How has starting Big Gigantic in Boulder, a hotbed of jamtronica, played into your musical development?

Man it definitely has a ton to do with my musical development. Everyone’s playing around here all the time, hanging out all the time, talking about different stuff, so it’s really just a melting pot of great producers and musicians. And I hang out with all those people you just mentioned (Pretty Lights, Pnuma Trio, Dave Murphy of STS9) all the time and we listen to different stuff and talk about different stuff and work through different projects, you know, trade beats, and are really involved with each other’s music. So for this type of music, it’s really just a great place to be right now. There are just a ton of great producers, everyone is really into the music, and the fans, there’s just a great fan base for the music right now.

How do you approach a headliner show like your appearance at Rothbury differently than when you’re opening for groups like STS9 or Lotus?

I’m basically just trying to bring the best show that I can with the amount of time that I have, you know just trying to bring it as hard as we can. I mean, there really is no difference between an opener show and something like a festival performance, just bring it every time, and I think that’s been part of why we’ve had this success. Just take these opportunities, and use them to step up as often as we can.

You recently collaborated with STS9 on their New Orleans Makes it Right remix album. Can you comment on how that opportunity came to you?

Yeah, we did some opening sets for them (STS9) when they did their PA sets in Colorado in February. And when we were doing that, Zach (Velmer) talked to me about the project they were doing, having everyone remix their tracks, and he asked me if I wanted to do a remix. You know, I obviously wanted to do that, so I listened to the Peaceblaster album, and kind of decided that I liked the track “Empires…” it seemed like a track that was more my vibe, and just chopped it up and went for it.

How do you operate differently as an electronic musician when collaborating with other musicians whether on stage or in the studio?

I just try to get in there, and sort of put my input into the mix where I’m strongest. You know, and those guys I’m working with do their thing in the pockets where they feel strongest. I just kind of add my little flavor in, and obviously those guys are amazing producers. Alex B is a really good friend of my mine, he’s probably one of my biggest influences. So you know, I watch and learn and when I feel like I can add something, I just add my own spice in there, so everyone is playing to their strengths, and the final product is all the better because everyone is contributing in the best way they can.

How did you decide you wanted to add the live drums to your performance?

Jeremy has been a really good friend of mine for quite a while, and we’ve done a bunch more like jazz and jazz-funk gigs around Boulder for a couple years now. And you know, I definitely knew I wanted to be playing horn in Big Gigantic, and it’s just the way the live drums make the whole thing breathe and move. And I wanted the project to be full, and improv heavy, and I just really connected with the drums. So I needed a drummer for the project, and Jeremy just seemed like the perfect guy, he’s a really good friend of mine, and I feel like it’s really just been a perfect fit.

Is Big Gigantic going to become your primary focus in the future?

I’m definitely going to be focusing on Big Gigantic a lot. And since we’re so young, I feel like we have a lot of room to grow and develop. So I want to keep hitting the pavement pretty hard, and keep touring, and keep developing our music, and our live show as well. But you know, I do music all day, everyday, so I feel like there’s enough time to really focus on this project while still collaborating with other artists beat wise, and on every avenue we can. I feel like one hand sort of washes the other.

What can we expect from Big Gigantic in the coming months?

We have a bunch of stuff sort of on the horizon. We’re touring with STS9 and Lotus in the fall. And as far as actually sitting in with these artists, I did play with Lotus a little bit at Rothbury, and I’m gonna work on a little remix with them. Me and Lotus are going to trade tracks and do some remixing to support the tour that we’re gonna do. So there’s potentially some stuff that can go down there, but I’m open and ready to work with anybody. I’m ready.

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