Since its conception a mere two years ago, Big Gigantic (composed of producer/saxophonist Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken) has blazed to the forefront of the jamtronica scene with their thick, vibrant tunes that cleverly combine the bounce and energy of electronic music with a jazz and hip-hop soul.
And as Big Gigantic has swept the nation with their silky smooth live show and masterfully produced studio albums, they have patented an intelligent fusion of sound that’s won the hearts of dance floors across the country.
And with the hype generated from their new album, A Place Behind the Moon, their popular remix of Chiddy Bang’s track “Opposite of Adults (Kids),” and a monstrous touring schedule this fall/winter season, it is safe to say that the project has come to be a big, gigantic success.
And with that idea in mind, I had the opportunity to speak with Dominic Lalli about their successful fall tour, the forward progress of their most recent album, and their unique business model that makes sure their beats have the best chance of finding their way into your ears.
I understand you’ve been having an exciting fall tour. What’s made this one stand out?
This fall tour is so special because we are getting to go back to a lot of towns we visited last spring. Getting to see a lot of old friends and having some great turnouts. It’s also been great being on tour with our friends Alex B and Ana Sia.
Did you do anything extra special for the Howl-O-Ween performance in Fayetteville, Arkansas?
We were Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World. We came out to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and then during the show we did a little “Thriller” remix, and it was fun, it was a good party for sure…It was rockin’ in there.
I know you’ve been touring heavily being your most recent studio effort, A Place Behind the Moon. What kind of overall aesthetic were you trying to achieve with the album?
We’re excited about it because the album is sort of like bookends. It’s kind of you know front to back, a musical story that goes from the beginning to the end. So that was the first time we’d ever done something like that on one of our recordings, and that was sort of the approach. It didn’t really start that way per se, but then when I started lining everything up and putting songs together and song titles together and stuff it all…a lot of stuff sort of made sense.
And with the titles…with the main title A Place Behind the Moon, it’s sort of like all the tracks leading up to it, it’s like a little musical journey, you know. From the beginning with “Looking Back,” and “Sky High,” each song sort of leads to the next place. And that was really interesting for us to delve into that style in terms of making the album. And we were lucky enough to get the guys from STS9 on board, and they’re on the last track “A Place Behind the Moon,” and that ends the album in a sort of peaceful and different kind of way than the rest of the album. So you know, it was cool to do something a little bit different than just throw a bunch of bangers on an album; we really wanted to have something that you could listen to from beginning to end, and that…sort of completes itself.
What were you trying to achieve with the album’s ethereal opening tune, “Looking Back,” a radical departure from the ‘bangers’ you mentioned earlier.
Well I really wanted to get some sort of interlude thing going, because you know, we’re into all kinds of different music and we love all sorts of different things, and make all kinds of different music and that all really influences us in so many different ways. So I wanted to really delve into that interlude sort of thing, and I ended up making that, and it’s sort of…it’s a very reflective kind of song. So “Looking Back” is sort of like as if you were taking off to go to the place behind the moon, and you were looking back, sort of reflecting on everything that’s happened to you before that essentially.
What, in your mind, is the ‘place behind the moon?’
Well with this album and the way the music flows, my interpretation is that the place behind the moon is that sort of peaceful place. If you listen to the last track “A Place Behind the Moon,” you know it’s just sort of relaxed and nice…very happy kind of tune. It’s kind of that place you get to when your done accomplishing something or it’s the like the end of the road of a long traveled journey. Something like that.
What are your thoughts on the forward progress Big Gigantic has made with this album?
Well I think one of the main things is that our sound has really started to come together. I feel like if you hear one of our tracks, you’re like ‘Oh, that’s definitely Big G,’ and obviously because of the saxophone but for other elements too, just like compositionally. We’re doing the electronic thing, and when we’re playing live it’s like a little more DJ based but you know, it’s like somewhere in between. It’s a little more like a song, but it’s kind of like a DJ track, so we’re hitting it somewhere in the middle. And I think that’s the thing…we’re starting to really develop our sound more, and that’s one of the more exciting things about it is that we’re really coming into our own in terms of our sound. And being able to put together an album like that is another step, like you’re saying, another step for us.
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