Just like the country’s diverse natural landscape, the first Bulgarian Beat Wave compilation not only offers a non-linear sonic experience, but guides listeners through the unique and varied sound of some of the most talented local beatmakers. The compilation was created in the breath-taking village of Apriltsi, located in the vicinity of the highest part of Stara Planina mountain, where the artists and part of our Stereofox team spent 4 days recording, filming and building the foundations of a strong community that we all hope is here to stay. The goal of the project is to put Bulgaria on the world’s instrumental music map, showcase the flourishing scene and offer something fresh and different.
With a population less than 7M, the 107th largest country in the world is a home of some of the most talented and creative multi-instrumentalists, producers and sound engineers which we at Stereofox are humbled to call label mates and family.
This is the first step of a long journey, dedicated to enabling and encouraging people to find new music from around the world.
the team
THE RELEASE
Whether we curate our selection or release as a label, our guiding North Star has always been the mission of helping people discover new music from around the world. With half of us being Bulgarian, it goes without saying – we deeply care and feel connected to the local scene and would love to be part of its expansion beyond the borders of this beautiful country. We firmly believe in the talent and creativity of a small, but dedicated number of people here. It is pure joy to know that so many multi-instrumentalists/beatmakers live so close to each other.
The manifestation of this idea started like most things else at Stereofox – slowly and organically. We had the pleasure of working with all these producers for the past 2 years and quickly developed a close relationship with all of them. Not only trust but a family and feeling – something that we truly value as a team.
Vol 1 is just the beginning. Our goal is to foster collaboration with local and international artists. Present our scene and further enhance its integration with the rest of the world as we truly believe in its potential and the people here.
Each of the artists on the compilation represents a truly unique world of its own. This goes out to show how packed, yet diverse the music ecosystem in the country is.
From prolific instrumentalists like TromBobby (brass), Peyotoff (guitar), EVDN. (bass), RADO (drums) and Boyan (piano) to people like Gena who has earned his stripes as a champion of the classic hip hop beat sound. Through his round-the-clock work with So Called Crew and a number of local artists, one could argue he has shaped a whole generation of listeners in the past 10 years. When it comes to powerful grooves, there’s Low Heat’s one-of-a-kind style. A true educator and squad’s hardware expert. SMYAH’s power to transport listeners to a darker, more intimate space is un-matchable. Then we have young, but extremely eager producers like Kamen and ymprl who have honed their craft both in Bulgaria and abroad. They liven-up the whole scene ambiance with a futuristic scent inspired by some of the most cutting-edge producers out there. Add in the mix DJ DELightfull, a world DJ champion, and you basically have a producer superhero team.
With more than 30M combined streams in recent years, the local artists working alongside Stereofox has already seen some successes like Spotify, Apple Music and TIDAL editorials, features on prominent blogs like Indie Shuffle, sold-out vinyl campaign, international record store partnerships and a spot on COLORS Berlin website, to name a few.
THE ARTIST
Low Heat
One of the most experienced and renowned producers in Bulgaria, Low Heat crafts a special blend of cosmic hip-hop, abstract beats & modern funk, often inspired by the West Coast and its synth-heavy sound. He spends his days working on instrumentals, teaching music production at the acclaimed Sound Ninja Music Academy, and making tutorials for his YouTube channel with more than 20k followers.
- Supported on BBC Radio 1, CLASH Magazine, KCRW, and RINSE.FM
- Featured on Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals, Creative Focus, New in Electronic & Vida Relax
- Supported on Deezer's Fresh Soul & TIDAL's Trilha do Jantar
- 24k+ subscribers on his YouTube channel for Ableton production tutorials & equipment reviews
- 2M+ streams on all DSPs and supported on more than 50k independent playlists
- endorsed by Native Instruments & partnership with DistroKid
ymprl
ymprl is an up-and-coming producer whose sound is anything but stale. Growing up with the sound of Mr Carmack, ESTA, and Flume, he merges the vibrancy of future bass with lush melodies to create an alluring experimental bounce that’s hard to classify.
- Featured on BBC Radio 1 (for "Carefree" from Bulgarian Beat Wave vol. 1)
- Rotation on SiriusXM Chill
- Featured on Apple Music's BEATstrumentals, Lo-Fi Chill, Winter Chill, Chilling Out (Frostbite) and Today's Chill
- 13M+ streams across streaming platforms
TromBobby
TromBobby combines his long-time passion, the trombone, with peculiar beats for a truly unconventional and contemporary sound. Studied jazz trombone at Conservatorium van Amsterdam, his unique production style and live instrumentation brought him features on Spotify’s Orbit, Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals and TIDAL's Rising Deutschland and support on BBC Radio 1. Also, a winner of The Kount Challenge 2021.
- Featured on Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals, Spotify’s ORBIT editorial, and TIDAL’s Rising Deutschland, Grooves: Deutscher R&B
- Winner of The Kount Challenge 2021
- "LONGING" radio play by Amazing Radio (US), SoulTracks (USA), El Rocanrosaurio (MX), Radio Krimi (FR), Bulgarian National Radio (BG), Radio Nova 98.9 (PT), Rádio Armazém (BR)
- Radio play on BBC Radio 1 (Sian Eleri) for "Carefree"
- Nominated for Forbes 30 under 30 Bulgaria
- 2.1M Streams across all streaming platforms
- Added to 8.7k+ independent playlists on Spotify
- His music (with DAYO) was used by Will Smith on his official YT channel
- Performed live on Bulgarian National TV
- Interview for RCRDLBL, feature on EarMilk, SoulTracks, The World Is Bond, FLEX, Italmassive, album review on TwistedSoul
- #6 on hypem Popular Charts (“BOX OF CHOCOLATES”)
EVDN.
