Stereofox Hip Hop 8 Items

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.

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.

Certainly one of the core figures in the beat scene of Sofia, Bulgaria, Bojidar Vasilev – Trombobby combines his long-time passion, the trombone, with peculiar beats for a truly contemporary sound. Studied jazz trombone at Conservatorium van Amsterdam, he’s also part of acts like Southwick, Dayo, and Android Ethics. Trombobby has played with and produced for numerous musicians in Bulgaria’s thriving soul, r&b, and instrumental hip hop scenes and also teaches music production at Sound Ninja Music Academy.

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, TromBobby’s collaborator on Pause vol 1 – Jermaine Holmes began embarking on his musical career at the age of four as a member of his grandfather’s choir of Mount Calvary Baptist church. Jermaine performs as lead singer for Pete Rock and The Soul Brothers, and appears alongside artists like Nicole Bus, Keyon Harrold and many others on albums and stages around the world. Previously he had become an active member of the group The Vanguard since 2012 with popular R&B/Soul artist D’Angelo.

4 years ago Bojidar Vasilev embarked on a journey that’s both solo and packed with friendships. Indebted to Dilla, Knxwledge, and a whole galaxy of influential beat makers, the the fresh-out-of-Amsterdam-studies musician released his debut album Run.

With more than 100k streams on all major DSPs, the world saw TromBobby solidifying his place in the production scene and another example for the rise of the producers as lead artists. While he was already a household name in the Bulgarian r&b / soul and instrumental scene, it was Run that put TromBobby on the path of self-discovery and growth as a musician.

TromBobby’s new approach is a juxtaposition to the Forest Gump inspiration behind Run (2018) and while running did save Forest before, this new record channels his last 4 years of experience and learnings into a more laid-back and grounded destination.

On his new EP, Pause VOL.1, Bojidar, now 27, expands his attitude to beat music with neo-soul, jazz and r&b elements, going beyond sampling and with focus on live instrumentation and vocals as a production element. All that designed to create complex multi-layered music with vast emotional horizons. The take-everything-from-life-and-don’t-stop-for-a-second energy is now transformed. Still there, but somehow matured due to the realization that you really need to focus on certain things in order to achieve your goals.

It is that focus that translated into TromBobby’s ever-growing desire to play more and more instruments. Something that’s not only evident in the album’s artwork and credits, but when experiencing his music live.

On the new record TromBobby manifests the 4 years of exploration and love for collaboration with friends and same-energy people. That leads him to crossing paths with Jermaine Holmes who is an active member of the group The Vanguard since 2012 with artist D’Angelo. Their 2 collaborative tracks “longing” and “tony’s Lament” don’t only cross borders, but genres and sensations.

A big leap forward to TromBobby is utilizing his singing abilities on “box OF Chocolates” and “sunday”. Being fearless is that Run energy that translates into Pause VOL.1 and what’s going to carry on in VOL.2.

The music of v i v (they/them) is a shuttle for your mind to a state of complete zen. Ultimately, the album you are experiencing is about a personal self-acceptance.

As a label and creative individuals, our team is excited to welcome them to the family and share this beautiful and intimate album with the world.

Tear Dance goes beyond the realm of v i v’s struggles with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The album, which is scheduled for a release on artists’ 30th birthday, tells stories learned so far.

You need to have “Patience” with yourself to understand the “Essence” of life and go through its “Cadence”. That’s why those three songs are placed in that manner in the album, as intro, midtro, and outro.

“In ‘Patience’, you can hear me breathing slowly in the background trying to calm myself down. Mindful breathing is one of the few things that has helped me manage my anxiety. This is the reason why I tried to incorporate breath sounds in most of the songs, to symbolize that I’m still alive and fighting through my struggles. At the end of the song, I whisper to myself that ‘everything’s going to be okay’, hoping that I’d eventually fall asleep. “When The Lights Go Off” is exactly about that – the moment I fall asleep and start dreaming about the magical world of music. Almost all the songs on the album came from my dreams, so I thought it’d be fitting to open the album with this track.”, shares v i v.

“Time” is a collaboration with another Stereofox Records artist – Norwegian producer fnonose.

“Most of my late 20s, I’ve spent worrying about running out of time. This, of course, exacerbated my anxiety, and I kept feeling that time was constantly going against me. I definitely realized in the past year, after we were all forced to slow down by the pandemic, that time is actually on our side, and that we can all learn to calmly move with its flow. The faint ticking clock sound in the background, which used to trigger my anxiety, has now become a part of this lovely relaxing tune ‘Time’ that I’ve had the honour to make with one of the kindest, most talented producer I’ve met on this musical journey, fnonose.”

“Essence depicts how I hear my music ideas and what I feel when I hear them. Everything is stripped down. No fancy gear; It’s just me and the piano in the room. The focus is solely on the sound of the melodies. There’s nothing to cover up the imperfections. I try to capture those imperfections by recording this in one-take, without correcting anything. There’s beauty in having flaws. It took me a while to understand, but now I know how to embrace them. That to me is the essence of life.”

