петък, 23 ноември 2012 г.

zev died ochestra - I (2012)

zev died orchestra is a weird collective that was formed around numerous shows, which me and a bunch of friends made. We never rehearse, we play only live, but quite rarely. Some of us bail shows, but at a point we gather together again. We like found sounds, drones, contact mics, sub basses and super high frequencies. zev died orchestra is martin l. (gokkun), nikola m. (wayab) and angel s. (mytrip).

The cool news is we just put out our first release. 'I' features two zdo pieces and has just been published on Bandcamp, a small edition of 20 tapes is available on Amek. Huge thanks go to Valentina Gelso at Monochrome Art for the awesome artwork. We'll be glad to hear your feedback and hopefully see you during a live when we get back to doing this again.

bandcamp / bigcartel
'I' is a personal recollection for times spent away from reality. It incorporates three different views, but also everything unknown occurring in between. zev died orchestra is sometimes gently drifting, but sometimes it is raw. When we reach for the familiar, it is to deconstruct it beyound recognition. However, preparing, performing and releasing those pieces serves the sole purpose of sharing the state of freedom we reach only when exploring music.

неделя, 11 ноември 2012 г.

Music for Theatre (2010-2012)


I've been considering this post for so long and finally I got the time to do it. I selected few highlights from my work in the endless field of theatre music, and here we go. The last three years I've been collaborating with Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV, a young Bulgarian director and actor, specialized in alternative & multimedia theatre. My first encounter with her work was in 2010, during her solo play 'Tuberculosis'. I was amazed by her presence on stage, by her scenography and by her intelligent use of digital technologies in such an ancient art as theatre. The strong social message that was implied in the play was also a reason that got me into the idea of working with her in the future. For the music I created for her I had total freedom, although at certain points I'd been given directions, ideas, concepts and whatever was coming out during the rehearsal process. My work in these three plays is basically a mixture of ambient / drone soundscapes, field recordings, spoken word and sound design. I've made excerpts that are representing the three soundtracks. They sound similar as the plays for me are following a common and a very unique concept and style. And now some history.

"Оранжерията" / 'The Glasshouse' (2010)
"Оранжерията" / 'The Glasshouse' (2010)
The play depicts life as a trap for the human soul, a sealed box in which our souls are put after its birth. A box, in which we are doomed to exist, a symbol of a life which we only appreciate when facing a terminal disease or the death itself. The script was written by TSV and is based on the original Helmut Peschina play, as well as on works by Herman Hesse, Jean-Paul Sartre and Rabindranath Tagore. The project struggles to wake the spiritual charge in the individual, vegetating in the somatic embrace of the 'greenhouse-body'. The play questions issues as sexism, homophobia, cultural and social norms, materialism etc.

As this was my first interaction with theatre, and especially in its quite alternative form (with multimedia, live camera and specific scenography) I was quite enthusiastic. I regularly attended rehearsals, felt the spirit of the play and this was my main inspiration. Sadly this play is not currently on stage, but I strongly hope it will be revived at a point. My soundscapes were not the only music used, there were also excerpts from classical pieces and contemporary ones.
"Оранжерията" / 'The Greenhouse' (2010) OST (excerpt) by Mytrip
Screenplay & directed by: Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
Music and ambience: Mytrip, Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
Multimedia: Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV, Ognian Kolev, Ilian Kyuchukov
Scenography and costumes: Zdravka Kantareva, Tsvetelina Stoyanova – TSV
Cast: Peter Meltev, Stanislav Peev, Iuliana Milanova, Elena Petkova, Eva Demireva, Denis Ivanov /in the multimedia/, Tsvetana Maneva /voice/
 "Трябва да се живее" / 'The Show Must Go On' (2011)
 "Трябва да се живее" / 'The Show Must Go On' (2011)
What happens when you choose to live in a virtual reality? How topics as suicide, loneliness, boredom, love and the meaning of our existence are distorted in the synthetic computer world? Isn't the real person a better choice? How can unexpected meeting in a chat-room can turn into the friendship of your life through the shared idea to committing a suicide?

