Awake
AWAKE is a rock band formed in 2002 in Sofia. After a few changes of members the band got to its present line up:
IVAN IVANOV – Lead singer
JAY DIMOFF – Drums
GEORGE GEORGE – Bass
ANDREA SAMENGO – Guitar
The first recognition of Awake’s music came in 2004 when the band is awarded with two prizes from the contest “BG Talants” hosted by BG Radio. These rewards give the band free studio time and a free video in a top studio with a top producer for their first single called – “Za neya”.
In 2005 Awake was selected for “BG Discovery of the year” in the “BG Radio” Music awards and the song “Za neya” became a hit and stayed at the top of the charts for more than 20 weeks and was also included in 3 different compilation albums that same year.
After the major success of their first single Awake participated in a few different projects, including the publishing of another few songs that are rotated mainly on the Bulgarian rock radios and on some online radios like Pulserated.com – UK. Meanwhile the band started playing at bigger and more prestigious venues in Bulgaria and also at Exit festival 2006 – Serbia. At that time the band shared the stage with famous musicians such as Franz Ferdinand, The Cardigans, The Cult, Billy Idol, Graham Bonnet, Joe Lynn Turner and many others.
On December 17, 2007 Awake published their new single called “Little Bliss” which was nominated for the best rock/alternative song for 2007 by MMTV. “Little Bliss” is also the name of Awake’s debut album released in December 2007.
In the spring of 2008 another single was released – “Away”. The video was directed by Boyan Karamfilov.
The album “Little Bliss” is recorded in Pacific Studio and produced by Jay Dimoff. “Little Bliss” contains 11 songs – 10 in English and only one in Bulgarian – “Trapka”.
In the album “Little Bliss” Awake reveals itself as a modern rock band, influenced by the spirit of the classic 70s rocks covered with contemporary sound and vision.
After a significant change in the personnel in 2009 the band went into the studio to arrange and record their new album “Made To Roll” for only one month.
On January 13th, the band released the first single from their new album on Bulgarian radio air. The song is called “Violet” and has two versions – one in Bulgarian and one in English. “Violet” instantly goes to number one in the “Rock 40” chart on Z-ROCK radio and stays there for 27 weeks.
In February 2010 Awake went on a club tour around Bulgaria and all the gigs are sold out. In April 2010 the band went on a tour around Spain and also plays at the famous underground rock festival “BeeRock” close to Burgos.
In May 2010 Awake released the video for the second single “Joke” from the upcoming new album. The video is filmed in “Sofia Live Club” and was directed by Mihail Boychev. The new video eloquently shows Awake’s aspiration to prepare their audience for the new atmosphere of the upcoming album, combining the new conception of vision and sound with the exclusive energy of the band.
In the following two months Awake is focused on mastering their new album and also completes their second tour in Spain where “Made To Roll” is promoted with a remarkable success.
On September 22nd 2010 Awake’s new album “Made To Roll” was introduced to the Bulgarian audience in rock bar “Thin Red Line”, Sofia. The album was recorded in Pacific Studio and produced by Jay Dimoff. “Made To Roll” contains 10 songs in English + a bonus track in Bulgarian. “Made To Roll” is currently distributed in all music shops in Bulgaria by the band`s own distributers!
After the release of “Made To Roll” and the single “Joke” in 2010 and “Way Down” in 2011, Awake`s tunes became ever so Popular as a result of the pre-release tours in Spain and Bulgaria, and the singles released are still included in Rock Radio charts and playlists on radio stations such as Z-Rock zrockbg.com.
The band has now moved to London and is gigging on London`s Original Music Circuit
In January 2012, Awake`s single “Joke” was included in the “Music Week Presents” CD compilation, and a Review for the band was published in in “Music Week” magazine.
Now the band is working on their 3rd album.
You can find the band at: www.awaketheband.com
