Rubicon 7

Idaho-based duo Rubicon 7, made up of Brandon Scott and Elizabeth Thompson, have exclusively released a brand new bootleg via DMNW that is among several new tracks R7 will be dropping at Paradiso 2014. They will be performing at the Digital Oasis stage from 3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 28th. The duo are one of the fastest growing acts in the Northwest, and you won’t want to miss a chance to catch them at our favorite festival venue, the Gorge Amphitheater. You can learn more about Rubicon 7, and all of the artists performing at Paradiso 2014, with our handy genre-by-genre artist guide here.

Their latest tune is a bootleg remix of DallasK’s Superfuture. Rubicon 7 takes a decidedly alternate route than DallasK, but arrive in a similarly satisfactory place. Replacing the heavy progressive style with a deep electro groove while utilizing the ridiculously catchy melody and quality vocal samples, Rubicon 7 have themselves a track that will have the Digital Oasis stage grooving at Paradiso. The track is available as a free download.

Want more Rubicon 7? Check out their hour long mix show ‘Under the Influence’ on Digitally Imported Radio in the electro house section every Friday at 9 a.m. PT. Let us know what you think of Rubicon 7′s latest track and how excited you are to catch one of the up-and-coming dance music acts of the Northwest at Paradiso 2014! Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter! - Dance Music Northwest

House experts Rubicon 7 have proved once again they are a force to be reckoned with. Slowly moving away from their trance and progressive roots, R7 will grab your attention with this electro house bass fest. An excellent mix of melodic build ups and bass heavy drops “Transitions” will make even the hair on your arms move.

If you aren’t Under the Influence of the self-motivated duo, you will be after this song. Despite playing alongside Tiesto, Tommy Trash, and Terrivata the duo isn’t finished yet. Big things are in the works for R7 so jump on the wagon before it’s too late. Be sure to check out their weekly radio show on Digitally Imported Radio. - Family of Festivals

One of the fastest-growing electronic groups in the US is Rubicon 7. The guy/girl duo is not as common to see in the EDM scene, and they are out to let themselves be known. 2103 has been an outstanding year for them, having played alongside Tiesto, Terravita, and Tommy Trash, as well as snagging their own streaming radio spot on Digitally Imported Radio‘s Electro House station. Their latest release, “Transitions,” is nothing short of stand-out, either. Tying into their signature sound, “Transitions” has a modernized club feel with underground trance elements. You can listen to the preview below and purchase the track on iTunes. Their weekly mix show, ‘Under The Influence,’ airs every Friday.

Rubicon 7′s ‘Under The Influence’ live mix show streams on DI.fm at 9am (pst) every Friday. Listen below to their Episode 065 and be sure to tune in this Friday for more from Rubicon 7! - Dance Music Northwest

Based out of Boise, Idaho, producers Elizabeth Thompson and Brandon Scott make up Rubicon 7. This DJ duo is incredibly talented, with a sound that is unmatched, Make sure you listen to their original tracks below as you read the exclusive interview with Neon Vision.

Besides cranking out unique tracks for their fans, Rubicon 7 blasts a killer electro house podcast, “Under the Influence“, which engages listeners all over the world for the best quality tracks you won’t see in the top 10 charts. The energetic podcast initially captured my attention, but as I sat down for the interview, Elizabeth and Brandon taught me a lot about what goes into producing quality electronic music, how they find the best tracks on the planet for their radio show, and what you don’t know about the Idaho EDM Scene.

“Under the Influence”, your weekly podcast, is some of the heaviest Electro House I’ve heard! How do you select the bangers each week?

Brandon: We have a pretty strict and well-defined formula for the types of tracks we play in the podcast. The tracks need to convey more depth than just fist-pumping, so we are always looking for creative basslines, emotional melodies and a good grasp of tension and release. We also prefer to play tracks before they hit it big in the online stores and charts…so by the time a track hits the Top 10, chances are we’ve already moved on to the next soon-to-be hits with our playlists.

