Electronic dance music duo Big Gigantic, Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken teamed up with bass music producer AHEE to create a funk-filled, drop-heavy banger of a track, “Oh Dang!” After emerging in 2009, Big Gigantic first amplified a message of light on Brighter Future in 2016, collecting hundreds of millions of streams, touting bangers like “All of Me,” featuring Logic and ROZES, and “The Little Things” with Angela McCluskey, followed by a string of hit albums, EPs and singles.
Big Gigantic has performed at Coachella, Lollapalooza, ULTRA Music Festival, Hangout Music Festival, Electric Forest, and Bonnaroo. In addition, they run the 501(c)3 A Big Gigantic Difference Foundation, which has raised over one million dollars for charity.
On his part, AHEE’s career took off when he joined The Lucent Dossier Experience, followed by original releases on labels like Bassrush, Subsidia, Cyclops Recordings, Wakaan, Circus Records, SubCarbon, Dharma Worldwide, and Gravitas.
Beyond his music, AHEE shares his knowledge through music production tutorials that have amassed more than 2 million views via his YouTube channel. XS Noize caught up with Big Gigantic and AHEE to learn more about their collaboration and how “Oh Dang!” came together.
What inspired your latest single, “Oh Dang!”?
BG: We were touring with Ahee earlier this year and thought it would be great to make some music together!
AHEE: A combination of our love for funky bass music and the friendship that Dom and I developed over time allowed us to create a track that fused our sounds together. It also got great crowd reactions when played live!
Please walk us through your mindset as you enter the studio to record the song.
BG: Ahee brought us this tune while we were on tour, and we actually just worked on it on the road, with a few follow-up sessions after the tour, and just wanted to put something together that was super funky and bass-heavy.
How, when, and where did Big Gigantic and AHEE first connect?
AHEE: Dom and I have known each other for a while; when I was producing for Lucent Dossier, we played the main stage at LIB, and I met Dom backstage (Big G was playing right after us). We vibed and had a great chat about music, and then years later, I ended up winning 2nd place in Big G’s remix contest of ‘Get on Up.’ That turned into an official remix, and not too much after I went on tour with them earlier this year!
How did you get started in music?
BG: We started as a couple of guys who played saxophone and drums in local bands around town.
AHEE: I’ve been making music since I was 11, but by age six, I already knew I’d grow up and do music. I remember my first time making music, and I used a program called Ejay. I haven’t stopped making music since!
Are there any special recording techniques you use in the studio?
AHEE: I’ve used a ton of different techniques! One of my favourites has been taking a cactus and stroking the spines with a contact microphone to make melodies! I think I have a video of that somewhere on my YouTube.
For “Oh Dang”, we mostly kept it in the box, so to say, but added a ton of subtle ‘real’ and ‘live’ elements like crowds in the background of the song. This was to keep the feeling that the song was happening in a real environment.
What is your definition of tone? And has your tone changed over time?
BG (Dom): For me, tone, in regard to my sound as a saxophonist, is my sound on the horn. I feel like my tone on the horn has always been the same, mostly because of the way I’m built as a human. It’s sort of like how a singer sounds like themselves; I feel like a saxophone is set up in a similar way, that, you kind of sound, tonally, the way you sound!
How do you keep your sound consistent on stage?
BG: I think that happens naturally and aligns with the music that you’re making in the studio
What motivated you to start A Big Gigantic Difference Foundation, which has done so much for at-risk youth?
BG: From day one, we’ve always tried to be a positive voice in our community and help our community. It’s something we love doing!
What can you share about your writing process?
AHEE: I often sit down at the computer and discover inspirations from different song sounds or sometimes make happy accidents. I don’t really ‘hear an idea’ and then try to write it. It’s more like I discover ideas along the process while creating them. Recently, I’ve been experimenting by trying to ‘Score’ image prompts I put into MidJourney, which has been fun.
Which artists, in your opinion, are killing it right now?
BG: There are so many artists that are making incredible music at the moment. It’s great to see Skrillex back in the mix again. Love everything from ISOxo and Knock2 to Disclosure and Mochakk to Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes. Lots of great music out there right now.
AHEE: Well, there are a ton of artists killing it! I wanna give light to the artists on the come-up that people might not have heard of WonkyWilla, Z Dougie, Mport, Sømething, and Xotix. I really dig all of their productions; go check them out!
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