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Band that went viral with 'Scottish drum and bass' to play at music festival

Band that went viral with 'Scottish drum and bass' to play at music festival

Yahoo14-05-2025
A Scottish band that went viral for combining traditional music with drum and bass is set to take the stage at a popular trad music festival at an East Renfrewshire park.
The duo, called Valtos, will perform at The Reeling, the summer celebration of Scottish contemporary folk music, from June 6 to 8 at Rouken Glen Park.
Tickets and the full line-up are available now at thereeling.com.
The finalists for the BBC's Scottish Act of The Year 2025 have been blending Scottish folk with electronic music for four years.
However, their latest Instagram video has introduced their unique sound to millions of new listeners.
The clip, titled "Have you ever wondered what Drum and Bass would sound like if it was from Scotland?", saw the group blend the two opposing genres by layering drum and bass with live fiddle and guitar.
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The video gained more than 1.3 million views and attracted 30,000 new followers within a month.
Martyn MacDonald, one half of the duo who hails from the Isle of Skye, said: "We didn't expect it to explode like that, we were just doing what we usually do - rehearsing together.
"We put it up, and within a day or two, it just took off.
"People were tagging their mates, sharing it, and suddenly our follower count was jumping up by the thousands.
"It was mad."
Valtos consists of Martyn, 29, and Daniel Docherty, 33.
They have said that their social media presence has been key to their rise.
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Martyn said: "At the start, we'd overthink everything we posted, but now we just try to put stuff out regularly and not stress too much about it.
"The more natural and off-the-cuff it feels, the better it does.
Daniel added: "The algorithm's a strange beast, but once one video blows up, all your other stuff starts getting seen too.
"You just have to keep the momentum going."
As they continue to evolve, Valtos take inspiration from a wide range of artists.
Daniel said: "We listen to everything from Enya to Fred Again."
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