Elizabeth: At a minimum, the tracks we play have to have a hook, be melodic and emotionally available for a connection to the listener. In the end, we purchase tracks from Beatport and support the producers that we love, not just the top 100… Ultimately, you hear what we are hot about in our own experience of EDM, not what we are asked or told to play.

Would you say electro house is your preferred genre when producing?

Elizabeth: When we got started in the EDM scene, we jumped straight from our electronic roots into something that we could play on our radio show. We kept the progressive elements and the songwriting style that people expected of us, but we challenged the “box” that everyone kept trying to apply to us as progressive/electro. It was our own style that a listener can easily relate to, but with enough weirdness to challenge their brain, which is what I always look for in new music.

What are your personal favorite tracks at the moment?

Elizabeth: Far Too Loud had a recent free download called “Drop The Bomb” that was pretty stellar, particularly the unexpected lead line in the middle of the growly electric bass. I also like Knife Party’s “Power Glove” for the big drums and basslines and the chaotic noise. The dirtier the sound, the more I like it, but it has to remain melodic to hold my attention.

How did you get located in Boise, Idaho and how is the scene there?

Elizabeth: In the past we have moved around the US to work on the projects that interest us the most. We’ve had some of our best songwriting experiences in Idaho and we are looking forward to making more connections here. Boise has unbelievable energy, a lot like Austin, and yet it is a really well kept secret. The kids are amazing and there is a lot of old school influence that lingers while the newer genres are well accepted.

You recently opened for Tiesto on tour. Was that the best crowd you’ve played to?

Brandon: When you play a show like that, you know everyone’s excited for Tiesto. They are waiting for you to get off stage! [Laughs.] But when we play the smaller shows, you know that everyone there came to see you.

Elizabeth: [Tiesto's College Invasion tour] was definitely the biggest crowd we’ve played in front of. The crowd had so much energy… When you look out into the crowd and see that one person rocking out, it’s so worth it.

What does Rubicon 7 mean?

Brandon: Shakespeare’s depiction of “crossing the Rubicon” as a no-turning-back-now act of war has always stuck with me. We all have those moments in life when we are faced with our own Rubicon, that faint line in the sand separating us from what we are meant to accomplish. For me, it was music. We named our project “Rubicon 7″ as a constant reminder to go all-in every chance we get and that there is never any turning back.

Where do you see the EDM scene going in the U.S.?

Elizabeth:The only answer is up! You can’t stop the momentum when this many hearts are behind a movement. Look at some of the festivals that have exploded in the last few years. None of them have set any limits for their audience, so I think that EDM is here to stay.

To hear more from Rubicon 7, be sure to check out “Under the Influence” on Digitally Imported Electro House Radio every Friday at 9 AM PST, and be on the lookout for more new tracks from Rubicon 7 on Soundcloud. - Neon Vision Entertainment

