Our Summer Stars series features a variety of groups out there making the rounds on the festival circuit. Today we look at Big Gigantic. For more our Summer Star pieces, click here .

“Our music is all about dancing and having fun, and festivals are definitely a place to do those things,” says Big Gigantic’s Jeremy Salken. And that’s a good thing, too, because Big Gigantic is ready to hit the festival circuit in a big way this season.

The duo – consisting of Salken on drums with producer Dominic Lalli on saxophone and keyboards – is already positioned to become a summer breakout; they’ve been able to capitalize on the explosive popularity of electronic music while being rooted in the live improvisational rock idiom that first gave festivals like Bonnaroo their wings. With hip-hop beats, electronic sounds and live instrumentation, the duo has been able to cross genres that, for at least the past decade, have already been flirting with each other.

Emblematic of the modern era, the band has offered up its newest release, Nocturnal, as a free download via their official website. And they now plan to tour the songs across festival stages, watching as the individual tracks shape-shift to fit the specific time and place.

“Since we play the music with live instruments, sometimes sections change or we expand on the grooves differently as the song matures,” explains Salken. “One exciting thing about playing new tunes is how they start coming into their own in a live situation.”

Salken and Lalli formed Big Gigantic in Boulder, Colo., circa 2008 with the idea of making the kind of music that a DJ would traditionally play but performing it on live instruments instead. Deciding to stick with a duo format, they settled on the unusual arrangement of just saxophone, keyboard and drums – in sync with a MacBook of course. No guitars – but also no turntables.

Four years later, the band is getting ready to graduate and move on up to the big leagues. They recently picked up their sea legs on tours with Bassnectar and Pretty Lights, and now, it’s time to either go big – or else go gigantic.

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Favorite summertime food: Watermelon

Favorite summer vacation location: The beach is always amazing but I love summer in the Rockies. You can get the sun you want and find shade, too. And, if you’re smart, you can find some fresh water to jump in! (All responses from Jeremy Salken)