These are some of the questions posed to the viewer in this play. Again an immense audio-visual work incorporated in theatre. This time a smaller cast, but the same strong social message and meaning. The music I created has a similar taste, but I was a bit more focused on getting closer to sound-design. The play is struggling to stay on stage and hopefully TSV will manage to keep performing it in Sofia. Besides my works few other pieces by various artists were used, below is an extract from my soundscapes.
"Трябва да се живее" / 'The Show Must Go On' (2011) OST (excerpt) by Mytrip
Directed by: Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
Screenplay by: Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
Music: Mytrip, Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
Multimedia: Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV, Ilian Kyuchukov, Stoyan Cholakov
Cast: Elian Aroyo, Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
"Алкохол" / 'Alcohol' (2012)
"Алкохол" / 'Alcohol' (2012)
The latest product of my collaboration with TSV is called 'Alcohol'. This is a biographical play based on the novel by Kalin Terziiski and Diana Dragoeva. In my personal view this is the heaviest play she has ever made. It is complex as content, and complex for it is heavily filled with multimedia, sound, text, acting, message and atmosphere. So far it has been receiving great feedback from those who are willing to experiment with their taste for theatre. The interest from both the media and audience has been quite impressive and I sincerely hope this will remain the same way in the future. The topics here are again quite social, the main thread is alcoholism and addiction through the eyes of the individual struggling to fight it. My work is dark, creepy and escalates with the development of the play. It is again a mixture of ambient soundscapes, field recordings and a lot of recorded spoken word. As it is a biographical play, so if you see this live, besides my music you will hear a lot of popular tracks, which are connected to the time period depicted by the author. Hear a sample below. 
"Алкохол" / 'Alcohol' (2012) OST (excerpt) by Mytrip
Director: Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
Screenplay: Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
Multimedia: Georgi Vassilev, Ivelina Mineva, Damyan Nikolov, Ognyan Kostovski
Music: Mytrip, Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
Scenography & Costumes:
Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV, Ivelina Mineva
Cast: Kalin Terziiski, Svetoslav Terziiski, Tsvetelina Stoyanova - TSV
It hasn't been too much of reading, ha? However, theatre is certainly a field I'd like to keep exploring in the future, especially in its most alternative and experimental forms. This year I took part in a live improvisation which was accompanying a piece of contemporary performance and I found it quite enjoyable. Movies are a challenging field too, but the freedom I found in theatre is still unsurpassed.

неделя, 28 октомври 2012 г.

Tim Hecker @ Control Club, Bucharest 13.10.12

In my tour diary for the time I spent in Bucharest I briefly mentioned the fact a bit more than two weeks ago I was able to witness Tim Hecker live. In order to keep this memory forever and share it with those who feel intrigued, I wrote a short report for Rawk'n'Roll available HERE. It's in Bulgarian tho, so for those of  you who can't handle my native language here's a quick translation of what Hecker did to me/us in Bucharest. The lack of photos is due to the fact he plays in complete darkness which is always a bitch for photographers. However if you are into the visual part of things I recommend you checking the Environments live video below the text. I find it extremely valuable since I travelled over 13 hours from Belgrade to Bucharest for the show and I couldn't catch their set. Thankfully I watched them live the next day. So here we go.

Tim Hecker always plays in total darkness and this night was not different. However, few lights managed to survive and they were pretty enough to show there's a human being in front of you. And he was the person creating this very same powerful sound environment that we happened to be in. When you listen to ambient you have two options – to listen to it quietly or so loud that the sound deafens the rest of your senses. That night the sound was powerful and engulfing, the low frequencies were mostly monolithic and massive but sometimes they reached quite chaotic states. In all of their metamorphoses they were able to create a perfect foundation for the endless sounds that Hecker was layering over them. Our ribs were vibrating after each tiny change in the sound. The music was too rich and our brains often lost track of either our perceptions were real, associative or physical. In the crashing sound waves there were hundreds of threads that you could find and follow. This made me want to experience the show again even before it was over. I often closed my eyes because they were irrelevant. Everything that I had to witness reached me through my ears or hands. Our bodies felt like an amplifier and touch gave us a double dose of vibrations. A double dose of music via physical means.

