About
Big Cats! is a hip hop producer and musician hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota. His music seamlessly blends samples and live instrumentation. Influenced by equal parts rock, classical, and hip hop, Big Cats! music is textured, melodic and gritty.
Big Cats! has released music both as a solo artist, and as a producer for other artists. Big Cats! has worked with Sage Francis, Jolie Holland, Sims (Doomtree), Mike Mictlan (Doomtree), Guante, Big Quarters, Haley Bonar, Prolyphic, B. Dolan, Chastity Brown, and Dragons Power Up! among others.
He released his first solo record in 2007. That same year, he appeared on Sage Francis' record "Human the Death Dance" as the producer of "Black Out on White Night." In 2008, Big Cats! released his second solo album, “Sleep Tapes”. Big Cats! Celebrated the release with a featured set at the producer showcase, Last Of The Record Buyers. Sleep Tapes received much local attention, including features in City Pages, CultureBully.com and RapReviews.com.
In 2009, Big Cats! Has been working primarily with Minneapolis rapper and spoken word poet, Guante. The pair released an EP in May, and are currently finishing up their full-length album, An Unwelcome Guest. They have also taken their songs to the stage, performing with a live band. This year alone, Guante and Big Cats! have shared bills with Brother Ali, Toki Wright, Blue Scholars, Cecil Otter, Dessa, Kristoff Krane, Hyder Ali, No Bird Sing, Maria Isa, and more.
Nice things people have said about Big Cats!:
"As for the main act, the crowd was hype and Big Cats! didn’t disappoint. Fully taking advantage of the curious array of instruments and equipment strewn about before the show, the short but intense set featured a live bassist, drummer, and keyboardist/saxophonist, with the man of the hour sitting comfortably behind a sample board as if conducting the band through his computer screen." -City Pages (Jordan Selbo)
"Recalling the work of J Dilla in its ease of evocation, Big Cats! work is nothing if not atmospheric (as anyone who heard "Black Out on White Night" off Sage's latest can attest to). His latest "Sleep Tapes" succeeds despite a lack of vocals, solely on the strength of its power to evoke a specific state (or specifically, the multiple states of falling asleep, dreaming, and awakening again) in the stark, beautiful language of Hip Hop music... 8/10"
-Rap Reviews.com
"... it is this sense of truth that makes his music attractive to the listener looking for something that doesn’t fall into the mold of the surrounding scene. The tracks on Sleep Tapes are a refreshing departure from the normal, and is evidence that you don’t need to ride the Rhymesayers wave to put out a good record."
-Above The Fold
"The sounds of Sleep Tapes might remind some of old RJD2 or local sonic wizard Dosh...the album is full of head-nodding grooves, maybe even some to fall asleep to. Just make sure not to sleep on Big Cats." -Justin Schell
"His second LP, Sleep Tapes, is an instrumental hip-hop masterpiece of ethereal dreamscapes, fragile rhythms and euphonic melodies."
-Perfect Porridge
"The talent and insight to create a beat is one thing, but the skill to create an environment in one’s mind is something all unto itself - and Big Cats! is such a talent."
-Culture Bully
