What started as simple bedroom studio sessions, LA’s electronic duo Two Friends have witnessed an onslaught of upward trajectory in recent years. Revered for their stunning rework of The Killers’ Mr. Brightside, Two Friends continues to leave their lasting influence with their original joints. Their latest drop, “Bandaid” is a robust, funky, summer-ready framework embellished with artistic intricacies. Subtle trap notes wisp around a more prominent, bouncy production leaving space for femme-style vocals to shine with a sense of divinity. Bold, and parade-like, “Bandaid” is a testament to the duet’s broad artistic scope and versatility as producers. Derobe, grab a beer, and get down with this groovy piece from Two Friends.
Disclosure: Two Friends is promoted by Beautiful Buzzz Writer: Eric Johnson
TWO FRIENDS LA SHOW RECAP+Q&A
Live Concert, FEATURE, Dance PartyCommentTwo Friends (Eli Sones and Matt Halper) in the green room at the El Rey in Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson, IG: @youngianphoto)
Here at Beautiful Buzzz we generally only provide coverage for single tracks. We like to keep it simple. But once in a while we like to offer an inside look into the lives of artists with whom we really love and consider homies. This past weekend we caught up with Two Friends after their show in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theatre.
James Delaney sings "Emily" with Two Friends. (Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson)
This hard-working yet light-hearted DJ duo has been picking up momentum since they first started putting a slew of remixes and original tracks on SoundCloud 5 years ago. Known for their riotous social media antics, viral remixes of hits like “Mr. Brightside” and “Trap Queen”, SoundCloud chart-topping “Big Bootie Mixes”, and recent original pop-leaning singles like “Out of Love (feat. Cosmos & Creature)”, “Emily (feat. James Delaney)”, and “Just A Kid (feat. Kevin Writer)” the friend pair of Matt Halper and Eli Sones have earned a well-deserved following and respect as one of the foremost rising acts in the scene.
Saturday night, playing to a sold-out crowd at the legendary El Rey Theatre in the heart of LA, I finally got to witness firsthand why these fellas are quickly climbing the ladder of success—they really know how to get the crowd moving. Some young DJ acts today it seems just hit the play button, jump up and down, and run around the stage hyping the crowd, but it’s clear that Two Friends can do that and simultaneously actually DJ—mixing between tracks quickly and seamlessly flowing from throwback classic to Top 40 remix to their original releases, bringing guests like James Delaney and Kevin Writer on stage to perform their features. Two words can be used to sum up the night and all the fun that was had: Dance. Party.
Doing their thing. (Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson)
After the show we decided to ask Eli and Matt some rapid fire questions to find out a little more about them. Enjoy their responses:
BB: Sushi or Ramen?
Eli: Ramen
Matt: sushi
BB: Pizza or Pasta?
Eli: Pasta
Matt: pizza
BB: Tacos or Burritos?
Eli: Tacos
Matt: burritos (why are we even friends eli?)
BB: Favorite spot to get any of the above in LA?
Eli: Tacos at Frida's at the Brentwood Country Mart
Matt: Burritos at Kay N Dave’s
BB: Favorite artist (musical or not) who is pushing creative boundaries?
Eli: Chance The Rapper
Matt: AJR
BB: Favorite guilty pleasure Spotify playlist?
Eli: Disney movie soundtracks, especially Lion King and Hercules
Matt: ^lol. Ummm probably like one of the Coffee House ones
BB: Biggest inspiration(s)?
Eli: Friends and family
Matt: unique songwriters who tell stories well
BB: Coolest cities you’ve played in so far?
Eli: All the international ones are always surreal- Barcelona might be at the top.
Matt: I might agree for once.
BB: Dream collaborator?
Eli: Blink-182, I'm stealing your answer Matt.
Matt: Bli... oh uhh let’s go with Ben Gibbard.
BB: Most embarrassing moment of tour so far?
Eli: Matt addressing the New York City crowd as Chicago accidentally, sorry Matt.
Matt: that was last year bro. I’d say falling off a DJ booth or two
There you have it folks. Catch Two Friends live in a city near you. All show dates can be found here!
