Stoyan Yankoulov
Encyclopedia
Stoyan Yankoulov (born 10 September 1966), known as Stundji (Bulgarian: Стунджи), is one of Bulgaria's most popular and renowned drummers and percussionists. Yankoulov makes a great impression with his inspiring improvisations interleaving traditional Bulgarian and other exotic percussion instruments, modern electronic beat, drum n bass, and ethno elements.
In 2003 he initiated a project of joint performance with an extremely talented folklore singer, Elitsa Todorova
. The unique duo turned into a big-time success with their very first team performance. Their high professionalism and perfectionism, and their dedication to the music and rhythm, have been hallmarks of all their performances.
On 25 February 2007, Todorova and Stoyan Yankoulov's song "Water" won Bulgarian National Television
's public contest and was selected as the song to represent Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest
2007, held in Helsinki, 10–12 May.
and then from the State Musical Academy "Pancho Vladigerov," majoring in percussion instruments. He has played with rock
and jazz
bands, folklore ensembles, and jazz-rock and fusion
bands. He has also taken part in many folklore and jazz festivals across Europe and in the United States.
Yankoulov showed interest in percussion instruments at a very young age. At the age of 10 he was the youngest drummer in his town's brass band (Elin Pelin
). Meanwhile Stoyan formed an amateur pop-rock band called Astronax (Bulgarian: Астронакс) in which he played drums. Their repertoire included songs by Supermax
, Kiss
, Deep Purple
, Uriah Heep
, Shturtzite
, FSB
, etc., but no original songs. His time with the band helped develop his sense of rhythm and gave him the confidence to be the spine of his group performances. Already engulfed in the world of percussion, Stoyan also continued piano lessons, which he had begun at age 8.
His first professional appearance was in the jazz-rock fusion band Tact (Bulgarian:Такт) with Yavor Dimitrov (piano) Miroslav Janev (bass guitar) and Evgeniy Simeonov (guitar). After the group broke up, he played in several professional bands during his secondary education. When he had barely started his higher education, Yankoulov joined the Big Band of Bulgarian National Radio
, in which he played for seven years. Playing in many jazz formations, he quickly got into the swing of jazz music and became a regular performer in major jazz
festivals in Varna
, Apollonia
, Plovdiv
, Rousse
, etc. His professionalism immediately drew the attention of musicians' society; Yankoulov received numerous invitations to collaborate on performances and recordings, and he declined none of them.
Yankoulov spent the longest time of his career in the band Zone C, founded in 1994 with Vesselin Vesselinov-Echo (bass) and Vasil Parmakov (piano). Misho Grozdanov, Vladko Karparov (saxophone), and Ateshghan Yuseinov (guitar, tambura) joined the band later. Stoyan Yankoulov formed a duo with Theodosii Spassov (kaval), and later, together with Anatoly Vapirov (saxophone), they laid the foundations of the Fairy Tale Trio.
at a Bulgarian music festival held in Canada. They quickly exchanged ideas about their common interest in percussion instruments, fast electronic beats, and dedication to Bulgarian folklore. Three years later the Elitsa Todorova
-Stoyan Yankulov Duo was a fact. The synergy between the two musicians was visible in their very first live performance, and they quickly won many admirers. The unique Bulgarian duo combines rhythms from all over the world with authentic Bulgarian folklore, jazz, and world music. Their concerts always turn into exciting spectacles for the audience's senses and souls.
On 25 February 2007, Todorova
and Stoyan Yankoulov's song 'Water' won the Bulgarian National Television's public contest and was selected to represent Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
. The unique duo presented an amazing percussion show—a fascinating combination of Bulgarian ethnic lyrics, drum n bass rhythm, and powerful stage presence.
Stoyan Yankoulov's most recent collaboration is the Stoyan Yankoulov Quintet, consisting of himself, Mihail Yosifov (trumpet), Ivan Shopov (a.k.a DJ Cooh), Vesselin Vesselinov-Echo (bass), and Elitsa Todorova
(vocals, percussion). The newly formed band enchanted the public at the Varna Jazz Festival 2005 with mystic nature sounds, authentic ethno motifs, intense drum n bass, and jazz.
