Music can be hard to create when you are on your own, but sometimes large bands become unfocused if there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Rather, keeping your team small is one of the best ways to create great music.
Here are five duos who demonstrate that two performers are better than one.
1. Daft Punk
The French electronic team has been donning their helmets for nearly twenty years. They have been the bridge between dance music and pop since they burst onto the scene.
The duo has gone beyond pop, creating soundtracks for films like 2010’s Tron: Legacy. Daft Punk shifts back to making summer singles just as easily as experimenting with original scores. With a slew of singles from Random Access Memories, they owned 2013.
2. The White Stripes
Jack and Meg originally created a large backstory to sell their own image as a brother and sister act. Finding out that they were actually once lovers that happened to still make music together seems like ancient history.
Although they have since disbanded, The White Stripes left their mark on music with 2001’s White Blood Cells, as well as 2003’s Elephant. They brought garage rock to football stadiums then called it quits.
3. Mobb Deep
One of rap’s grimiest acts from the mid-nineties are etched onto everyone’s minds for Prodigy’s memorable verses and Havoc’s sparse production.
The infamous duo always seemed to come from a place of reality when they told gritty stories about their hometown, Queensbridge. The beat from “Shook Ones Part 2” causes Eminem fans to recall Rabbit’s final verse from 8 Mile.
4. Simon & Garfunkel
Although they haven’t released an album in years, this folk duo released some of the most memorable music from the past fifty years. Simon’s eloquent lyrics coupled with Garfunkel’s oddly angelic voice produce quality songs and massive sales.
Their greatest hits compilation has been certified 14x platinum. This winning combination has contributed to streams from a new generation of listeners.
5. Outkast
Take two unique, charismatic personalities and combine them, and the music will have an essence of palatable, poetic soul for the hip-hop generation. Andre 3,000 and Big Boi have done just that since 1994. Their blend of influences from Sly Stone to southern rap inform their transcendent output. Each album takes a dramatic turn from the last while remaining under the same umbrella of Outkast.
Their collaborative effort paid off when they took home Grammys for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Even after they started working together less and less, they maintained a meaningful friendship, which is the most important thing.
If one is the loneliest number, then what is two? Two broadens the horizons of each artist’s potential. No one is an island, and everyone has to work together, so why not do the same when it comes to art?
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Will Randick is a blogger and educator working out of the Bay Area.
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