The Gaslamp Killer headlines a scratch showcase at Cervantes' Other Side on Dec. 6

The Low End Theory co-founder's first Denver date since January 2024 is a Sunday-evening turntable night in Five Points, with tickets from $22.

The Gaslamp Killer got his name by clearing dance floors. That is not a knock; it is the origin story. And on a Sunday evening in December, he brings that habit of playing the strange record back to Denver for the first time in almost two years.

The Gaslamp Killer plays Cervantes' Other Side on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $22 to $28 through eTix, where the night is billed as the annual Spun Out Scratch Showcase featuring The Gaslamp Killer. The date was announced Oct. 28. His last Denver show was in January 2024 at Knew Conscious.

The early start and the showcase billing tell you what kind of night this is: a turntable event first, with a headliner whose own sets have always leaned on hands-on DJ craft. A 2011 Dallas Observer review of a show at Trees noted that he never missed a scratch or beat.

The name comes from San Diego. William Bensussen spent his early DJ years in that city's Gaslamp District, playing the kind of out-there music that emptied dance floors, according to his Wikipedia entry. After moving to Los Angeles in 2006, he helped found Low End Theory, the weekly night that became a home base for the city's experimental beat scene. Time Out has described his live show, The Experience, as whacked-out, which is about right.

He has stayed active since that last Denver stop. His Bandcamp carries the *In The Dark* EP, released in January 2023 on Cuss Records, and a live recording from Bastid's BBQ in 2025. Denver has a history with him, too: Westword once caught him previewing a new Flying Lotus album during a frantic set at the 1up.

The room carries its own history. Cervantes' sits at 2637 Welton St. in Five Points; Scott Morrill opened Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom in January 2003 and added the Other Side as a second stage in 2004, according to Wikipedia. The building was once the Casino Ballroom and Casino Cabaret, part of the jazz history that earned Five Points the nickname "Harlem of the West," as 303 Magazine has written. At 450 capacity, the Other Side is the right size for a night like this, where the crowd can actually see the decks.

A Sunday show that starts at 6 p.m. is a gift for anyone with work on Monday. Go early, stand where you can watch his hands, and be ready for at least one record you have never heard before.

Sources: eTix: The Annual Spun Out Scratch Showcase ft. The Gaslamp Killer (etix.prf.hn); The Gaslamp Killer (Wikipedia) (en.wikipedia.org); Last night: A-Trak, Kid Sister and The Gaslamp Killer at Trees (Dallas Observer) (dallasobserver.com); The Gaslamp Killer (Time Out New York) (timeout.com); The Gaslamp Killer on Bandcamp (thegaslampkiller.bandcamp.com); The Gaslamp Killer previewed the new Flying Lotus album during a frantic set at 1up (Westword) (westword.com); Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom (Wikipedia) (en.wikipedia.org); The Black History of Cervantes' and the Five Points Jazz Scene (303 Magazine) (303magazine.com)