Two Friends. (Photo courtesy of Ian Johnson, IG: @youngianphoto)
TWO FRIENDS - KYLE FT. LIL YACHTY - ISPY (TWO FRIENDS REMIX)
Music, RemixCommentBack in December 2016, two rising hip hop stars, KYLE and Lil Yachty teamed up to drop the radio sensation, "iSpy." You know, the pop-rap banger where 24 year old KYLE celebrates his ability to wife up a honey who doesn't get much social media interaction. It's decent. Definitely plays over and over (and over, and over, and over, and..) in your head. But, Two Friends just dropped a remix for the the bubbly track, giving it the classically funky treatment it needed. Two Friends is composed of, you guessed it, two friends based in L.A., Matt Halper and Eli Sones. The duo, formerly high school "bedroom producers," is not new to executing remixes for radio-popular songs, Two Friends even put their own spin on The Killers' "Mr. Brightside," which became a viral splash in the EDM community. This particular remix of "iSpy" is brassy, funky, and simply enough, fun. They took the established "party vibe" of the original track, added some jazz fusion ingredients, and out came a vibrant, effervescent remix that we didn't even know we needed. The remix is a Soundcloud summer blockbuster. It's just, happy. I am all about the indie-electronic, down tempo, romantic reverb, but there is really nothing like capturing the energy of a day-party and translating it into a song. Two Friends is proving that they are more than deserving of their 23 #1 spots on Hype Machine. Get jiggy with this new track, not because Beautiful Buzzz told you to, but because the hype is just totally real. Plus, they're like, super cute.
TWO FRIENDS FT. COSMOS & CREATURE - OUT OF LOVE
Music, Original MixCommentAh here it is! The Two Friends tune we've been patiently waiting for! I had the opportunity to hear this one a while back, and I think it's definitely one of the biggest releases yet for Matt and Eli. Brandyn and Molly's (Cosmos and Creature) group filled vocals add a definite grandiose nature to the tune that's heavily accented by the horns. The clean delayed guitars feather in a warming overtone to the tune that solidifies the pop crossover nature of the record. I expect big numbers to come to this tune, and can't wait to see it fly up the hype machine chart. You can stream this on your favorite retailer here.
TWO FRIENDS FT. MAX - PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY
Music, Original MixCommentAhh we've been waiting for this! "Pacific Coast Highway" is the first installment of Two Friends' upcoming debut original 3 song EP 'Out of love.' Appropriate to the name, this track is a total cruiser and is ready made for your long relaxing drive down California's most scenic highway. The vocals from MAX are brilliantly performed and add a definite level of excitement when the song bursts into sax. The combo of guitars, ooohh's and rolling bass should bring you to the sunny Cali daze. Add this to your fave spotify playlist here.
THE KILLERS - MR. BRIGHTSIDE (TWO FRIENDS REMIX)
Music, RemixCommentLos dos amigos are back! Oh wait can I speak spanish in Trump America? Oops sorry for getting political for a second, lets get musical. The Killers 'Hot Fuzz' LP was one of the first albums I literally played to death. I had it in my cd player back in the day and would wake up to it before school every morning. Not to mention Mr. Brightside is a longstanding hit that's going to span generations. Well Two Friends have taken to remixing this classic and prepped it for 2016 dance floors. I would love to see this track in a set, it's starts much like the original then forms and molds into a future bass dance floor banger that's heating up the BB office right now. I hear rumors of some new singles and an EP on the horizon from this camp. More info on that later, right now lets boogie to a classic.
THE CHAINSMOKERS - CLOSER FT. HALSEY (TWO FRIENDS X CLASS & CLOWNS REMIX)
Music, RemixCommentEyyy lookie lookie Matt and Eli aka Two Friends are back with great re-work of The Chainsmoker's #1 single "Closer." I didn't get the opportunity to do a write up about the original, so I gotta take a moment to throw some mad props to Freddy from Louis the Child and Shaun Frank for co-writing and helping get this track up off the ground, and Drew from The Chainsmokers for putting his own vocals on the track. That can be a scary leap, but Drew crushed it out of the park with the first swing. Now on to Two Friends's mix - the guys have collabed with Class & Clowns amping up the rhythm a bit for this rework, adding guitar and definitely putting their own amigo flare to the chorus. The drop busts out with a huge distorted synth, spiking up and enveloping the track in a wall of sound. The original is already a pop breakout hit and this rework is undoubtedly stoking the fire.
GALANTIS - NO MONEY (TWO FRIENDS REMIX)
Music, RemixCommentTime for a little dose of energy courtesy of our trusty hype inducing amigos Two Friends! They've flipped Galantis' pop friendly tune "No Money" around and spiced it up with some good ole electric gueetar. Chock full of melody and upbeat piano this track is a surefire way to brighten up your day! You can nab this as a free download here and the extended mix here.
TWO FRIENDS FT. KTPEARL - FOREVER
Music, Original MixCommentWell look at this! Our bestest Two Friends have released their first original of 2016 out on Armada Trice. This single stays true to their piano driving house style wrapped around the lovely vocals of ktpearl. This track is perfect for a jog around the neighborhood, driving down the PCH (nod to you Cali peeps), pulling up to the party, hell even a monday morning! Plus I love the little gem they included in the soundcloud description (ha ha cuz bloggers may be the only people that read that stuff). I'll let you go discover that for yourself : ). You can get this on your fave digital music retailer right here. Can't wait for the rest of the originals a little birdy told me are on the way guys!
