Big Data (music project)

{{short description|American electronic music project}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Big Data

| alias =

| origin = Brooklyn, New York, United States

| genre = {{flatlist|

• Electropop{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/big-data-mn0003216219/discography|title=Big Data - Album Discography - AllMusic|website=AllMusic}}
• glitch pop
• alternative dance
• indietronica
• indie rock

}}

| years_active = 2012–present

| label = {{flatlist|

• Wilcassettes
• Crush Music
• Warner Bros.
• AWAL

}}

| associated_acts = Joywave

| website = {{URL|bigdata.fm}}

| current_members = Alan Wilkis

| past_members = Daniel Armbruster{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Phillip |last2=Ortiz |first2=Nina |title=Big Data: They're Not So "Dangerous" After All |url=https://wers.org/big-data-theyre-not-so-dangerous-after-all/ |access-date=12 January 2025 |work=WERS 88.9FM |date=30 March 2015}}

}}

Big Data is an American electronic music project created by producer Alan Wilkis. Big Data is best known for the single "Dangerous", featuring Joywave, which reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in August 2014,{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/2014-08-16/alternative-songs |title=Alternative Songs: August 16, 2014 |magazine=Billboard |accessdate=December 3, 2014 |archive-date=January 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119185502/http://www.billboard.com/charts/2014-08-16/alternative-songs |url-status=dead }} and was certified gold by the RIAA in May 2015.{{cite web|url=http://riaa.com/media/F9C00A46-E663-9ABB-A129-47230D3E7E30.pdf|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612140528/http://riaa.com/media/F9C00A46-E663-9ABB-A129-47230D3E7E30.pdf|archivedate=2015-06-12|title=Certification data|website=Recording Industry Association of America}}

Wilkis began recording for Big Data in the summer of 2012. The name of the project was a reference to big data collection on the internet by sites such as Facebook. Most of his songs were thematically related to digital technology.{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Rachel |title=Big Data: Dance Floor Jams For The Cyber-Paranoid |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/03/29/395531406/big-data-dance-floor-jams-for-the-cyber-paranoid |access-date=12 January 2025 |work=NPR |date=29 March 2015}} Wilkis initially collaborated with Daniel Armbruster of Joywave while the latter was traveling from Rochester to New York City for tours, with Wilkis composing the music and Armbruster writing lyrics.{{cite news |last1=Troy L. Smith |first1=Cleveland com |title=Big Data turns breakthrough hit 'Dangerous' into first headlining tour |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2015/04/big_data_turns_breakthrough_hi.html |access-date=12 January 2025 |work=cleveland |date=1 April 2015 |language=en}} After changes to Joywave's touring schedule, Armbruster parted and Big Data became a solo project.

Big Data's first EP, 1.0, was released on October 1, 2013, on Wilkis's own Wilcassettes label and features the songs "The Stroke of Return", "Dangerous", "Big Dater", and "Bombs over Brooklyn".{{cite web |url=http://wilcassettes.com/post/62814970651/debut-big-data-ep-1-0-out-today |title=Debut Big Data EP '1.0' Out Today! |publisher=Wilcassettes |date=October 1, 2013 |accessdate=July 19, 2014}} The song "Dangerous" went viral with an interactive music video titled "Facehawk", which would convert the timeline of Facebook users into an image of a hawk to portray how much of their personal information had been uploaded to the site.{{cite news |last1=Hernandez |first1=Brian Anthony |title=Facehawk Turns Your Facebook Timeline Into a Music Video |url=https://mashable.com/archive/facebook-facehawk-music-video |access-date=12 January 2025 |work=Mashable |date=4 September 2013 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Lopez |first1=Korina |title=On the Verge: Big Data takes 'Dangerous' risk |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/08/17/on-the-verge-big-data-alan-wilkis-takes-dangerous-risk/13911567/ |access-date=12 January 2025 |work=USA TODAY |date=17 August 2014}} In early December 2013, they also released a remix EP, 1.5, which included eight remixes of the song "Dangerous",{{cite web |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/1.5/id765597085 |title=1.5 – Big Data |work=iTunes Store |publisher=Apple |accessdate=December 25, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140511213022/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/1.5/id765597085 |archivedate=May 11, 2014 }} including one by Joywave.{{cite journal |url=http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/joywave-big-data-dangerous-remix |title=Exclusive: Hear Joywave Remix Big Data's 'Dangerous' |journal=Esquire |date=September 24, 2013 |accessdate=December 26, 2013 |author=Joiner, James}} Another remix EP, 1.6, was released in late September 2014, and included seven remixes of "Dangerous".{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/1-6-Big-Data/dp/B00NUQ2NDI |title=Amazon.com: 1.6: Big Data: MP3 Downloads |work=Amazon.com |accessdate=April 2, 2015}}

Big Data's first studio album, 2.0, was released on March 20, 2015.{{cite web |title=2.0 - Big Data |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/20-mw0002824574 |access-date=12 January 2025 |language=en}} The album featured collaborations with several vocalists, including Rivers Cuomo on the track "Snowed In". A second album, 3.0, was released on July 26, 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/bigdatabigdata/posts/2840060609357307|title=Big Data|website=www.facebook.com}}