Passing Gas

Senior year of high school was a great year. Less zits, more freedom, and amongst leaving my small hometown and going to Santa Barbara, I was introduced to a musician that changed the way I to listen to music. It was at an Us Versus Them art exhibition where I first heard The Gaslamp Killer. The art and all the clothes were pretty cool, I still have the Stüssy shirt I bought that night, but the part that will I will never forget is GLK’s set. The old Us Versus Them shop wasn’t the first place I had seen the curly haired nutcase DJ, I actually shared a burger with him about a half an hour earlier at In-N-Out right down the street. I mean, we weren’t exactly at the same table, but I did recognize him for his strange appearance. He looked calm, but like one of those calm people that has two faces, calm face and killer face.

Later that night I left 'Versus' with the aforementioned t-shirt that is now pretty holey and GLK’s I Spit on Your Grave CD. Initially, I thought it was complete shit and I didn’t listen to that CD until about a month or so later. Little did I know, that CD would turn into the my version of crack cocaine.

After taking a greater appreciation for b-sides and more jam sesh-esque type tracks, my brain was ready for something new. A month ago, I Spit on Your Grave stood on the pitcher’s mound and threw me the meatiest curve ball you’d ever seen and I whiffed. What happened next is comparable to the moment in They Live when the protagonist puts on the sunglasses and realizes everything is just NUTS. Completely underestimating and not comprehending what I heard the first time, the second listen hooked me. Beats, beats, samples and beats. That's pretty much all the CD was, but they were sick beats. Not like the shitty mainstream hip-hop that had been out, it was something new and dark, something crazy that no one I knew had heard.

So GLK blew my mind in high school and suffice to say, he still does it today. I decided that the trip to Joshua tree with Buck, Rob, Deanna, a shit ton of beer, wine, and other alcohol was the perfect time to get lost to GLK’s latest album (at the time) All Killer. The day of climbing that I didn’t climb, but instead got really sober with the incredible amount of alcohol in my backpack, I killed a David Sedaris book and GLK killed me. After that experience and as far as I’m concerned, he has the musical taste, technical skill, and prowess that a DJ needs to break away from the herd. From Jefferson Airplane to sinister classical organ samples to crazy Middle Eastern hoopla, GLK can’t be defined.

In recent years, the rise of dubstep has played an interesting and absolutely positive role in the evolution of GLK’s style. While touring in Japan, he recorded Akuma No Chi Ga Odoru and in my opinion, his best mix to date. Later in Barcelona at his set at the Sonar Festival in 2009 (top video), GLK mixed a plethora of genres to create what apparently was a show that was so incredible, they forgot to record it for a podcast. Fortunately, Low End Theory has many of his mixes available as podcasts on their website.

Glk's eclectic style, not only demonstrated by his impressive turntablism, but also by his unique onstage presence makes GLK and his shows something you can't afford to pass up. With something new coming at his listeners all the time, his latest work (teaser below) titled Death Gate is an ominous album that all GLK fans can appreciate. If you are in the LA area, Low End Theory is THE place to catch the latest and the greatest artists on the rise. Don’t miss out while it’s still around.

If you're new to the mother fucking gaslamp killer, here's my top picks:

Akuma No Chi Ga Odoru click to listen, right click and save as to download

Gaslamp Killer & Lorn click to listen, right click and save as to download

All Killer Buy/Listen to on Itunes

Enjoy.

-gonz