Two Friends is an American DJ and production duo consisting of Eli Sones and Matthew Halper. They are known for their breezy, melodic spin on dance music and have become a popular act on the festival circuit over the past few years.
Brief History
Eli and Matt met while attending film school at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. They bonded over a shared love of hip-hop and electronic dance music and began collaborating on music productions in their dorm rooms. In 2012, they officially formed Two Friends and began releasing original tracks and remixes online. Their melodic, vocals-driven sound quickly earned them a following in the blogosphere and they started getting booked for shows. Their breakthrough came in 2015 when their remix of Porter Robinson’s “Divinity” became a viral hit online. This landed them a record deal with Atomica Records and paved the way for their meteoric rise over the past few years.
Festival Performances
Two Friends have become a festival staple, playing prime slots at some of the biggest events in music. They’ve performed at Ultra Music Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, Lollapalooza, Coachella and Outside Lands, just to name a few. The energy and enthusiasm they bring to their live sets make them a crowd favorite. Their shows typically feature Matt on drums and Eli hyping up the crowd, playing keyboards, guitar and singing. Expect to hear Two Friends’ catchy originals like “Emily” and crowd-pleasing remixes of popular hits. They aren’t afraid to drop in nostalgic tracks from the 90s and early 2000s to keep the crowd dancing. Overall, their sets are feel-good dance parties built on their melodic and upbeat sound.
Stage Presence
Two Friends have an infectious energy and stage presence that gets festival crowds going. Eli acts as the main hype man, constantly dancing, headbanging and engaging with the audience. His boundless enthusiasm is contagious. Meanwhile, Matt drives the beat on the drums, often standing on his seat and playing passionately to the crowd. The duo also incorporate live elements like guitar, keyboards and vocals to give their sets a band feel. They’ve even been known to pull out a saxophone solo or harmonic horn section to surprise fans. Overall, Two Friends clearly have a blast on stage and it resonates with concertgoers who are up dancing and singing along. Their sets feel more like epic parties than standard DJ performances.
Production Value
As festival acts have grown, so have the expectations around visuals and production value. Two Friends put significant effort into the look and feel of their live show. They utilize multi-screen LED visuals and lighting arrays synchronized to the music. Some of their video content contains trippy original animations, while other clips feature nostalgic pop culture clips from the 80s, 90s and 2000s. This adds a fun nostalgic flair. On top of this, Two Friends incorporate CO2 cannons, confetti blasts and pyro explosions at key moments to amp up the energy. While the music is still the core focus, these production elements take their live show to another level visually.
Setlists and Song Choices
Two Friends’ festival setlists are focused around showcasing their catchy original tracks and popular remixes that have accumulated millions of streams online. Songs like “Emily”, “Grab My Hand”, “Long Way Home” and their remixes of tracks like “Mr. Brightside”, “Electric Feel” and “Time After Time” are staples. Beyond this, they do a great job paying homage to the 90s and early 2000s, mixing in nostalgic hip-hop, pop punk, alternative and dance tracks from those eras. Some songs you may hear during their sets include “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M., “All Star” by Smash Mouth, “Party Up” by DMX or “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne. The goal is to keep the crowd singing and dancing throughout the entire show. Two Friends have meticulously crafted festival sets with the crowd experience in mind.
Mixing and Transitions
A key skill for any successful DJ is mixing and cleanly transitioning between songs. This is an area where Two Friends excel in their live sets. They do an impressive job blending their original tracks and remixes with nostalgic throwbacks through harmonic mixing and creative song choices. The friends use techniques like echo outs, loop drops, cut drops and section switches to transition smoothly between tracks. Their song selections are smart too, choosing tracks with complementary keys and BPMs that lend themselves to mixing. The overall flow feels natural despite rapid changes between genres across decades. Two Friends’ technical abilities allow them to create seamless journeys during their sets.
Improvisation and Reading the Crowd
While Two Friends plan out parts of their festival sets ahead of time, they also leave room to improvise and react to the crowd’s energy. If they sense the audience needs an extra jolt of energy, they may pull out a hard-hitting remix earlier than planned. If the crowd seems to respond well to throwback hip-hop, they may mix in more old school rap tracks. Their ability to read the crowd and adjust their track selections on the fly keeps the energy high. Eli may also improvise on guitar or hop on the mic to add an extra element. Overall, Two Friends walk the line between planning and improvisation masterfully during their live sets.