On October 13th in 'Control' Tim Hecker gave us a new, smaller but more complex world. Over a week after, the sound is gone but had generated in us a pile of thoughts, ideas, landscapes, contact. We are forever inside his music. All we need is to close our eyes and it's unfloding in an explosion of thoughts, feelings and eternal neuronal connections.

Now experience a bit of Environments.

петък, 19 октомври 2012 г.

'DRONE THE BALKANS' Day 6 (Sofia, Bulgaria)

18/10/12 Sofia, Bulgaria @ Suspacious Art Space
w/ Abandoned Shelter, Shrine, Arkhitektur Noir

After the show in Greece got cancelled we got back in Sofia to chill a bit before the last show here. When I book shows and play I tend not to enjoy them at full because I'm overwhelmed with other stuff. However this night was so different. Since the first moment in the space, which our friends from 'Suspacious' let us use, I was sure it will be a different night. We set the sound, put the gear and the next hour we spent preparing the visuals. It was around 20 minutes before the announced beginning when I saw that there are actually people gathering outside. Quite a promising start. However, after few minor issues we were ready to go. People entered the place and found six panels for visuals from two projectors on the sides of the hall, good sound, lots of merch, photography from RUBBER Gallery and of course four ambient projects. I can't explain how much I enjoyed playing in front of people who were quietly enjoying the event. The atmosphere was unbeatable. All of us were so calm and played the best we could because the event deserved it. The place was full and a huge part of the audience I'd never seen before (but I hope I will see again). Many people came to ask questions about us, about the music and the event. A lot of people didn't know about the show but passed by accidentally and decided to stay. Such interest meant a lot of me. The whole night I was explaining everybody I'd been waiting for 5 years to book and play such an event. It was the perfect end of the tour and I hope it will happen again really soon. Now after I droned a tiny part of the Balkans I'm planning to lock myself in sounds and abstain from intensively playing or booking ambient shows. But of course after me and Wayab open for La Casa Fantom THIS Sunday.

 'DRONE THE BALKANS' was something I was dying to do for quite a long time and I really plan on doing again. I enjoyed each show I played and I'm glad I met so many awesome people on the road. Thanks to each person who helped me book a show, bought merch or supported me in any way. Massive hugs to Sanja, Marius, Sergei, Nemanja, Malina, Neff, Danail and all venues who gave my music a chance. See you again soon. Here are the other stories if you are too lazy to browse my archive. 

'DRONE THE BALKANS' Days 4&5 (Varna, Plovdiv; Bulgaria)
'DRONE THE BALKANS' Days 2&3 (Bucharest, Romania)
'DRONE THE BALKANS' Day 1 (Belgrade)

вторник, 16 октомври 2012 г.

'DRONE THE BALKANS' Days 4&5 (Varna, Plovdiv; Bulgaria)