, Okay Temiz, Kornel Horvat, Carlo Rizzo, Arabel Karajan, and Enver Ismailov, as well as with Theodosii Spassov, Ivo Papazov
, Milcho Leviev
, Simeon Shterev, Yildiz Ibrahimova, Anatoli Vapirov, and Petar Ralchev.
In 2003 he initiated a project of joint performance with an extremely talented folklore singer, Elitsa Todorova
Elitsa Todorova
Elitsa Todorova is a Bulgarian folk singer and professional percussionist.- Career :It is the first Bulgarian who led Bulgaria to the 5th position in the world in Eurovision 2007 with the song "Water" with Stoyan Yankulov....
. The unique duo turned into a big-time success with their very first team performance. Their high professionalism and perfectionism, and their dedication to the music and rhythm, have been hallmarks of all their performances.
On 25 February 2007, Todorova and Stoyan Yankoulov's song "Water" won Bulgarian National Television
Bulgarian National Television
The Bulgarian National Television or BNT is the public broadcaster of Bulgaria. The company was founded in 1959 and began broadcasting on December 26 of the same year. It began broadcasting in color in 1970...
's public contest and was selected as the song to represent Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
2007, held in Helsinki, 10–12 May.
Biography
Yankoulov graduated from the musical school "Lyubomir Pipkov" in SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and then from the State Musical Academy "Pancho Vladigerov," majoring in percussion instruments. He has played with rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bands, folklore ensembles, and jazz-rock and fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
bands. He has also taken part in many folklore and jazz festivals across Europe and in the United States.
Yankoulov showed interest in percussion instruments at a very young age. At the age of 10 he was the youngest drummer in his town's brass band (Elin Pelin
Elin Pelin (town)
Elin Pelin , previously known as Novoseltsi , is a town in central western Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of Elin Pelin municipality, located in central Sofia Province...
). Meanwhile Stoyan formed an amateur pop-rock band called Astronax (Bulgarian: Астронакс) in which he played drums. Their repertoire included songs by Supermax
Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
, Shturtzite
Shturtzite
Shturtzite is a Bulgarian rock group. They are one of the most successful bands in Bulgaria during the 70's and 80's and still have many fans...
, FSB
FSB (band)
FSB are an influential Bulgarian progressive rock band, started in 1976 in Sofia as a studio project. FSB achieved great success in the 1980s and performed in numerous countries across Europe...
, etc., but no original songs. His time with the band helped develop his sense of rhythm and gave him the confidence to be the spine of his group performances. Already engulfed in the world of percussion, Stoyan also continued piano lessons, which he had begun at age 8.
His first professional appearance was in the jazz-rock fusion band Tact (Bulgarian:Такт) with Yavor Dimitrov (piano) Miroslav Janev (bass guitar) and Evgeniy Simeonov (guitar). After the group broke up, he played in several professional bands during his secondary education. When he had barely started his higher education, Yankoulov joined the Big Band of Bulgarian National Radio
Bulgarian National Radio
Bulgarian National Radio is Bulgaria's national radio broadcasting organization. It operates two national and seven regional channels, as well as an international service – Radio Bulgaria – which broadcasts in 11 languages.-National:...
, in which he played for seven years. Playing in many jazz formations, he quickly got into the swing of jazz music and became a regular performer in major jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
festivals in Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, Apollonia
Sozopol
Sozopol is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today it is one of the major seaside resorts in the country, known for the Apollonia art and film festival that is named after one of the town's ancient names.The busiest times of the year...
, Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Rousse
Rousse
Ruse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, from the capital Sofia and from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
, etc. His professionalism immediately drew the attention of musicians' society; Yankoulov received numerous invitations to collaborate on performances and recordings, and he declined none of them.