EVDN. is a jazz bassist and experimental electronic musician from Bulgaria. He picked his first bass guitar at the age of 16 and that’s when the concept of EVDN. was born. Just like the music he’s creating, his journey feels cosmic, and both guiding and non-directional at the same time.
- featured on CLASH Magazine, chill.co (US), AcidStag (AU), Wax (UK) & Wordplay Mag (UK)
- radio play on BBC Radio 1, KCRW Radio, & Rinse.FM
- “WARRIOR” featured on Spotify’s All New Jazz and Fresh Finds: Jazz editorial playlists
- featured on Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals
- 1M streams across DSPs
- featured on 2.1k+ independent playlists & 1.1k Shazams worldwide
- #4 and #2 on hypem Popular Chart
- his music (with DAYO) is used by Will Smith on his official YT channel
- performed at A to Jazz Festival (Sofia)
SMYAH
A music producer & filmmaker, SMYAH’s sound fuses different musical worlds, swinging from broken beats to leftfield bass & aerial, cinematic elements. He implements a somehow floral feeling to his sound, painting natural soundscapes with synthesizers & percussion.
- Support by XLR8R
Kamen
Kamen is an award-nominated producer & audio engineer with more than 10 years of experience in music production and a degree in Creative Music Technology. He’s worked on countless projects with artists all over the world & his productions have been featured on CLASH Magazine, COLORS, BBC Radio 1, KCRW, Soho Radio London, TIDAL Rising Global & Spotify/Apple Music editorial playlists. The Bulgarian-born UK-trained producer is inspired by artists like Madlib, Kanye West, J Dilla, and Kenny Beats.
- Part of the Bulgarian Beat Wave vol. 1 compilation, featured on BBC 1, CLASH Magazine, Bandcamp frontpage, KCRW
- Featured on 5k+ independent playlists
- Leena & Kamen’s “Don’t Panic” was featured on COLORS' homepage
Boyan
Inspired by soul, funk and future beats music, Boyan is a producer and a DJ with over 15 years of experience when it comes to crafting soulful and touching beats. He joined the Stereofox label family in 2019 and started solidifying his presence in the international scene with his debut Morning With Her EP (1M streams across DSPs). Since then he's garnered more than 7M+ streams across streaming platforms, had a worldwide sold-out vinyl campaign for his Closure EP, and worked with names like Nic Hanson, Moods, Stefan Mahendra, Grammy-nominated Ashton Sellars, and El Train.
- 5M+ streams across streaming platforms
- Worked with artists like Nic Hanson, Moods, Misha, Stefan Mahendra, Ashton Sellars, etc.
- Featured on Spotify's Nu Funk, Riffs & Runs, Jazz UK, New Music Friday UK/Japan, Cafe Chillout and Groovin' R&B
- Featured on Apple Music's BEATstrumentals and Lo-Fi Jazz
- Airplay on BBC, SBS Australia, Soho Radio London, etc.
- Supported by COLORS, CLASH Magazine, EARMILK & reached #1 on HypeM
- Featured on Deezer's Fresh Soul editorial
- Featured on TIDAL’s Rising Electronic editorial & In The Loop
- Part of Stereofox's first London camp in 2024
Gena
Founding member of the most prolific hip hop act in Bulgaria for the past 10 years – So Called Crew. Gena is a champion of the classic hip hop sound, movie fanatic & all-mighty sample being. His album with Leena & Kamen Labyrinth of the Subconscious scored 350k+ streams and features on Colors Berlin, Qrates & multiple other independent curators.
- Part of Stereofox’s highly-acclaimed Bulgarian Beat Wave vol. 1 compilation, featured on BBC 1, CLASH Magazine, Bandcamp frontpage, KCRW, etc.
- Featured on Deezer’s R&B UK editorial for his work with YANA
- Sold-out vinyl campaign for Leena’s debut album Labyrinth of the Subconscious (distributed worldwide via Fat Beats)
Peyotoff
Peyotoff is the solo project of jazz-trained guitarist Petar Yotov. The producer blends his alluring neo-soul guitar style with future beats elements, instrumental hip hop and jazz all that through the prism of his own experiences. A groove-heavy, but soothing sounds for the soul.
- Featured on Spotify’s lofi beats, R&B Weekly, Vanguard, Lowkey, Next Wave Soul, Soul 'n' the City, Douces Vibes, Fresh Finds: R&B
- Featured on Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals & Vida Relax editorial
- TIDAL’s Mix da Semana Brazil editorials
- Part of Downtown Records Miles Davies Tribute compilation (2022)
- Support by Indie Shuffle (2x) (article), Acid Stag (article), Magnetic Mac (article) and Ryan Celsius (playlists)
- #3 hypem Popular Charts for "After Darkness"
- Performed live on Bulgarian National TV and multiple venues in Vienna, Austria
- Radio support on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6
- Mentioned in CLASH magazine on the rising beat scene in Bulgaria
RADO
A drummer & producer known for his versatile style, and energetic, emotive & raw presence on stage. He’s closely working with TromBobby, Peyotoff & EVDN. (known as The Only Friends), but also can often be seen on the big stage with some of the most prolific Bulgarian artists.
