The Case for (more) Restricted Sets in Liquicity

[bright wedge]

Following my experience at Liquicity 2025, which is always an exceptionally amazing event, i (and many others at this point) observed a recurring issue: The frequent repetition of certain tracks across sets, even when they are ocurring in parallel. While this phenomenon is understandable given the genre's recognizable rhythms and vocal hooks, it risks homogenizing the festival experience to the point that certain stages started to feel like a fever dream.

To address this, i propose the implementation of restricted sets, curated performances bound by thematic or structurual constraints as a means to foster creativity and to honour the legacy of an artist/collective/group. From my personal experience, this approach has delivered some of the most creative sets i have heard.

Defining Restricted Sets
These sets would adhere ideally to strict thematic guidelines, thou it is never the objective to "police the USBs" since that would miss the point of the set. Some examples of thematic sets:

1. Year-Limited Sets
   Exemplified by Maduk's Liquicity Yearmixes - See 2024 here:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPBc1316Tro
2. Label-Centric Sets
   Exemplified by Maduk's Liquicity Family Set (2024) here:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ52Gk4b0as
3. Artist- Exclusive Sets
   This is the riskiest one to be honest. An artist legacy gets showcased in a set comprising only track of their authorship under any alias, and derivatives (explained down below). Examples of this sets are the Nu:Tone Only Set @ Hospitality ADE 2024, MUZZ 100% set @ Liquicity 2024 and Maduk only set @ Liquicity 2023:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEQ96NuiUVg
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW7zpUH5Q0c
4. Women-only Sets
   (Quote from Hospital Records)
   To shine a spotlight and celebrate some of the incredible women in our scene, Flava D has put together a special mix consisting entirely of music produced by female-identifying producers.
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1HbUqasdpc

(CONTINUES)

[snow hedge]

no dj is going to want to dj at an event where they cant play what they feel like

[bright wedge]

I hear you. And its not meant to be an imposition but an invitation. You feel me? And YES for newer DJs that would be a big middle finger.

Its just that i have seen it working, and it works really well. FOR renown artist.

[snow hedge]

oh yeah, as special events sure. they already happen sometimes like you mention

for example in 2023 we had AMCs digging deep liquid set, and this year we had maduk's lunar set

[bright wedge]

Exactly! And Maduk only sets

I am also aware that this is a yearly discussion, however i know feel like i have more evidence that it works.

Thou i spoke with some DJs and they share your feeling.

But in all honesty, some DJs DO overuse (abuse might be a strong word here) certain tracks, and that is imho lazy and its becoming systematic at DnB festivals.

[wooden saddle]

Two questions for you:

• Did you visit Nebula at all?
• Can you elaborate on your personal experience where your suggested approach works?

[carmine nest]

Previous years I felt some tracks were extremely overused and i heard them about 6 times a day.
This year I have not had that "annoyance" with any track in particular.

[bright wedge]

1. Yes i did. I went mostly for the specific stuff (USB Roulette, some Garage DJs and Psytrance).

[polar dirge]

Same here but I also didn't stay at one stage for longer except Lunar on Saturday.

[bright wedge]

2. I placed some examples above but i will elaborate on the one that i did not, which is Nu:Tone.
   He did a Nu:Tone only set at Hospitality. That set was for me the best one that year. The whole experience felt like a trip to the future, including the scenography. He did in fact played his most famous tracks on certain moments where to hyphen up the crowd, which is what a good DJ does obviously.
   The experience i had with that set was not of a DnB set, but rather of a DnB experince. The sounds(s) of an artist blended together to create an experience, in this case a futuristic one.

I have to guess that he was either

1. Invited to do that (which is a challenge but at the same time an honour)

[carmine nest]

I also praised MUZZ for doing a MUZZ only set in 2024. That was an absolute glorious set.

[bright wedge]

2. His proposal

[bright wedge]

TBF i spent more time in Galaxy this year since i was with my partner. For her she did not mind that much until the end of the show. It is a bit counterproductive that Dimension/Sub Focus are played the entire time and then they are the headliners.

[wooden saddle]

This I can agree with, especially if you share a stage with one of them, that you probably shouldn't play their tracks. Other than that it's mostly in your own hands to be honest. With four stages to choose from, one of which is almost exactly what you're asking for, you can just choose to go to a different stage. This almost certainly solves your problem.

Ps. not sure what the poll is supposed to show, but it's biased and non-exhaustive.

[bright wedge]

u are right about the poll actually, its not mine and some of the answers are probably ironic.

[wooden saddle]

(I could pick one of the answers, but the answer I'd truly give isn't in there)

[bright wedge]

It is not so much about solving a listener problem but rather something that is systemic. Ive seen some people's counters of populars songs and i do feel like it needs to be addressed.
In other scenes, it is quite expected that the DJ is going to give the audience something that they did not know they wanted. That would help a lot here

And the whole point is to find an approach that is constructive, and not stuff like this:

[bright wedge]

BINGO! The whole point is being a positive reinforcement and not an imposition.

As for the logistics (which btw personally would be a great candidate for this) - 3 sets of this type (one per stage) per day would be a healthy start.

[wooden saddle]

Healthy for whom?

[placid shoal]

Wants to be surprised for tunes -> goes to the galaxy all weekend

[bright wedge]

For the organizers? It is a risky idea specially for the Galaxy stage. Me having a few cases where this works does not mean it would work in the future.

[bright wedge]

Just a bit more than usual this year, because there is also the fact that the vibes ARE quite important, and at Galaxy there is a lot of energy from the crowd.

