Giant Step Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Marketing Agency Shares its Impact on Music and Culture by Releasing Archive
of Rare Recordings, Photographs, Videos, Memorabilia, and Interviews.
Award winning marketing agency Giant Step is cracking open its vault to celebrate 30 years of being on the forefront of music and culture. Launched in New York City in 1990, Giant Step’s name is synonymous with introducing artists such as Daft Punk, Massive Attack, and Jamiroquai to popular culture. The brand went on to launch a marketing agency and works with global brands such as Samsung, Intel, and Marriott.
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Giant Step will share unreleased recordings of DJ sets and live performances, photography, art, memorabilia, plus exclusive interviews with renowned artists and influencers. The journey into the last 30 years of culture will be made available on the official Giant Step website and social media channels (Facebook / Twitter / Instagram).
“Giant Step has always been about innovating, pushing boundaries, and looking forward. It took the recent events of 2020 for our agency to pause and reflect back on its legacy,” said Maurice Bernstein, Giant Step Co-Founder and CEO. “We are very proud of our achievements and excited to share some of our vast archive for the first time. We also want to spotlight the work of those who’ve contributed to and continue working with Giant Step. Our story truly took a village.”
Giant Step will release never before heard live recordings of classic performances at the legendary club night by artists such as Gilles Peterson, Louie Vega, James Lavelle, Bebel Gilberto, Roy Hargrove, plus club residents. Live sets from Giant Step shows in Tokyo, Chicago, and Italy will also be released.
The Giant Step vault will also feature a complete archive of the club’s iconic flyers and posters, documenting legendary moments in New York and global music culture.
As a part of its anniversary celebration, Giant Step will present a series of exclusive live interviews and fireside chats. The series will be hosted by Bernstein and feature collaborators, including producer Larry Mizell (of Mizell Brothers), Gilles Peterson, DJ Bobbito Garcia, photographer Alice Arnold, Jose James, Bebel Gilberto, and more to be announced.
Giant Step’s iconic logo has been updated for the anniversary by its creator, renowned artist Kevin Lyons. Once named by Red Bull as one of the most important music logos of all time, the logo will be featured on exclusive and limited merchandise with designs by Lyon and street artists Phil Frost & Mitchy Bwoy. The merchandise will be available for purchase on Okayplayer’s Okayshop.
Giant Step club night with DJ Smash and Vincent Chancey
at Metropolis Cafe in NYC, 1993 (Photo by Alice Arnold)
The seeds of Giant Step started in New York City in 1990, under the moniker The Groove Academy, a concert series dedicated to the “Preservation of Funk,” featuring artists of the ‘70s who were being highly sampled, yet not fully recognized. It included such legendary talent as Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Gil Scott-Heron, and Ohio Players. The events were extended under the new name “Giant Step” with an emphasis on pairing live musicians with DJs. Giant Step is where artists such as Jamiroquai, Digable Planets, Massive Attack, Daft Punk, The Fugees, and The Roots debuted in New York. Giant Step also took its club experience on the road to overseas markets like Japan, Argentina, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Holland, and U.S. cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Boston.
As Giant Step expanded globally in the mid ‘90s, the company ventured into other areas of the music industry such as artist management, developing and signing its stable of artists to major record label deals. Giant Step went on to set up its own Giant Step Records with over 80 releases from artists like Nuyorican Soul, Donnie, Jody Watley, Zero 7, and Shuggie Otis.
Giant Step's Music Marketing division also played a major role in helping to break influential artists over the years, including Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Jill Scott, and Janelle Monáe.
Janelle Monáe at Giant Step’s Annual Central Park SummerStage, 2008 (Photo by Phillip Angert)
Continuing to innovate, Giant Step evolved into a marketing agency providing creative, strategy, and marketing services for brands like Levi’s, LG, Bacardi, Lincoln, Spotify, Old Navy, and Western Union. Highlights include Samsung’s non-retail, multi-floor flagship experience in NYC’s Meatpacking District, Samsung 837; Intel and MTV’s Music Experiment 2.0 with Arcade Fire and Disclosure; and ABSOLUT X for Absolut Vodka, which included artists like Nick Cave, Grimes, and Walk The Moon.
Giant Step has most recently been working with W Hotels on its global music strategy. This includes the Clio Award-winning W Records for W Hotels featuring artists like Perfume Genius, Japanese Breakfast, Roosevelt, and Amber Mark plus recent expansion into Asia and Latin America.
For more information, please contact:
Ben-David Fenwick
bdfenwick@giantstep.net
c: 917-885-4415