I always love it when I can place a new city on my map of electronic music. Rubicon 7 just helped me place Boise in Idaho on the map – and it seem like I have really been missing something there.
Rubicon 7 have developed a highly dynamic, energetic style that they describe as “a progressive/electro house sound, bass heavy with melodic chords and catchy vocals”. They host a weekly show called “Under The Influence” on Digitally Imported (one of the world’s leading online radios for electronic music) and also play shows in the US and internationally.
Read more in this interview with that they gave exclusively to Sweet Headache:
How would you describe your music? (preferably without using genre terms :-))
Brandon: Describing our music without leaning on genre tags is probably easier anyhow because in just the past 12 months alone, we have spanned multiple categories ranging from flowing Ibiza-friendly vocal house to big, hard-hitting electro.
Though there is a common thread that ties it all together, a certain feel that seems to come through in each track. Anyone can watch a YouTube video to learn how to make most any style of EDM, but that will usually just leave you with a sound-a-like rip-off of a popular track. Instead, we tend to borrow individual elements and melodic structures from various genres rather than make a track that fits into a specific mold.
How did you and Brandon meet? How are you working together?
Elizabeth: We met online and formed an instant bond over music. Our partnership is a unique blend of logic and emotion, beats and melody, introvert and extrovert. When one of us has an idea, the other is quick to jump on board and help expand the scope of the project.
Brandon: We spend on average about 30 hours per week together in the R7 studio which also doubles as Elizabeth’s office where she writes and consults for various record labels. Whenever schedules don’t allow for one or both of us to be physically in the studio, we still constantly bounce plans, ideas and links to each other over instant messengers.
I’m sure there is a pretty extensive chat log in an NSA database somewhere that catalogs almost everything she and I have discussed so far…mostly because of chat snippets like “wow, that will destroy the club!” and “just a couple hours until we light it up! BOOM!”.
What are your most important past and present influences?
Brandon: My most important influences in the past were some of the forerunners of today’s electronic music scene, such as Erasure, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and the Pet Shop Boys. Earlier R7 tracks, like “Anybody But You” in particular, have a heavy signature from that era and style. However, it was our desire to move past that “sound” into something more modern and underground, which actually spawned the concept for our Under The Influence podcast. The idea was to select and mix the new tracks from other artists that highlighted the direction we were taking with our own productions.
Elizabeth: Basically, we are sharing with the world each week who is inspiring us in our own journey as EDM producers, so, in a way, we are the ones who are “under the influence.”
I read in another interview that the name “Rubicon 7″ was inspired by Shakespeare. Do you have any other important non-musical influences?
Elizabeth: We love stuff that is nerdy — everything from government conspiracies and Ancient Aliens to the Big Bang Theory sitcom. In fact, an old episode of the Big Bang Theory was the inspiration for our next heavy electro-house single “Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock” which is out everywhere on December 30th [shameless plug].
Brandon: Also, my fascination with conspiracies and mind control played a big part in a song we wrote last year called “MK Ultra” — the fictional tale of a brainwashed assassin trying to cope with the memory gaps of the previous night’s events (not that any party-goer could ever relate to that scenario!). While those are some of our favorite themes for songwriting, we mostly just try to keep our lyrical content relevant and distinct, avoiding at all costs reducing ourselves to saying things like “Put yo hands up!” followed by nothing but a kick drum and a Vengeance sample. That is the point at which we would know it is time to call it quits.
Could you describe your local music scene for us? (for someone who is not from the US)
Elizabeth: We are located in a very “off the map” area in Boise, Idaho, which is the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is very similar to some other mid size cities around the country, but it has an almost cult-like EDM following with a very broad age range. In a single week, you can attend shows that range from tech house to dubstep and you will see some overflow in the crowd at both types of show. I’ve seen bassheads at our progressive shows and trance family at our electro shows. It’s almost as if there are no boundaries and we can appreciate that since it is the approach that we use when producing tracks.
Brandon: Everyone loves a good festival, or even a massive line-up in a big room setting, but that isn’t where the Boise EDM scene thrives. Here, the scene is just big enough to bring in some of the top acts in the world like Tiesto, Morgan Page and Zedd, but still small enough that the experience is always personal and intimate. This allows the fans to get closer to the DJs and the music than they could anywhere else without having a backstage pass at a festival.
Which of your own productions or remixes are you most proud of and why?
Brandon: One production that I’m most proud of is the remix that we did for Gold Top’s track Uh Oh, which is still one of our top-selling tracks. The original was a huge 140BPM dubstep track, so putting our own R7 spin on it was especially challenging. We approach remixing basically the same way every time — we listen to the original version of the track once (and only once), and then we drop the dry vocal into an empty Cubase project to begin. From there, we construct the elements based on what we feel from the original vocal. What made the Uh Oh remix special for me was how we managed to completely re-imagine a massive dubstep track into a smooth 128BPM electro-progressive tune that held its own among fans of both genres. It was one of those rare productions that came together in just a few hours instead of days or even weeks.
How do you prepare for a DJ set?
Elizabeth: We have a large whiteboard on the wall in our recording studio that we use for a variety of things like reminders about deadlines, production tips, and live set tracklist notes. Each week as we put together our Digitally Imported radio show, certain tracks stand out in the mix that we feel would work really well for a live crowd. When that happens, we add it to the list on the whiteboard. At any given moment, we have about 40 to 50 tracks that we have picked for playing out, and the list is always evolving.
Brandon: A few days prior to a DJ set, we make sure to have all the tracks on the whiteboard that we might play cataloged and tagged inside Rekordbox, adding special notes for harmonic mixing and which tracks work especially well together for transitions.
Other than that, we practice…a lot, because we are not so much actual DJs as we are producers who perform in clubs where DJ’ing is the native language.
What are your plans for the near future?
Elizabeth: Recently, we have been begun doing in-studio vocal recording, plus mixdowns and mastering for other artists in a variety of genres ranging from electro house to pop and indie dance. The response to the projects we have finished so far has been amazing, but our goal is to always do better.
So with that, our plans for the next couple of months are focused on improving our recording studio space with even better bass trapping and diffusion so we can continue to up our game for our own production and the work we do for others.
Any shows or releases that you are looking forward to?
Brandon: Our next event is the big NYE 2014 bash at the Knitting Factory here in our adopted home town of Boise, ID, which has some of the best EDM fans anywhere. We are really looking forward to ringing in the new year with all of them.
The event will also double as a release party for our “Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock” single which hits the day prior on December 30th. That single is easily some of the hardest electro that we have produced thus far so I am eager to see how crowds and online fans react. - Sweet Headache

