Warning Starkville: something colossal is headed this way. Big Gigantic, a nationally known instrumental music duo from Boulder Colo., will roll into town Wednesday with all intentions of melting faces, blasting bass and ensuring anyone willing to pay the ticket price leaves Rick’s Cafe with a smile on his or her face. Dominic Lalli, the band’s saxophonist/producer, and Jeremy Salken, who handles the drums, have constructed a sound that pulls from elements of electronic, hip-hop and jazz with an emphasis on live performance and improvisations. Their fourth and latest studio album Nocturnal reached the No. 2 spot on the iTunes electronic charts, and the band has been touring extensively in major cities across the United States. Wednesday, the duo will grace Starkville with their talents. After some conflicting schedules hindered a phone interview, the boys were happy to oblige via email.
 
Q:How has touring been lately?
A:Awesome!
 
Q:Bus getting some miles on it?
A:It sure is!!
 
Q:Been to the Lyric in Oxford, Miss., before, right? How was that? What are your thoughts on Mississippi?
A: Ya, we’ve been to the Lyric a couple times. Once opening for STS9 and another time opening for Pretty Lights. Love coming to Oxford because, we know people love to rage and get down so it’s always a really good time.
 
Q: How long have you guys known each other? Are you both from Boulder or is that just home base now?
A: We’ve known each other for probably six years? And we just live in Boulder and have for a while. I am (Dominic) from Vegas and Jeremy is from Virginia.
 
Q:Dominic – Masters from The Manhattan School of Music, huh? That is impressive. What did you study there? Can you tell us about your experience there?
A:I studied jazz there. Really one of the most incredible experiences of my life because I got to study music with a lot of my mentors. It was very intense but very rewarding and gratifying.
 
Q:Is this (touring and whatnot) what both of you always wanted to do? When did you realize it?
A:Ya, it is what I’ve always wanted to do, and I think I realized it the first time I got to perform. Just so much fun to exchange music with musicians and audiences in a live setting. There is nothing quite like it!
 
Q:If you absolutely HAD to put your music in a genre box what would it be?
A:Electronic Dance Music. Our stuff may be a little more involved in certain ways and our music may be more ‘song’ orientated than other EDM, but I think this best describes it.
 
Q:What other kinds of music are you guys into?
A: EVERYTHING!!
 
Q:It seems like there are a lot of artists, in a lot of different genres that are going to the duo thing. What makes you guys different? Why do you think it works so well for you?
A:Being a duo just so happened to be the best move for us. There are lots of things that make us different from other duos though. One being the saxophone and the other being the ‘improvisational’ element. I think it just works best for us because Jeremy and I are really on the same page in terms of how we want to deliver and shape the music.
 
Q:Gigantic Underground Conspiracy? Tell us about it.
A:GUC is a side project with our friends Conspirator (featuring members of The Disco Biscuits) and our percussionist/mgr friends Ben. Essentially, we dive into the ‘jam-tronica’ world on this show and do mostly all improv-based electronic stuff. Super fun playing with some really talented players
 
Q:How much time would you say is spent developing a single song’s live performance? Like, are the lights that will go with it planned out in advanced or is that an improv thing mostly?
A:This usually takes awhile because the music takes awhile to develop, then the video takes a while to develop. The track and video are designed the same way, in that, there are sections of stuff that plays straight through, and then there are looped sections (where we improvise more). So some of the video goes right along with the song, and other video is meant to be improvised with. That is essentially the process in the live delivery of a song.
 
Q:How much of the show is actual improvisation and how much is orchestrated prior to the show?
A:We definitely improvise a lot of the night. Sometimes, for example, the track is the same length of time, but there is no set melody. I make that up every night. All the solos are all improvised and most sections are cued differently nightly, etc., etc. I try to put stuff together that I know will work and try to make it so that we can have as much musical flexibility that we can within that.
 
Q:Why the name Big Gigantic?
A:I dont know really! Haha. Just kinda come to me one day and I knew that was the right name
 
Q: Favorite city/ place to perform?
A:Too many to list!!! We REALLY love playing at home in Colorado!! At the same time, each night/venue/town always has its own special feel to it and so we have so many awesome nights out on the road. Ahhhh, we are so stoked because we have really awesome fans!
 
Q:Plans for the future?
 A:A lot more of what we’re doing. Hopefully bring Big Gigantic to an international level as well.
 
Q:Got anything the people coming out on Wednesday need to know?
 A:They just need to GET READY TO RAGE!!! GONNA BE A CRAZY NIGHT!!
 
Doors will open at Rick’s Cafe at 7:30 p.m. and music is set to begin at 8 p.m. with DJ GLOtron. Tickets and more information are available at lostlegendent.com.