Boulder, CO · electronic · jam · livetronica · jazz-electronic

Big Gigantic

2 festivals played ↓

Saxophone and live drums over electronic production — the Colorado duo that made horns a festival-stage instrument again, equal parts jam band and drop machine.

Big Gigantic are a duo from Boulder, Colorado, formed in 2007 by saxophonist and producer Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken. Lalli trained as a jazz musician and holds a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music, while Salken built his chops as a touring drummer, including a stint with the Victor Barnes Bluegrass Band. That mix of formal training and road experience shaped the project from the start.

The band's core sound pairs live saxophone and drums with electronic production rooted in hip-hop, funk and dance music. On stage the pair favor improvisation and interplay between the two instruments over strict adherence to the recorded arrangements, a habit that keeps them booked on both electronic and jam-band bills.

Big Gigantic released much of their early music independently, often as free downloads, before their profile grew with albums like Brighter Future in 2016, which featured guest turns from Waka Flocka Flame, Logic, Jennifer Hartswick, Rozes, Angela McCluskey, Natalie Cressman, GRiZ and Cherub, and reached number two on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Their seventh album, Free Your Mind, followed in 2020, backed by a 26-date tour.

Lalli and Salken also perform in side projects: Big Grizmatik, a collaboration with fellow producers GRiZ and Gramatik, and Gigantic Underground Conspiracy, a jam-electronica supergroup formed with members of the Disco Biscuits and Underground Orchestra.

The duo have toured across the United States and played shows in Europe, South America and Asia. Since 2012 they have staged their own annual Rowdytown event at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, which has sold out each September.

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