16/10/12 Varna, Bulgaria @ Bolla Bar
w/ Mloski, Abandoned Shelter, Swamp Fire

October 16th, 2012 sucked for only one reasone - we had to leave Bucharest. So we really, really tried to make this as slow as possible. We got up so late, but still early enough for a cup of hot tea. And in the same time we thought Malina can't be nicer she cooked us such a tasty lunch that I barely ate something else until the evening so I can have its taste for as much time as possible. So around 14:00 we left her place, we buried ourselves in a pile of hugs and kisses and sadly we said goodbye. Half an hour later at the train station it was a time for another goodbye, so in general tough times. Around 16 we left Bucharest and we headed to Varna. The way was okay, the GPS took some weird decisions again which delayed us with an hour but we were okay. We got in the venue which proved to be quite a nice one and after an hour or so spent solving technical problems I finally started playing. The sound was really cool, I liked what came out of my set, but I was kinda more excited cus I was about to hear Abandoned Shelter after four years. And his set was great. So massive and deep and the coolest thing was that I was about to hear it in the next two days. I enjoyed the fact I was finally playing an ambient show in Varna with Mloski, who's spent so much time in this scene, and Swamp Fire, whose author pieces were really nice and I hope he sticks to making that type of music. So after I met some nice friends who showed up and made some new ones we left the bar and headed to our hosts who by chance had the craziest dog. I didn't think I mentioned Pica in Bucharest, well she was really nice but this guy here, called Roy was out of control. The craziest pug EVER, he was somewhere near 3, 4 months old and I'm sure he's meant to be the destroyer of worlds. After hanging out with him a bit we went for a cool decent sleep, cus you just gotta sleep people, it's awesome.

17/10/12 Plovdiv, Bulgaria @ Gramophone Club
w/ Deflax, Abandoned Shelter

So we woke up around 10, I mailed and messaged the world, wrote some stuff that I had to and after a cup of nice coffee with Roy all over the place we left the place of our hosts and went to the sea. Last night we didn't have the time and it was kinda sad cus few things in this world I find prettier than the sea at night. Maybe one of them is the sea during the day, so we had to check this out. Then we met the guy from Abandoned Shelter and his friend, and we headed to Plovdiv. It won't be a surprise if I say the GPS again took some pretty innovative routes but this time we weren't that delayed. We actually got in Plovdiv on time and we found ourselves in a venue that was so great that we were sure this night would be awesome. And it was. This time we set everything on time, we put visuals, we had really great and massive sound. However my set up got fucked up seconds before I started playing, but after a bunch of curses and quick change of software I got everything okay. Abandoned Shelter again destroyed everything, his new material and the visuals he's touring with... just a great combination. It's sad there weren't many people in the place, cus it was huge and looked kinda empty but still I guess those who were there felt the atmosphere and unlike the previous night in Varna there weren't so many of them talking shit and not listening to the music. The last treat for the night was Deflax, we played a huge set with quite diverse music, he had a cool sound, as usual did a great job. After the show we packed and left for Sofia, because our gig in Thessaloniki, Greece got cancelled. This means a day of chilling out and some final touches for the last show of my tour - in the beloved Sofia. I really want to thank Neff and Danail from Youngblood Booking who are hardcore kids but helped me big time by setting up this show for my boring ambient crap. They are the reason that something happens outside Sofia, not the ever growing scene of  bedroom musicians. Now I'm sleeping in my bed and you really can't go wrong with that, like ever.

Whoever needs words pt. 2

Again a show in Romania. This time a footage of a part of a set I played as Mytrip in Bucharest (14/10/12) during the Drone The Balkans tour. Big ups for Marius over Asiluum for making this happen!

'DRONE THE BALKANS' Days 2&3 (Bucharest, Romania)

13/10/12 Tim Hecker at Bucharest
Total madness, abandonment and desolation. That's how Northern Bulgaria pretty much looks like in the 21st century. I never imagined how do cities like Lom and Vidin look like (or the surrounding) but on Saturday I spent nearly 8 hours around them. My idea to play Bucharest after Belgrade looked so nice on the map, but when we weren't able to cross the Danube through the ferry in Vidin cus it was too expensive, it kinda changed in my head. So in order to cross a 300 m. wide river we travelled nearly 600 kms through the whole country. Okay the road was beautiful, but the GPS took some pretty curious decisions and threw us in the lowest class almost non-existent roads between villages. It looked as if we were in the Day of The Dead. The people we saw on the road were no more than 10. It quickly got dark and it didn't help to improve the feeling. Our first plan was to arrive in Bucharest around 18, what actually happened is that we arrived around 23 and something. I was kinda nervous and annoyed cus I made Iulia wait for me for over 5 hours, but pretty much nothing you can do. You travel in Bulgaria, says it all. However it's 23:30 we're in front of the Control club, she runs out of the venue saying Tim Hecker had just started playing. Yes, Tim Hecker live. I get into the venue, the bouncers are so nice they even want to give me change when I pay the entrance in euro. Few moments I'm in the hall. Hecker plays in total darkness and so does sound his music. Shattering basses, layers of drones, subtle melodies and relentless vibrations spread through our bodies. One of those gigs that feel like 5 minutes and they totally are not. After the show we go on a quick hunt for someone awesome enough to host 4 people cus our plans changed last minute. However like a gift from Satan appears Malina, an awesome girl who let us use her place the next two days. So we go to look for it. Bucharest is too complicated for us so it takes us some. However around 3 o'clock we're there. Showered, fed and with Tim Hecker in our ears. Sleep is awesome, especially with something that huggable.

