LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — With a flick of his wrist, Mark Gil Gacutan was able to raise an entire Las Vegas club floor as a prolific downtown DJ. His sudden death led the EDM community to host a 3-day musical festival in his memory.
On March 17, Las Vegas police found the body of Mark Gil Gacutan, 29, at Lorenzi Park after family members said they grew concerned he was missing. Mark Anthony, Mark Gil’s brother and DJ partner, said he and other members of the EDM scene are preparing to honor the DJ’s legacy.
“His technique was insane, his selections were insane,” Mark Anthony said. “But he was my best friend.”
The duo of Las Vegas High School grads formulated their brand, known as MGMA, behind Beauty Bar and entertained Las Vegas audiences for a year, cultivating numerous relationships with their peers, according to Mark Anthony.
“We were like, we are going to learn and we’re going to be just great DJs,” he said. “We tried it, we sucked at it, but we were great DJs, and our whole goal was to foster more DJs that just wanted to have fun.”
Mark Anthony, who now performs on the Las Vegas Strip, said they accomplished their dream, but the recent passing of two close family members brought emotional hardship to both brothers.
“My brother was having a tough time,” Mark Anthony said.
The Clark County Coroner has not yet provided a cause of death for Mark Gil.
“I understand it more than most people, is that death is part of life. It’s the end of suffering,” Mark Anthony said. “When I got to call, the first vision I got was my family is up there. My whole family’s up there.”
After an outpouring of support from the EDM community, Mark Anthony thanked his peers for acknowledging the duo’s commitment to their audience.
“It’s still surreal… but I think that’s power of a community,” he said. “You don’t know when it’s going to happen, but when it does, they’re with you, and I feel the love of everyone.”
Music festival and vigil
After the news broke of Mark Gil’s death, his friends and peers immediately started a GoFundMe, which has been verified by 8 News Now, will go for his funeral costs, and started to organize a music festival in his honor—all proceeds going to the family.
Mark Gil Gacutan Celebration of Life
- March 28, Rage & Recover @ Audio Bar, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- March 28, RVLTN & R&R @ Substance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- March 29, Vigil @ Lorenzi Park, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- March 30, Celebration of Life @ We All Scream, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Alexander Skerlich, CEO and owner of entertainment company Rage & Recover, said the Mark brothers helped support him when he started in downtown Las Vegas.
“Mark Gill was a very, very close friend of mine turned brother, truly,” he said. “We met here on this block, actually, Fremont East, in the Las Vegas rave scene. He and his brother are very, very influential people in the Las Vegas community, and they put on some of the most amazing experiences.”
Skerlich said he learned of Mark Gil’s death after a call from a friend and immediately reached out to Mark Anthony.
“It was a painful moment, you know, and it’s not our first experience with death,” Skerlich said.
Several deaths in the EDM scene have started a conversation about caution and safety in the industry, according to Skerlich.
“Drugs and alcohol are common thing, common theme here in Las Vegas,” he said. “I gear towards sobriety, but I don’t push that on anyone; I just want to kind of guide people into a more positive direction in their own lives.”
As for the impact Mark Gil’s life had on the EDM scene, Skerlich said there will be a gap that the Las Vegas DJ filled.
“I owe a lot to both of those boys, Mark Gill and Mark Anthony,” Skerlich said. “They’re amazing individuals, and I am so grateful to know both of them.”
