Already Big… Becoming GIGANTIC

By dizzurt at March 24, 2010 | 10:38 pm | Print

Big Gigantic came through to New York yet another time, and the fans and band alike left satisfied once again. This time was at Southpaw in Brooklyn on March 13. Due to some severe storms dominating the Northeast, the turnout wasn’t up to par for a Big Gigantic Saturday headlining slot that the promoters were looking for. However, this made for an intimate and fan-friendly atmosphere that gave the patrons excessive room to dance while getting a good opportunity to mingle with friends and newly acquired rage associates. Arriving later than I had anticipated- due to weather related issues previously mentioned- I missed some of the promising openers such as Beam & Deam, while only catching the second half of Sonkin’s heavy hitting set. His style allowed for the UYH crew to get in some much needed “dubSTOMPS,” while growing accustomed to our new, yet enjoyable surroundings at Southpaw. Nonetheless, there was only one thing on all of our minds, up next: Big Gigantic!

The duo (consisting of Dominic Lalli & Jeremy Salken) started the set off right, getting the crowd into it right away. They started with one of my personal favorites, “Polarize,” the last song on their 5-song EP*. One thing seemed to be holding D. Lalli back, and that was his saxophone direct-line. Quickly realizing it might not work out that night, he unplugged, moved the mic directly up to the bell of his horn, and proceeded to blow the crowd away- both audibly and visually. Next up was a big-time dubstep banger that uses the Method Man sample “Raw.” The tracks flowed seamlessly as they went right into a song off their full length first album, “Thinking Out Loud.” The jams were tight and Salken’s drumming utilized fat-resonating, fast-acting, one foot bass kicks and crisp loud snares, keeping it raining on the symbols the whole time. The sax- as previously stated- couldn’t have sounded better, booming right into the mic and taking advantage of Southpaw’s pristine highs.

What makes Big G. such a dynamic duo is the great communication the two have with each other. From a solo in the bridge, into MPK49 synth hooks of the verse, they smash into it confidently. Keepin’ the crowd movin, the band settled into the DnB banger “Funhouse,” while Salken showed off his speedy drumming skills with snare-fills galore. Crowd favorites “Upswing” and “Light of Day” slipped somewhere in between all the fast paced sample and cut-orientated beats. A brand new track was shown off to us New Yorkers, and it was a glitchy, 4/4 house type beat, with the Big Gigantic signature: descending lazers. “High Life” and the anthem “Wide Awake” came a few songs later, which absolutely brought the crowd energy up to another level. The band left the stage, while the crowd proceeded to show their appreciation for the bright scene on an otherwise dark and messy evening.

They came back for an unprecedented two or three encores and gave the crowd exactly what they wanted, as a rowdy group chanted in unison, “Dubstep! Dubstep! Dubstep!” A “Robot Rock” loosely-based cover with upbeat Gorillaz style lyrics blared over the system, as Dom Lalli claimed this as one of his personal favorites. The two veteran musicians give off an incredibly organic feel to a highly electronic group. People can’t seem to take their eyes off Dominic Lalli and his boisterous saxophone. However, this wasnt the first time I noticed a slight depletion in energy towards the middle of the set from a minor-level issue. It doesn’t seem to cause a huge problem, yet to a trained ear it feels slightly off; the sax, or in this case synths, don’t seem to match the volume of the other instruments. All in all it was an incredible set, which the crowd couldn’t get enough of. We loved every second of the music and the [rare] spacious room to groove in.

*My setlist might not be in the exact order and might miss a few tracks. Sometimes I get carried away raging and forget to write something down when I should. For this, I apologize.

Related posts:

1. The New Deal & Big Gigantic at Paradise Boston Preview! w/ Videos!
2. Big Gigantic – A Place Behind the Moon
3. Free Beats!… Three Clicks! (Big Gigantic, Signal Path, Archnemesis)
4. Bonobo DJ Set at Le Poisson Rouge
5. Boulder Electronic Brings the ‘High Life’ to Ithaca: Big Gigantic Rages Theta Delta Chi 1/29/10 (by Ben Weiss)

Artists Audio Dizzurt Photos Show Reviews Use Your Eyes Videos Big Gigantic, brooklyn, dom lalli, dubstep, electronic duo, Jeremy Salken, mr bugsly, saxophone, sonkin, southpaw, Use Your Head