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.
ymprl
Artist info
The youngest participant in the compilation and one of scene’s most exciting new names. Growing up with the sound of Mr Carmack, ESTA, and Flume, ymprl merges the vibrancy of future bass with lush melodies and chill beats in order to create an alluring experimental bounce that’s hard to classify.
Inspirations
On the local scene
TromBobby
Artist info
Trombobby combines his long-time passion, the trombone, with peculiar beats for a truly contemporary sound. His unique production style and live instrumentation brought him features on Spotify’s Orbit, Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals and TIDAL’s Rising Deutschland. Also, a winner of The Kount Challenge 2021.
Inspirations
On the local scene
Low Heat
Artist info
Low Heat crafts a special blend of cosmic hip-hop, abstract beats & modern funk, often inspired by the West Coast & its synth-heavy sound. Besides teaching, Boyan also runs a YouTube channel for Ableton production tutorials & equipment reviews & has knocked out more than 1M streams across streaming platforms. Featured on Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals, Creative Focus & New in Electronic.
Inspirations
On the local scene
EVDN.
Artist info
EVDN. is a jazz bassist & experimental electronic musician from Bulgaria. Characterized by his irrepressible live stage energy and genuine devotion to music, he has shared stage with a substantial list of Bulgaria’s most notable acts. This year he’ll be dropping his debut TENSION/RELEASE LP with first single already topping hypem charts & getting support by curators like CloudKid and bitbird. Featured on Spotify’s All New Jazz editorial.
Inspirations
On the local scene
Peyotoff
Artist info
A classic jazz-trained guitarist turned producer. Peyotoff blends his alluring neo-soul guitar style with future beats elements, instrumental hip hop & jazz all that through the prism of his own experiences. One of the fastest rising names on the scene with features on Spotify’s lofi beats, Apple Music’s BEATstrumental & multiple international collaborations planned for 2022.
Inspirations
On the local scene
First of all, I am happy and thankful to have so many talented musician around me. I think we’re yet to show to the world what we can build and create together as a community. The music here is still quite underrated and would love to see Bulgarian artist and producers expanding more outside of our borders.
Kamen
Artist info
Inspirations
On the local scene
Kay Be
Artist info
Kay Be is a record producer, songwriter, and an artist based in Bulgaria and has worked with some of the biggest local artists like V:RGO, DARA, Preyah, Rushi, Jluch, Dorothy Takev, and many more. Through the years the beatmaker has also collaborated with a number of international acts such as NANE( Romania), Kaydy Cain(Spain), Mark Morrison (UK), Mir Fontane, Kev Rogers, Dave Hollister, The Diplomats (USA), Sensey(Czech Republic) just to name a few.
Inspirations
On the local scene
I wish we widen our vision to a new level of curiosity. We need more questions. More magic and less explanation. More bravery and less excuses. More love.
Gena
Artist info
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 250k+ streams and features on Colors Berlin, Qrates & multiple other independent curators.
Inspirations
On the local scene
SMYAH
Artist info
Inspirations
On the local scene
Boyan
Artist info
The one they call Mr. Producer. 10 years of experience in the soul, funk, jazz, beat and d&b scene, Boyan was the first artist to join the label family. 2.5M streams across DSPs, features on Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals, TIDAL’s In The Loop Indie Shuffle, The New Lofi, and #1 track on hypem. Sold out vinyl campaign also available on HHV Berlin.
Inspirations
On the local scene
Rado Kazasov
Artist info
A drummer & producer known for his versatile style, 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.
Inspirations
On the local scene
Hristo Rachev
Artist info
AKA Monk (inspired by Thelonious Monk). Founder of the most forward-thinking sound production school in Bulgaria – Sound Ninja. Steinberg Certified Trainer & kick-ass sound engineer who is responsible for making the compilation sound flawless.
Inspirations
On the local scene
Bulgarian Beat Wave Returns With an Expansive Volume 2 Edition Recorded at the Black Sea Coast
[ Genres ]
instrumental hip hop, chillhop, future beats, soul, jazz, future beats, electronic
[ About The Compilation ]
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.
[ About the Producers]
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.
With more than 50M 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.
[ Key Achievements / Support ]
» feature on Clash Magazine – https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/va-bulgarian-beat-wave-vol-1
» airplay support by Rinse.FM (UK/France) by Jay Carder – https://rinse.fm/episodes/jay-carder-18-06-2022-1100/
» airplay support by – https://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/valida/validas-playlist-june-19-2022
» showcase the compilation and discuss the scene on The Moliner Music podcast
» coverage on blogs like Acid Stag & The New Lofi
» support on Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals editorial
» airplay on BBC Radio 1