Yankoulov spent the longest time of his career in the band Zone C, founded in 1994 with Vesselin Vesselinov-Echo (bass) and Vasil Parmakov (piano). Misho Grozdanov, Vladko Karparov (saxophone), and Ateshghan Yuseinov (guitar, tambura) joined the band later. Stoyan Yankoulov formed a duo with Theodosii Spassov (kaval), and later, together with Anatoly Vapirov (saxophone), they laid the foundations of the Fairy Tale Trio.
Current projects
In 2000 Stoyan Yankoulov's musical career took an unprecedented upturn when he met the Bulgarian folklore singer Elitsa TodorovaElitsa Todorova
Elitsa Todorova is a Bulgarian folk singer and professional percussionist.- Career :It is the first Bulgarian who led Bulgaria to the 5th position in the world in Eurovision 2007 with the song "Water" with Stoyan Yankulov....
at a Bulgarian music festival held in Canada. They quickly exchanged ideas about their common interest in percussion instruments, fast electronic beats, and dedication to Bulgarian folklore. Three years later the Elitsa Todorova
Elitsa Todorova
Elitsa Todorova is a Bulgarian folk singer and professional percussionist.- Career :It is the first Bulgarian who led Bulgaria to the 5th position in the world in Eurovision 2007 with the song "Water" with Stoyan Yankulov....
-Stoyan Yankulov Duo was a fact. The synergy between the two musicians was visible in their very first live performance, and they quickly won many admirers. The unique Bulgarian duo combines rhythms from all over the world with authentic Bulgarian folklore, jazz, and world music. Their concerts always turn into exciting spectacles for the audience's senses and souls.
On 25 February 2007, Todorova
Elitsa Todorova
Elitsa Todorova is a Bulgarian folk singer and professional percussionist.- Career :It is the first Bulgarian who led Bulgaria to the 5th position in the world in Eurovision 2007 with the song "Water" with Stoyan Yankulov....
and Stoyan Yankoulov's song 'Water' won the Bulgarian National Television's public contest and was selected to represent Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Bulgaria held national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest in a competition called Pesen Na Evroviziya 2007 , which included a semi-final and final. 18 songs took part in a semi final on 3 February 2007, where a jury picked 9 to go to the final, with 3 "wildcards" being added in by BNT...
. The unique duo presented an amazing percussion show—a fascinating combination of Bulgarian ethnic lyrics, drum n bass rhythm, and powerful stage presence.
Stoyan Yankoulov's most recent collaboration is the Stoyan Yankoulov Quintet, consisting of himself, Mihail Yosifov (trumpet), Ivan Shopov (a.k.a DJ Cooh), Vesselin Vesselinov-Echo (bass), and Elitsa Todorova
Elitsa Todorova
Elitsa Todorova is a Bulgarian folk singer and professional percussionist.- Career :It is the first Bulgarian who led Bulgaria to the 5th position in the world in Eurovision 2007 with the song "Water" with Stoyan Yankulov....
(vocals, percussion). The newly formed band enchanted the public at the Varna Jazz Festival 2005 with mystic nature sounds, authentic ethno motifs, intense drum n bass, and jazz.
Associated acts
Stoyan Yankoulov has performed in projects of Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
, Okay Temiz, Kornel Horvat, Carlo Rizzo, Arabel Karajan, and Enver Ismailov, as well as with Theodosii Spassov, Ivo Papazov
Ivo Papazov
Ivo Papazov Ivo Papazov Ivo Papazov (born 16 February 1952 in Kardzhali, nicknamed Ibryama , is a Bulgarian clarinetist. He leads the Ivo Papazov Wedding Band in performances of jazz-infused Stambolovo music, and is one of the premier creators of the genre known as "wedding band" music in...
, Milcho Leviev
Milcho Leviev
Milcho Leviev is a Bulgarian composer, arranger, jazz performer and pianist.Milcho Leviev graduated from the State Academy of Music in 1960 majoring in Composition under Professor Pancho Vladigerov and in Piano under Professor Andrei Stoyanov...
, Simeon Shterev, Yildiz Ibrahimova, Anatoli Vapirov, and Petar Ralchev.
Projects
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