Electro two-piece Big Gigantic sets focus on clubs shows, festivalshttp://www.thereader.com/images/uploads/MusicBigGigantic.jpg

by Jesse D. Stanek

Colorado-based two-piece Big Gigantic plays a bombastic mixture of jazz rhythms and electronic dance beats. Featuring saxophonist/producer Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken, Big G’s music was made for dancing and the duo have been ably ripping up clubs from coast to coast. They made a big wave on the festival circuit last summer, including much-talked-about sets at both Rothbury and Wakarusa. And while the recorded material isboth ambitious in its scope and vision, the records primarily serve as a tool to get folks to the shows. Accordingly, it makes perfect sense that Big G offers both of their longplayers and an EP for free download on its website. “We really want to get our music to as many people as possible and this is really the best way for us to do that,” Lalli wrote in an email after driving 12 hours through a white-knuckle snowstorm from Boulder to Sioux Falls. “We give our music away for free and hope that people will come check us out live.” The band’s latest effort, A Place Behind The Moon, is a sprawling effort, charging and pulsing in one moment and laying it back jazz-style in the next. The saxophone lends a smooth mood that intertwines effortlessly with Lalli’s electronic sounds, and Salken serves as a more-than-capable rhythmic accompaniment. Big G’s sound is singular in that no one else is making similar music; however, the never-ending flourishes and nuances that give Big G its depth also lend a somewhat primal familiarity. The record is a lively testament to the music’s energy and the passion the band sparks during live shows. Songs like “Lucid Dreams” and “High and Rising” showcase a cutting edge understanding of what electronic music is capable of and offers an almost hip-hop sensibility and strut. “The initial vision is pretty similar to what we are today in terms of the music,” Lalli wrote. “Playing electronic music as a duo. Songs, some improvising and solo’s, etc. We honesty never thought things would take off as much as they have; but, we are really grateful and happy the way things have turned out and we’re excited for what’s in store for 2011.” Touring has always been a major part of the band’s modus operandi and in the process they have forged legions of booty-shaking fans across the country. They want to maintain their momentum with a major headlining tour this winter, leading to a summer filled with festival spots and club shows. The band’s penchant for live exploration and devotion to hitting the road has led them to be embraced by a jam band scene whose members appreciate playful improvisation and artful melodies and grooves. Music with such ambitious scope could be dawdling and somewhat precocious in the hands of lesser musicians, but however both Salken and Lalli have the chops to see the sound through to something tangible and relevant. “We feel really fortunate to be in the position we’re in right now and we want to just keep having a great time, keep working hard,” Lalli wrote. “It’s great being on tour and having kids come out and throw a big party every night. We are having a blast.” Big Gigantic w/ Somasphere play The Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St., Thursday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 day of show. For more info or to purchase tickets visit radkadillac.com.

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