Contributing Writer
Panfil & Rubh, the tech house duo introduced themselves in May 2022 with the release of their first EP on Erase Records entitled ‘Vibe Strong’. The ‘Vibe Strong’ EP included two original tracks “Vibe Strong” and “Surrender”. Their EP peaked on Beatport Charts at #16 on Tech House Releases and #82 on Overall Top 100 Releases. Panfil and Rubh, generated some buzz with this release receiving support from top DJs, blogs, and radio stations around the world.
This time around Panfil & Rubh deliver a massive 2-track EP “Rock ‘N’ Roll” on Spanish imprint “RIM“. We spoke to Panfil & Rubh about the new release, music influences, studio setup, and more plans for 2023?
Hey guys! It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How has 2023 been for you so far?
Hi, thank you. We appreciate you having us back! So far, 2023 has been great. We’re looking forward to the summer and the rest of the year ahead.
Congrats on your latest release «Rock ’N’ Roll» on RIM Label. What was your inspiration behind this record?
For “Rock ‘N’ Roll,” we had a sample and knew we wanted to incorporate guitar riffs into it, giving it a real rock music feeling. We built those around our drums, and “Rock ‘N’ Roll” came to life.
The B side, “Bang,” we joined forces with another Chicago producer, XFDS, and created it from a rough drum and vocal loop we made about a year ago. XFDS took that and added his touch, and we couldn’t be happier with the result.
Can you tell us more about Panfil & Rubh? How did you meet? Who’s idea was it to begin this project?
We have been friends for almost 20 years. We were part of a DJ trio together in the early 2000s, which ended about 8 years ago. We both took a break from music. In 2020 during the pandemic, we were just hanging out, and Dima (Rubh) kept suggesting we make a song for fun. One track turned into two, which turned into more. We had a few people listen, and they liked our production and style. That was when we decided to go full into this again and see what happens.
What are some musical influences that you believe have shaped your sound?
We think our biggest advantage going into this project was that we both had our own individual sounds and styles. We looked at the scene and how big tech house was getting. We were able to take that tech house feel but incorporate our previous big room and minimal styles together to get our current sound.
Can you name some of the instruments or plugins that you believe define your sound?
We are all about the groove. We believe our sound is defined by our drums and basslines. After that, we try to get creative, using plugins in a way they are not supposed to be used. Serum would be our staple synth though, that we use in almost all of our tracks.
What has been your highlight gig so far this year?
We spent the end of last year and the beginning of this year completely locked in the studio creating a bunch of songs being released throughout 2023. Now that summer is quickly approaching, we are excited to get out and start DJing and sharing our unreleased music.
Where can people expect to see you perform live in the coming months?
We currently have a few shows lined up in our hometown of Chicago and are looking to add to that. So anyone reading this that wants to see us live, reach out! We’d love to play and share our music with anyone and everyone!
Now that «Rock ’N’ Roll» is out, what is next for Panfil & Rubh?
We are loving the feedback, support, and success of this EP on the Beatport charts. We are going to continue creating more music to keep that feeling alive. We do have a few releases scheduled to come out throughout this year.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer our questions, is there anything else you would like to mention before we go?
Thank you so much. We appreciate it. You can catch our monthly radio show “House Fluent Radio” on Data Transmission on the 3rd Friday of every month. And follow us at Panfil & Rubh on all social media to stay up to date on all we are doing and our music.
Follow Panfil & Rubh on Soundcloud / Instagram / Facebook
Panfil & Rubh – Rock ‘N’ Roll EP is OUT NOW on RIM