14/10/12 Mytrip, Valerinne, Environments
After waking up at 12 the world looks way better. Today I'm supposed to play a show. After seeing Hecker I'm actually quite excited so we fool around for few hours at Malina's and Marius comes to pick us. The venue was changed in the last minute so we're playing this abandoned factory next to Gara Nord. It's the workshop of one of the Nava Spatiala guys and it's GREAT. We go there and wait for the people to gather. All guys from the playing acts come and they carry something. An amp or a head or parts of the drumkit. You're playing an ambient/exprimental gig and the hardcore punk diy ethics is everywhere. Soon it gets dark and the show starts. It's my second week in a row in Bucharest and third time I'm on an Environments gig. But this time I finally hear their set in full. And it's great. I'm so booking those guys in Bulgaria. After them are playing Valerinne. They're an instrumental trio with a girl making live visuals. They are really great to see live, their sound is great (maybe because of the DIY heads they are using) and you should download their last album right away! My set this night started quite well, really droning and massive, however at a point I chose to go more rhythmic which people enjoyed but I kinda felt I should have stayed in the drifting sound. However it was cool and diverse. It sucked that we couldn't stay longer after the show, cus this place was so awesome and the people were great. Actually all people I know in Romania are awesome. I don't know how they do it, it's just insane. So a quick drive to Radu's place cus we kinda missed sleeping there, a quick glimpse at his D&D map and then we're back to Malina for an awesome sleep and good things at all. Romania is always such a pleasure. It sucks I won't be there this week to. Big ups and kisses for Marius, Malina, Mihai oh yeah Iulia <3 and every single person we met!!

петък, 12 октомври 2012 г.

'DRONE THE BALKANS' Day 1 (Belgrade)

So after tons of mails and messages I kinda got this small October tour working and suddenly it was the 12th day of the month and we were supposed to head for our first show. I'm saying 'our' cus on this tour I'm travelling with my mates over RUBBER Gallery who'll be making the merch table way more beautiful with their author photographies, various prints and photo techniques. Besides them I was able to gather awesome local artists everywhere so they could share these shows with me. For the first day those mates were Sanja w/ her project Lebdi and Sergei Klein from Ukraine, who somehow happened to be in Serbia at this very same moment. However after a 5 hour long drive we're in Belgrade. We met Sanja, went to her place for tea and cinnamon cookies and I kinda got a really nice souvenir from her that was the reason I actually got to know her back in the day. So then we went to Jica, a place that was somehow illegal but remained alive for over 20 years. And it remained alive that night too. After a brief soundcheck we went for a walk in rainy Belgrade. It was a cool thing cus we actually got into Nemanja and Stefan's place, yes those very same guys I spent two weeks travelling and playing with during the 'Vultures Become Eagles' Tour. So we chatted, eat some fruits and went back for the show. We were the second part of the meal for tonight as there was one more show in the venue of two really, really weird bands. One of them was like the Balkan version of the Ramones with a girl doing vocals (more of woman actually, as they all were over 40 I guess) and the other one... well they said they were rocking in a free world, I hope they really are. So it's our turn, we set up quickly and off we go. I started this one while Sergei and Sanja were really quiet. There were a bunch of assholes that kept talking and this really pissed my friends so what was supposed to be an ambient collab turned really quickly into more of a powerviolence, spoken word piece. Then we made another one which was way more rhythmic, but despite it had that really mainstream and user friendly taste it also became quite weird, which is always nice. After the show we quickly pack our stuff and here we are again and the Eaglehaslanded lair. Now clean and well-fed I'm pulling the plug out cus tomorrow I'm going to Bucharest again to watch Tim Hecker with someone really special and play a show on Sunday with the almighty Environments. Cool times, ha?

