Debate: Are Music Festivals Overdoing B2B Sets?
Fans and festival organisers around the world are hugely excited about all kinds of B2B sets. But the question on everyone's mind is: “Have music festivals, and some nightclubs, been overdoing this kind of set?” Muse Inc takes a deeper look in this post.
One example: MUST DIE! has voiced his frustration at the view that artists who play solo are now old-fashioned and outdated. He also pointed to the marketing strategy it creates between artists and fans before, during and after every B2B set.
B2B sets by big-name artists: good or bad?
From Amsterdam Music Festival to Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival, sets with several DJs are nothing new — some would say there are so many they've become boring. At Amsterdam Music Festival 2017, the biggest music festival in the Netherlands introduced its II=I (Two Is One) concept for the first time, where two huge names share the stage in one special set.
The success of the first year, with Hardwell and Armin van Buuren, made the concept a fixture of the festival, bringing other pairings in the following years: Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike b2b David Guetta in 2018 and, most recently, Timmy Trumpet b2b W&W last year.
Multi-DJ sets are turning up at festivals more and more often, especially at big ones like Ultra Music Festival Miami and Tomorrowland. Look at the line-up for Ultra Music Festival Miami this coming March and you'll easily spot b2b sets (Jauz b2b NGHTMRE, Malaa b2b DJ Snake…), b3b sets (Carl Cox b2b Jamie Jones b2b The Martinez Brothers, or Dubfire b2b Nicole Moudaber b2b Paco Osuna) and even… a b10b, with 10 DJs on stage together for Revealed Recordings or A State of Trance.
And this summer Tomorrowland isn't to be outdone, with Oliver Heldens B2B Tchami, Jauz vs NGHTMRE, Nervo B2B W&W… and many more.
It's not a brand-new idea, but it's striking enough that other festivals copy it to freshen up their line-ups.
At first, putting two artists in one set was meant to give audiences something new: unique mashups, surprise transitions, memorable moments… But that only works when the DJs really click. If they don't, you get a “hotchpotch” of unrelated tracks and a pile of effects and filters to patch things up. And the DJs lose the room to show their own musical personality.
THE VERDICT
The electronic music industry has two sides, good and bad. Some DJs may turn down a booking if the B2B doesn't fit their musical style — but who knows, one B2B set might be what leads to a slot at a big festival.
A great, memorable b2b set has to blend the artists' musical personalities and needs real chemistry in the mixing. Among so many different pairings at festivals, how many sets actually manage that?
Source: EDM Reviewer / Vietnam Sound
