Sofia, Bulgaria (2015 – present)

1) Born in the sweltering summer of 2015, DAYO is a four-piece instrumental band from Sofia, Bulgaria, consisting of Bojidar Vassilev - Trombobby, Evden Dimitrov, Vassil Voutev - Soulization and DJ Rawland. Through a symbiosis of beats, hip-hop, soul and jazz, the musicians aim to pay homage to their shared classic influences, while turning their gaze firmly towards the future.

The collective’s approach to music is evident through their choice of name alone - in the language of the West African Yoruba people, ‘’dayo’’ is both an expression and a given name, meaning “joy is arriving.” Lead by this positive concept, the individual members place great emphasis on the creative process, preferring to always explore new frontiers rather than rely on past knowledge.

In June 2017, DAYO released their self-titled debut album to excellent reviews and widespread acclaim from local music media outlets. The 13-track project featured both Bulgarian and international collaborations, including appearances by Mihail Filipov, Georgi Stoykov, Dimitar Liolev, Alexander Logozarov, Moka Only, Ishkan, Saigo, Desislava Andonova, Volen Milchev, and others. To kickstart the album’s promotion, the band came through with a deceptively serene video for their hypnotic first single ‘Soul Searchin’, with Demetri Vasilev as director and Joro Panchev in the role of Creative Lead.

What has followed is a continuous string of shows at clubs and festivals alike, including the 2017 Kapana Fest in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, as well as ‘So What’s Next’ in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. In February 2018, actor and musician Will Smith featured several of the band’s tracks in a number of videos on his YouTube channel, and just a few weeks later DAYO had the honor of supporting Detroit legend Amp Fiddler, who was sampled on the debut album.

Fueled by the encouraging reception and still feeling the residual effects of a very successful last few months, the four bandmates are already hard at work on new material. “It’s all about combining our different perspectives and fusing them into a new and distinct hybrid soundscape.” Joy, it seems, can arrive from the most unexpected of combinations.

2) Dayo is also a pop-rap artist, born Dayo Wesley Julius on September 26, 1996, who released several songs in the early 2010s.
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