Big Gigantic/GRIZ
The Wilma Theater
Missoula MT
October 21

With the explosion in popularity of electronic music in the last decade, the rift between proponents of that style and those that favor live bands has been a focal point in many musical discussions. The latter dismisses computer-based music as devoid of talent and soul, while the former defends laptops as viable instruments and espouses EDM as the sound of the future. But when Big Gigantic brought their marriage of live instruments and electronic tracks to the stage in Missoula, most folks realized the most sensible opinion was to shut up and dance.

GRIZ kicked things off with a retro dance-beat full of rumbling bass and synth lines, commanding the crowd: “If you’re a free individual, make some noise!” While his transitions weren’t always smooth, they showed originality, and he cleverly displayed his hip-hop influences throughout the set, at one point dropping the beat out of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” for an exuberant acapella crowd singalong. When he left the stage, only the headliner’s looming lightshow platforms remained in the shadows as a teaser of what was to come.

When the twin light towers were finally lit up and Big Gigantic appeared, all seats were vacated and the crowd came to life. The duo jumped into “Rise and Shine” off their latest album, and the lights from the stage illuminated the entire dance-floor to expose a swarm of raised hands and smiling faces.

This group’s fusion of live and digital mediums lends a jamband sensibility about building energy that turn standard electronic cuts into anthems. A tight command of EDM styles like dubstep and crowd-pleasing samples are still a part of the set – remixes of songs like Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar” gave the audience a chance to sing and bob their heads to familiar tunes. But drummer Jeremy Salken makes the beats hit harder and saxophonist Dominic Lalli literally breathes fresh life into the setlist. Having a trained musician like Lalli in the role of producer injects a sense of melodic composition lost on many electronic artists, showcased in tracks like “Beginning of the End” and the new song “Let’s Go!” The two briefly left the stage after a lengthy set, returning with Lalli announcing “We’ve got until midnight and we’re just gonna go to the end!”

One gets the feeling that this young act has a ways to go before reaching their full potential. From the impressive lightshow to the bombastic beats and soaring sax improvisations, however, Big Gigantic lived up to both halves of their name, and left the stage reminding the audience that electronic music is still an open template with endless possibilities.