Photo Credit: Jordan Loyd for Big Gigantic
It was a bitter, brisk winter night and the city was laden with some of the most legendary Dj’s in the world. As an unforgiving wind battered the streets, the feverish temperament of metropolitan dance floors bestowed the most genuine warmth.
Nestled into the corner of 56th and 11th, thousands bore witness as Big Gigantic proved live instrumentation is a defined art, poised to draw a crowd no matter the circumstance.
New York was an electronic dance music haven last Saturday night, February 16th. Above & Beyond took the Anjunabeats Volume 10 Launch Party to Roseland Ballroom, Webster Hall played host to The Generation Wild Tour and Tiesto graced the decks at Marquee Nightclub.
This said, three sold out stories of Terminal 5 forever nixed the argument that edm’s favorite saxophone and live drum duo might be overexposed in the American market. As one of the more frequent and accessible performances in the states, Jeremy Salken and Dominic Lalli never fail to keep the crowd guessing. The most nostalgic moment of the evening was when they played their ‘I Need A Dollar’ remix, a track I last heard them play at the 2nd Hangout Festival back in 2010 before they had ever headlined a show.
The grassroots success story from Colorado focuses on three elements to justify the value of every ticket sold: An unrelenting work ethic, continuously evolving visual production, and a full catalogue of song selection. They toggled between old and new tunes ranging from ‘Rise and Shine’ to an encore with ‘The Uprising’ – paired with visuals of cats, lasers, and burning buildings, effectively blowing the minds of everyone in attendance.
Yea, everyone loved the cats and lasers. Things couldn’t have ended any better.
Don’t Sleep On Kill Paris & Manic Focus
Manic Focus is in the midst of that “it’s happening” stage. Six months ago he was producing beats with a dream. As of today, John McCarten has toured with and played a massive sold out NYE show in Chicago with both Big Gigantic and Griz. To top things off, he was recently added to the Electric Forest lineup.
A generally quiet and collected individual in person, MF’s alter ego rises to the occasion on stage. I’ve witnessed few artists with as much energy and passion behind the decks. He was having the time of his life and anyone who took a second from grooving out for a glimpse could tell. Whether it was during ‘Who Makes The Music’ or his ‘Harlem Shake’ remix, we all caught wind of the timeless intangibles that John possesses.
The scene would not have been proper without the respectively unique vibes of both Kill Paris and Manic Focus. As Kill Paris finished his set, the tension for Big Gigantic immensely culminated when both openers took the stage together to close out with one final track. The chemistry was unreal and I can only hope it leads to some kind of collaboration in the near future. 🙂
On a night where New York was flooded with the largest names in international dance music, I was admittedly skeptical on the experience Terminal 5 would offer. The combination of high energy electrosoul/ baby-making/ gritty bass Americanized dance music stood tall against the European giants and New York left me headed back to Richmond genuinely inspired in the future of the sounds which once brought me into this scene.
If you haven’t had a chance to catch Big G on Tour this Winter there is still time. Check out the remaining dates here.
Special thanks to Joe McCarten for putting me in the best seat in the house and coordinating my press credentials. Also to Ashley Moore, Megan Solga, and Manic Focus himself for playing an integral role in our experience.
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