For the creation of the 3rd Bulgarian Beat Wave, we chose a small village tucked away in the northern part of the country. Dobrevtsi, located in the Lovech Province, has a population of less than 500 and is home of some pretty good rakia (a national drink you must try) based on our short, but sweet interaction with one of the locals.
the team
THE RELEASE
This time the weather wasn’t on our side (4 days of non-stop rain), but that’s the beauty of those experiences – you go with the flow. The beat heroes you already know were joined by a new name – VLADKO, who added his signature brass/groove energy to the mix. The compilation is a perfect reflection of what we all experienced – a healthy blend of feel-good cozy chill and dark/mellow vibes.
Just like the country’s diverse natural landscape, the idea behind Bulgarian Beat Wave compilation is to offer a non-linear sonic experience and guide listeners through the unique and varied sound of some of the most talented local beatmakers.
With a population of less than 7M, the 110th 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.
Since its inception in 2022, every contributor featured on the compilation has gone on to achieve remarkable accomplishments. Their engagements, both locally and internationally, have been a source of immense pride for us.
See you on the next wave.
THE ARTISTS
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
Kay Be
- his “ALL DAT” track was featured on Netflix’s Sheʼs Gotta Have It season 1 (directed by Spike Lee)
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.
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)
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
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”)
VLADKO
Vladislav Michev stands as a luminary among Bulgaria’s contemporary musicians, showcasing his virtuosity on trombone, bass trumpet, flugelhorn, and a multitude of instruments. With a career spanning various genres including jazz, funk, and fusion, he has crafted an impressive legacy at a very young age.
- Featured on Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Jazz with his EVDN. collaboration track "WARRIOR"
- Played on a number of stages across Europe with legends like Christian Elsässer, Philip Henzi, Alex Sipiagin, Richard Bona
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
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
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