“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. With a population of 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.
Vol. 1 gave us the motivation, and knowledge and set the foundation for the future of this project. Vol. 2 is about expanding what we’ve built and moving one step further.”
the team
THE RELEASE
The Bulgarian Beat Wave idea was born at the beginning of 2022 by us – the team at Stereofox. With half crew 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.
It’s hard to put into words the experience of doing vol. 1 of the compilation. It was not only fun but eye-opening. Being able to detach yourself from everyday life allowed all of us – the team and artists to really connect, bond, and dive into creating beautiful and extremely varied music. The launch of the project, the documentary, all the international and local support, and the successful vinyl campaign are a dream come true.
After doing vol. 1, we decided to expand on the idea and go beyond showcasing the talented and multi-layered local producers. Alongside the creation process, we will change locations with every edition in order to reveal to the world various parts of Bulgaria’s nature. Hopefully, this spills over into telling the story of the country, its people, and even its customs.
The second compilation was created in October last year near the tranquil, spread-out seaside village of Arapya on the Black Sea coastline.
We spent 4 days off-season in a trailer camping park doing what we love – making music, chilling, enjoying the sea, and cooking.
The result was undoubtedly beyond our expectations. A diverse and non-linear sonic experience.
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.
For the 2nd volume, we were excited to welcome a new face into the mix – Kay Be who added his forward-thinking and unconventional feel into the mix. Something you can easily pick from all the beats he’s on.
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.
THE ARTIST
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
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)
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.
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”)
Kay Be
- his “ALL DAT” track was featured on Netflix’s Sheʼs Gotta Have It season 1 (directed by Spike Lee)
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
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 from Falmouth University (UK). Inspired by artists like Madlib, Kanye West, J Dilla, and Kenny Beats, 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.
- 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
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)
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
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
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