As acid house begins to make a triumphant comeback onto the EDM scene, we are seeing it’s signature synthesizers being combined with more traditionally clubby sounds creating a new and exciting type of deep house. With a soul-fully poppy vocal driving the tracks emotion, the elements of deep, tech and acid house act to pad Ennovi’s lovely vocal. The result is a perfectly balanced mix of dance floor domination and radio friendly vibes. With a wonderfully intricate blend of sound design, emotion, and fluid energy this track will satiate the auditory senses of whatever audience it commands. - EDM.com

This is such an awesome remix. Rubicon 7 remixed Life+’s track, “Skyrise.” This remix came out extremely well and it is so good that I’ve had it on repeat for at least 10 minutes now. This is something that I can see being played at a festival and just people dancing like crazy! I dare to say this (and I actually hate saying this), but I think that this remix may equal, if not better than the original. Check out this track right now and buy it on Beatport! - EDM Assassin

Salt Lake City duo Life+ recently released their big new single Skyrise on System Recordings. Skyrise, which is still reflective of the duo’s famed high energy performances, also introduces a uniquely progressive sound for Life+. The progressive house original slightly infuses funk with minimal vocals to enhance the overall appeal of the track. So turn up the volume and let the smooth melody take control.

To shake things up, Rubicon 7 offers their own twist on Life+‘s Skyrise. This duo pumps up the energy even more to create their electro house version of Skyrise, complete with heavy, bumping beats. The funk is replaced with an intense electro rhythm that keeps the verve strong. Both Life+‘s original and Rubicon 7‘s remix of Skyrise are versatile tunes that can be enjoyed anywhere from a dark club to a house party dance floor to the driver’s seat of your car. Be sure to tell us what ya think in the comments! - YOUREDM

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Using the line “Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock” from the TV show The Big Bang Theory, Idaho-based electro duo Rubicon 7 build an entire track around it. Alternating an eerie, almost Nightmare on Elm Street-sounding theme track with commercial electro makes for the perfect discord. This is one of those tracks that can easily become a cult hit as the first time I played it in my mixshow, I had people eMailing me to find out what it was. Playing it in a club set, I saw guys holding up their phones to Shazam it. Coming out of leftfield, who knows where this track will end up? - notabledance