Album’s centerpiece is the pillar of v i v’s and it reveals the most intimate part of artists’ soul.

“Tear Dance tells a story of my younger self, who fell deep into depression and struggled with insecurities and self-doubt. Making music started off as a means to cope with my mental issues, but I quickly realized that that’s where my passion lies. Unfortunately, my family was against the idea of me becoming a musician. I ended up going the usual route of studying something “safe”, just to not disappoint anyone. I felt that I was always entertaining to make people happy, without them seeing the sadness that I’ve carried along with me. In a way, it’s a story about being misunderstood and invisible.”

Album’s last 2 tracks focus on different people in v i v’s life and how one person’s presence in your life can completely change your life.

“‘The Rain in Your Eyes’ is a song about having and showing empathy. It’s about myself no longer feeling invisible. I felt understood because someone could finally see the rain in my eyes and choose to stand in that rain with me. I learned that in life, we don’t have to go through the hard times alone. We can share our burden; we don’t have to act tough all the time. There is strength in being vulnerable, and that’s something we need to be proud about. On this track I’ve partnered with the amazingly talented Imelda Lizal, who has believed in me from day one and convinced me that I had it in me to complete this project. This album wouldn’t have been possible if it’s wasn’t for her. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Mel.

“On the other hand, ‘Cadence’ is a song I wrote for my best friend, who is featured on the track. Her dad had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and she took upon herself to care for him and spend more time with him. As a friend, all I could do is to listen to her when she vents her frustrations to me. I felt so powerless, imagining how awfully painful it must be for her to witness her dad slowly slipping away from her. That’s when this song just flowed out of me. Through her experience, I learned that your loved ones are far more important than chasing after materialistic things, that having regrets is one of the saddest things you can experience in life.”

Leena is one of the fast-growing names of the Bulgarian thriving r&b scene. UK-trained, she’s currently looking into moving to Berlin to explore new musical horizons after being supported by Tidal Global, Sofar Sounds Global, and numerous curators like Sidekick Music, CloudKid, afterhours., Topsify, etc. Being featured in the new albums of renowned Sofia-based rapper Grigovor & producer Gena from So Called Crew, she’s already gained a steady following to her music.

Her latest single “Assumptions” (and first release via Stereofox Records) served as a warm-up to the upcoming album called Labyrinth of the Subconscious, which she’s been preparing for a couple of years. A 10-track journey, exploring unknown corners of her mind, various emotions, and both the colourful & darker aspects of what happens inside our heads.

Built upon contrasts, the album offers a variety of genres and topics that will take you places you haven’t imagined – infused by both producers on the record – Gena & Kamen’s unique instrumental approaches. Be it the fresh & upbeat “Vertigo” and “Mad Dreams”, or “Body” with Yaиа (another stunning local singer and vocal teacher) which falls somewhere between slow-dance and sultry r&b. Or the deep sci-fi-esque “Borrowed Time” and the emotional “Don’t Panic” (which will come with a hazy music video). Or you might fall in love with the FKA Twigs-like “Senses”, the indie-pop “Backlight”, or the closing ballad “Until The Morning”. Whatever you choose, you’ll enter an exciting rabbit hole through contemporary r&b, soul, and indietronica.

Labyrinth of the Subconscious was recorded and mixed by Gena in So Called Crew’s studio and mastered by Hristo Rachev from the eminent Sound Ninja Music Academy.

Boyan is a producer, DJ and radio-host hailing from Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. With more than 1M plays across all major DSPs in just the last 12 months alone, the producer saw support by both official editors (2 times feature in Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals) and independent curators like Indie Shuffle, Sidekick, College Music, The Jazzhop Cafe, Chill Beats Music, freshgoodies and Hip Dozer.

Closure is a centerpiece in the sonic universe he has been creating since joining the Stereofox Records family. A micro-cosmos within, the genre-bending 5-track EP follows a series of events and spans beyond the borders of sound. The producer uses the release to share his story and the flow of emotions that have been building up since the start of last year.

Besides the digital release which comes with a radio promotion and social advertising, Boyan alongside the creative team of Stereofox, has planned his first-ever vinyl pressing, a limited merch drop, and a release party. All of that designed to enhance the experience of Closure.

Because this is very intimate and personal release, this is the storyline written by Boyan for anyone who wants to truly submerge into the world of the EP.

“pause VOL.1 was made in my “play it all live” era. Last year I finally got my driving licence and the music I found best as a road trip soundtrack was the J Dilla beat tapes. Coming back to using the MPC after more than a decade, triggered my desire for simplicity. Not every song needs a B part, a bridge, crazy chord changes, etc. I took it back for VOL.2.

I feel good about this body of work. It’s definitely more diverse as a follow-up and I made it completely sober so it hits differently. Got a chance to work with some beasts and it still feels like a dream.”