Last night, Big Wild mesmerized an intimate but nonetheless animated crowd at Chicago’s Subterranean. I even got the chance to talk with him briefly after the show and grab a picture. 

Big Wild’s musical style is suspenseful and dramatic, yet chill in some respect, reminiscent of artists like ODESZA and Flume. Some of his tracks incorporate elements of jazz, tying in bold saxophone notes, while others draw inspiration from the future-funk style of GRiZ.

As his Soundcloud profile reveals, his objective is “seeing how far the horizon goes.” And that’s exactly what his music does, pushing the boundaries beyond conventional “EDM” – it’s experimental in nature and hard to pin down.

Scrolling through his likes on Soundcloud reveals the broad range of musical influences that guide his soul-lifting music production, including the music of Alexander Lewis, JMSN and Electric Mantis.

He surprised the crowd by playing many different instruments on stage, including the cajón box drum, the percussion pad and the keyboard. He even whistled over his ever-popular “Hey Mami” remix. His love for live instrumental performances demonstrates his astounding capabilities as a music producer.

Just two days ago, Big Wild released a new remix of CHVRCHES’ “Empty Threat” on Soundcloud. The result? A slightly mellower track that builds up into a dance-heavy drop.

Looking ahead, he’s set to play sold-out shows in Massachussetts, NYC, Brooklyn, LA and San Francisco, on top of a dozen or so other performances around the country.

Can I see Big Wild as being a big-name performer in upcoming years? Absolutely. His extensive music background and experience, his long mane of curly hair, and his fervor for not just producing, but also performing make it clear that Big Wild is an artist to look out for in the future.

He doesn’t talk to the audience much; his music does the talking for him. But, he did stick around after the show to hang out with audience members, talk about music and snap some pictures.

He spoke to my friend Kenton and I about how he got into music, producing hip hop tracks before he ever considered heading in a more electronic direction.

Check out Big Wild. The sheer volume of music that he’s posted over the past few years reflect his growth as a producer, leaving me to think that if he continues going at this rate, the future’s got a lot of great things in store for him.

Special thanks to my friend Kenton. Thanks for a phenomenal birthday present.

Eager to hear more of Big Wild’s music? Check out this playlist I created.