere he goes.

A tasteful purveyor of beats ranging from dusty, head-nodding instrumentals through to wobbling dubstep and even into rock, The Gaslamp Killer combines turntablism with remarkably on-point selection to weave his way through genres like a Jewish shark. He’s abrupt, a self-confessed neurotic, and he’s on his way to Brisbane.

I’m interested to know what exactly it was that led him to want to destroy an entire section of San Francisco, namely the infamous Gaslamp District. “I grew up in San Diego, and the Gaslamp District is where most of the clubs are and it's one of the only areas for a DJ to gig ... it is populated mostly by people who go out to the clubs expecting Britney Spears and Nelly.

“I have always played some ‘other shit’ and every time the promoter would book me, hoping that the people in the club would understand or appreciate the style of music I play and the way I play it. Well ... they didn't. They hated it. I played many nights in the Gaslamp District and killed these fuckin’ yuppies ears every time. Hence The Gaslamp Killer.”

Search the Internet and Gaslamp’s name is synonymous with Low End Theory, a club night reaching legendary status in LA - a hotbed of talented producers and DJs refusing to bend their sound and ideals to the market place. What’s it like to share the stage weekly with crew like DJ Nobody, Daddy Kev, Flying Lotus and Daedelus? “The Low End Theory is a movement. It's a place where young people can go to be themselves and where artists can truly express their artistic selves on and off stage, and we can take it where ever we wanna go.

“Low End Theory has more support than almost any other musical/ artistic movement of its kind and of its time ... it's constantly packed with 400 to 700 young people who actually wanna hear some new shit and love what we do. I would not be the artist or the man I am without the Low End Theory.”

With a wealth of beat-matching software and piles of don’t-work-too-hard-at-your-craft hardware available to the modern DJ, it would seem that the art of turntablism seems to be dying to a certain extent - what’s Gaslamp’s take on this? “It has always been a lost art that only the truly hungry young DJ will take the time to learn to cut nowadays, let alone juggle. But there are some amazing ‘tablists out there still, cutting and doing routines that shit on their elders, it's just not as popular anymore.

“Q (DJ Qbert) is the homie. Whenever I'm up in San Francisco I try and stop by his place to practice. He even made it out to the Prefuse 73 and GLK show we had a few weeks ago.”

On the eve of Gaslamp’s second trip down under, the man is excited to be headed our way and has even come in contact with a unique Australian life form previously - the bogan. “This will be my second time to Australia, but I have not actually made it there yet. I'm in Wellington, NZ now and loving it. I am very excited to be coming back to Australia, and this time I am much more prepared to really rock some crowds. I’ve been waiting for this tour for some time now and I'm very happy it’s almost time. I have met a few bogans in my day and they are still nicer people than our American morons like on the Jersey shore and shit. They are the worst, trust me!”

Elements of the dubstep scene can be slightly militant – I’m interested to hear what GLK has planned for the purists. “I try to embody hip hop as well as rock n roll. On stage I channel both spirits ie. rock and rap. One set can range from Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix to Dre and Dilla to Flylo and Dimlite to some Indian bollywood and Turkish psych. Expect an educational set with a touch of rock n roll energy and eclectic exorcisms. I rock the party my way, that's all. My rules, no industry standards apply.”

The Gaslamp Killer plays The Step Inn Saturday March 6.