It was a cold January Michigan night when the Prefuse 73 tour in promotion of his Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian album rolled into the Crofoot in Pontiac. It was actually my birthday, and since I already had my annual shindig, I decided a trip to this show would be the move. While Prefuse 73 is interesting enough, my attention focused on the performance from the San Diego born Los Angeles transplant DJ/producer The Gaslamp Killer (born William Bensussen).

I was able to link up with The Gaslamp Killer before the show. He insisted I call him Willie. At first, with his wild long stringy hair and his black rimmed glasses, he seemed like he could be awfully intimidating or somewhat of a madman. As we sat in the first level cafe at The Crofoot to chat, he came off as a really nice guy with a strong passion for the music he performs as we talk about Detroit and his upbringing.

K-Fresh: Is this the first time you have been to Michigan or Detroit?
The Gaslamp Killer: Yes.

K: Being in the LA Scene, I know rue into a lot of the Detroiters that live out there now, whats your take on Detroit music as a whole?
GLK: From what I know, Detroit music is the headquarters for some of the dopest black music in the world. Obviously, you know Slum Village is one of the dopest hip hop groups in the world. Dilla might be the dopest producers in the world in my opinion – definitely top three. I just know that there wasnt really that 80 to 100bpm (boom, bap, boom on the table) before there was Detroit in my opinion as far as production and shit goes. I know that there is most definitely a sound behind the hip hop made in Detroit that is different than any other sound and its influenced the world now. That what I know and I love it. I love Waajeed. I love Dilla. I love House Shoes and his fuckin attitude.

K: Listening to your mix, you seem to have a clusterfuck of different genres put into everything, but it all fits. Have you ever listened to Detroit stuff outside of the hip hop music, like techno or rock music?
GLK: Sure there is some rock shit that I’ve heard but I’m not that guy that knows where the bands are from or where the labels are from. I’m not that into it, I never have been. I have alot of music but I don’t study it that deep.

K: I’m talking about The Stooges, MC5
GLK: Hell yeah. Both of those bands are bad ass.

K: They are groups that change the game when it comes to music not only from Detroit, but worldwide.
GLK: They are bad ass bands.

K: Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper.
GLK: Also bad ass.

K: Detroit has always had a way of theatrics when it comes to our bands.
GLK: Thats rad. I love it and now that I know it, that awesome to know. Thats a nice little piece of history. I know about Detroit techno and thats it pioneering in the creation and production of electronic music.

K: When it comes to your mixes and even your cover artwork, you seem to have an air for the theatrics or shock value, where does that come from?
GLK: I love for rock ‘n roll and how rock ‘n roll was create from other music. It was fused from blues, jazz, soul, and R&B, and came rock ‘n roll. Its the same way I envision my style fusing all these different things so now only does it rock but its rock ‘n roll. Its very ecletic. Comes from so many different things. My style is definitely more rock than it is hip hop but at the same time hip hop motherfuckers love it because it rocks.

K: I always loved to study different genres because you can learn something from every genre and appropriate it. Its cool if you’re a hip hop head, but sometimes you can take your hip hop to another level if you study rock music.
GLK: As far as artwork goes, I have alot of help from my friend Brandy Flower from the Hit + Run crew. Designed all my t-shirts except for the Obey one. He’s designed almost everything I have ever done. He did all the rock bands for Sony Music. He did alot of the covers for Sony in the 90s and early 2000s. He has a huge influence. He’s my art director and creative director, and one of my guru’s. Brandy Flower is a bad motherfucker. He really help me. He gave me an identity as well for my most recent shit. I always have alot of energy on stage but there was never any imagery to go with it but now because of Brandy and the Hit + Run crew I do. And because of Ilias Panayiotou also. He did my 10″ cover. He’s a bad ass motherfucker too.

K: At what age did you really become conscious of music and what were you listening to?
GLK: At 11 years old, my brother gave me a Guns ‘N Roses tape and my sister gave me a Too $hort tape. When I was 12, Dr. Dre “The Chronic” and Snoop Dogg came out. That was huge in California. I knew that I wanted to see shows by the time I was 12. I wanted to go to concerts. I went to Metallica concerts. I went to a Cypress Hill concert. I went to Tha Pharcyde. I went and saw a bunch of local bands in San Diego. Punk and Ska bands and shit like that. I was already going to shows by 12 years old. Then I discovered raves and thats when the DJ became more relevant because in hip hop they didnt feature the DJ that much. After Eric B. & Rakim, hip hop groups didnt give the DJ that much time in the music videos. That was all I could see. I didn’t understand what scratching was. I didnt understand that. I was too young. Then I saw one DJ at a rave controlling the whole room and then I realized “Oh may God! These dudes are one man bands!”. Nobody in my neighborhood played instruments so I knew this is what I got to do. I dont have a band. There is nobody to play with so I got to play alone. Two turntables and a mixer there it was. Started collecting records with my belt driven turntable and my boombox. Then the next thing you know, I saved up two years later and bought somer turntables and have been practicing ever since. That was when I was 16, now I’m 27.

K: At age 6, I was listening to Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Def Leppard.
GLK: At 6 years old, my parents did not have music in house like that. My parents were very very busy trying to keep… They didnt escape with music. They were always talk radio. Very intellectual.

K: My parents were fine about it. They saw I had love for all this stuff. My mom went out and bought me this 2-in-1 cassette of Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced?” and “Axis: Bold As Love”. Then I had The Who’s “The Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy”, its the whole “My Generation” era of The Who. Def Leppard was my favorite! I had a t-shirt for every day of the week. That was me at 7 years old.
GLK: That’s rad.

K: With the way your mixes go, how do you put that together in your mind so that it all fits together?
GLK: For mixtapes, anything goes. Anything dope. If its around the same tempo, I’ll put it in there. Anything that I’m into from any genre. Thats no problem. But live, it has to have a certain kind of energy. A certain kind of aggressive. A certain umph! behind it for me to play it in front of people. Thats what I think about. Even if its a dope track, like there is so much Dilla shit that I would love to play that I listen to in my whip, I would never play for a crowd because its not the energy I want to come off with. Thats what its all about. The energy it gives me so I can give it back to the crowd.

During our conversation, he did list some of his favorites from the city of Detroit and here they go.

1. J. Dilla – This might sound cliche but Dilla is definitely the one because he could flip any style he wanted and make it dope. He could mimic any producer but he doesnt. He would make his own shit and people would mimic him.

2. The Stooges – Fuckin come’on man. One of the hardest, the most savage bands ever.

3. Waajeed – His whole catalog of beats are amazing. Practically unknown to most people.

4. Slum Village – Fuckin incredible group produced by J. Dilla, but as rappers are fuckin incredible.

5. Dwele – He is also a super dope singer and musician.

Gaslamp Killer is a Los Angeles-based DJ/producer who is a resident at the highly popular Low End Theory club night at The Airliner (2429 N. Broadway) each Wednesday in Los Angeles. For more information on The Gaslamp Killer, visit his official web site.