[placid shoal]

That’s because people who are new to drum and bass go to the galaxy cause they will play mostly dancefloor and stuff that is known to the masses aka you’ll hear a lot of repeat songs

Like it or not; people go nuts for solar system

[wooden saddle]

Can't please everyone I suppose

[placid shoal]

Just live in the Lunar like all the other dnb snobs (me)

[bright wedge]

A DJ Marky X Makoto 2 Hour History set would work better in Galaxy (This is the plot twist)

Doesn't have to be headliners

[placid shoal]

no cause if you have a Dimension or Sub Focus on at the same time the masses would still flock to that cause they don't know about DJ Marky or Makoto

I just think it's funny that you mention repeat songs while being at the ''dancefloor'' stage for most of the weekend and yeah it's normal that you'll hear certain tunes more than others you even have that at normal radio stations or other events

Plus I wouldn’t be surprised it can come across as an insult if you try to book someone and then be like; so eyo you can’t play what you want to play cause we already have someone playing dancefloor/the standard stuff. Like if someone would say that to me I would hike up my price

''Hey Lexurus, whatever you do don't play a set that's you''

[elfin panther]

Honestly this year was the best I’ve seen personally for repetitive songs playing

[bright wedge]

I wasnt most of the weekend. I was more time there compared to other editions mainly because of my GF.
And yes it is sometimes that happens and is normal, but imho it is becoming too much, and ppl are noticing. The counters might sound like a joke but they reflect a reality of the scene.

[bright wedge]

100% agree on this. And this is something i have no idea how to approach u know? When it happened before, was it an idea from the DJ? Or a proposal? I highly doubt it was an imposition.

[placid shoal]

Yes and reality is that this is what the scene is turning into. Tiktok brain go brrr for certain songs -> giving a big crowd reaction -> making DJ's play the song

[bright wedge]

At least i do not recall too much Baddadan

[bright wedge]

People react to the stage. I am not saying this should be the standard, but rather something to try (again). Specially considering the 10 year anniversary.

[placid shoal]

I rather have a DJ play a set that they want to play without being policed. That way they can really show whatever they want to present themselves as If that means I have to hear some tunes multiple times so be it

[bright wedge]

I am also against policing the USBs. I do not think is feasible nor productive.

[alpine isle]

I'd be so hyped for this!

[bright wedge]

Yeah this is the whole goal not gonna lie the mask is off

But they want to be in ! Not the production be like "You are not playing anybody elses track"

It has to be more like "Guys, we would like you to do a set that showcases your musical legacy. It would be a great honour for everybody. Are you in? "

[wooden saddle]

I guess I just don't really understand what you're trying to achieve. You said earlier that you think it is expected from the dj "to give the audience something that they did not know they wanted", while also limiting/restricting them in doing so and specifically creating expectations by providing a theme beforehand?

Makes no sense to me and I'm lost. 🫡

[bright wedge]

I am not trying to achieve anything, i am just giving an idea for the 10 year anniversary that i think it can work (as shown).
When i said "to give the audience something that they did not know they wanted", i just meant that big dancefloor hits are not the only thing that draws the crowd, and trying something different, which is the point of the restricted set.

Thou maybe instead of "restricted", "exclusive" sounds better

The boundaries of the sets are there to deviate from the dancefloor big hits and provide a novel experience that synergizes with the sounds of an artist/label.

[wooden saddle]

Some djs, especially the ones playing on the same stage, are going to have overlap in this "novel experience". That's just how it is. Boundaries aren't going to change that in my opinion.

[bright wedge]

Probably. The boundaries are there to guide creativity. It doesnt have to be perfect, it has to be a synergyzed experience.

I think is worth a shot for the 10 yr anniversary. And all the criticism here is valid. After all, the examples i have shown are on the execution side of things and not how it came into fruition.
And when promoting such acts, i would not call em "restricted sets"

[wooden saddle]

To address this, i propose the implementation of restricted sets

[bright wedge]

Yeah restricted sets is a technical term, but a horrible promotional one for sure

my bad

[languid wraith]

DJ’s should play whatever they like, but I think nebula should have even more non-drum&bass sets.

[bright wedge]

Im not advocating for USB policing, im advocating for more sets like the ones described above.

[placid shoal]

(Which leads to USB policing)

[bright wedge]

Do you really think (or know) that the MUZZ or Maduk only set had somebody checking their usb?

[placid shoal]

They came up with those set ideas themselves, asking someone to do a set like that is USB policing -> wanting them to change what they normally do

[bright wedge]

Yees exactly! If u think that it only works if they came up with those set ideas, that i can agree with. Thou personally and from speaking with certain DJs (Whiney), some encouragement is ok. Asking not demanding.

[hushed crypt]

Reddit moment

[modest prairie]

You either die at galaxy or live long enough to be a lunar elitist

[cinder tendon]

I personally don't mind hearing the same songs a few times over the festival, (mainly) these songs are either banger or just iconic. For example I absolutely love Adromedik Forever because everyone knows it and sings along to the lead up of the drop having these repeatable songs I find brings everyone together in synchronization and I love that vibe of togetherness. And even if you do hear the same song in different sets it might be a different mix or stitched together in a unique way. Each set is a unique experience whether the same songs come up now and again. Just my thoughts.

[coarse meteor]

I think you make a good point, calling them restricted sets might not be the best term though haha. For our event Stepping Through we often send DJs just a quick message saying something like "Hey we're so excited to have you play for us! We love your work both recent and old and we want you to know we want to give you full creative freedom and no need to cater. We loved that digging deep/non dnb/classics only/whatever set you played at xyz! So feel free to go as deep and obscure as you like on our night"!

But then again that also starts with booking more varied artists for our lineups

[solid dragon]

I absolutely loved hearing "Solar system" all the time everywhere 🙂 so my vote is "no"