Collaborations and Special Guests
Two Friends use their festival shows as opportunities to bring out collaborators and special guests. They’ve had singers like MINNT come out to provide live vocals on tracks and remixes. Rapper Kyle has appeared to perform his verse on their collaboration “Better With You.” Producer Benny Benassi has also joined them on stage, as have other DJ friends. Their popularity has allowed Two Friends to share the spotlight with both emerging and legendary artists. These cameos get the crowd even more hyped and make each show feel unique.
Crowd Interaction
From start to finish, Two Friends make a conscious effort to connect with fans during their festival sets. Eli takes every chance to speak directly to the crowd, often getting on the mic to ask “How’s everybody doing tonight?” and prompt singalongs. They incorporate call-and-response moments to get the audience actively participating. Eli frequently hops off stage and goes right up to the crowd barriers to dance and interact with fans. He’ll often hold his mic out or bring concertgoers on stage with him. Matt also moves to the front of the stage between drum parts to toss out drumsticks and high five people. The amount of crowd interaction makes concertgoers feel like part of the experience.
Capturing the Two Friends Vibe
While Two Friends incorporate state-of-the-art production and technical mixing skills into their festival sets, they never lose sight of the fun, melodic sound and feeling that drew people to them in the first place. The friends use their live show as a chance to spread good vibes through catchy songs and an infectious lightheartedness. There are no pretensions or egos with these guys and people pick up on the genuine excitement they have for playing music. Their sets feel like epic dance parties where everyone is invited. Two Friends do an excellent job bottling up their upbeat, melodic sound and carrying it from the studio to the festival stage.
Set Length
For major festivals, Two Friends are generally given 60-90 minute set times to showcase their talents. This gives them enough time to take the crowd on a dynamic musical journey, while leaving attendees wanting more. They sequence their setlists wisely, starting with some of their vocal-driven originals and popular remixes to draw people in. In the middle, they mix in tons of nostalgic tracks and bring out guests to keep the energy high. Then they finish strong with surefire crowd-pleasers. An hour to an hour and a half allows Two Friends to properly build the arc of their sets. Fans get an energizing dose of their sound until next time.
Consistency
One of the most impressive aspects of Two Friends’ festival performances is their consistency. Despite their grueling tour schedule, the quality and energy of their sets remains incredibly high. They pour themselves fully into every show, never phoning it in. This relentless consistency is why organizers and fans know they can count on an epic Two Friends dance party every time. Very few acts can bring it at such a high level show after show. The fact that the friends still have so much fun on stage also comes through in their consistency.
Fan Reactions
Based on fan reactions at shows and online, Two Friends’ exhilarating festival sets clearly resonate with concertgoers. Fans often remark at how Two Friends’ music brought pure joy and put smiles on their faces. Many note the infectious energy between the two friends on stage and their stellar ability to pump up the crowd. Others comment on how Two Friends foster a fun, communal environment with their crowd interactions. Fans also rave about their creative mixes of originals, remixes and throwbacks. Overall, Two Friends have earned a sterling reputation through their lively festival shows that leave fans buzzing afterwards.
Future Directions
As Two Friends continue rising in popularity, it will be exciting to see how they evolve their live show and push things to new heights. This may include incorporating even more instruments for unique live remixes, or expanding visuals and stage design. Collaborating with more artists could produce some special on-stage moments. No matter what directions they take, it’s clear Two Friends will maintain the infectious energy and good vibes they’ve built their name on. Their future is bright as their reputation as one of dance music’s most dynamic young live acts keeps growing.
Conclusion
With their upbeat sound, polished mixing skills, nostalgic song choices and crowd-focused energy, Two Friends have established themselves as a can’t-miss festival act. They leave it all on stage, taking crowds on a euphoric musical journey for 60 to 90 minutes. The palpable chemistry between Matt and Eli paired with state-of-the-art production makes their shows feel like an epic party. Even as they reach new heights, Two Friends stay grounded in their mission to spread good vibes. For anyone looking to have nonstop fun and dance their worries away, Two Friends deliver on all fronts.