четвъртък, 11 октомври 2012 г.

Mytrip - 'DRONE THE BALKANS' Tour

About a month after I came back from the 'Vultures Became Eagles' tour w/ Expectations I'm hitting the road again. This time for a shorter tour w/ Mytrip. This is the second time I'm travelling around with my drones for this year and I hope it will be even more awesome, because this time I'm going to Serbia and Romania for shows with awesome friends and artists. I guess I'll be maintaining a tour diary again, so if you are interested how the droning of the Balkans is going keep an eye on this place! Below is the tour event that I'll update with details and news while on the road and each date from the tour with a separate event in case you are there and coming. See you somewhere!


12.10. Belgrade, SRB @ Panic Room Zica w/ Lebdi, Sergey Klein
http://www.facebook.com/events/530096137006211/

14.10. Bucharest, RO @ Fabrica Skatepark w/ Environments, Semiosis
http://www.facebook.com/events/284556598315310/

15.10. Varna, BG w/ Abandoned Shelter, Mloski, Swamp Fire
http://www.facebook.com/events/284384041671535/

16.10. Plovdiv, BG w/ Abandoned Shelter @ Bar Gramophone w/ Abandoned Shelter, Deflax
http://www.facebook.com/events/113152382175807/

17.10. Thessaloniki, GR w/ Abandoned Shelter @ tba

18.10. Sofia, BG @ Suspicious Art Space w/ Abandoned Shelter, Shrine, Arkhitektur Noir
http://www.facebook.com/events/374815329259746/

сряда, 10 октомври 2012 г.

Amenra at Fabrica, Bucharest 06.10.12

I waited almost an year to see this band and experience their ritual. I wrote a review for the lovely Rawk'n'Roll. It's in Bulgarian though, so I translated the paragraphs describing my time in the Church of Ra. Read it below in English, and if you know Bulgarian click HERE for the full story. It was a total life-changer.


...the time in Fabrica suddenly starts to function in a different way. Darkness is getting thicker and is only interrupted by black and white visuals. In front of the stage bodies are gathering, and on it a blurry image appears. It is showing the insides of a church. The five men from Amenra are there. Mathiue is staring through our bodies and his guitar lets us all in the Church of Ra. I've seen tens of photos of their concerts, I've heard the stories of few dear friends. But this here is different. Amenra's music is thick and massive like a wall. It's dragging you to itself and wants to show you what is beyond. It swallows you in a space created by slow and heavy sounds, anxious and sick melodies and ritual rhythms. In front of you there are four people, staring in the very same space you are inhabiting. They are not playing but are pulsating in one with your senses. And among them you see Colin. Never looking at the audience during the whole show. With the mic cable around his hands, he's like trapped in his own pulsations in his own space. The Amenra poetry tears his throat and turns into the last missing texture of their sound environment. You oftenly feel your eyes are irrelevant. You share the blank stares of the other dark silhouettes and you are just listening. You hold her hand and think you are at least controlling this. Then you feel your bodies moving in an unison, engaged in the common pulse. During the whole show I see Colin's face twice. I see his lips moving even when he's not singing. And this helps you understand what are those people and what music means to them. It is their ritual, we are their ears and all together we are in the domains of Ra.

At a point the screen goes black. The worn out images are gone. Only the Amenra logo is still there. The five men are gone. The grip around your neck is loosened. Her hand is still here but the oxygen insufficiency remains for few more hours. Actually it is a pleasant reminder of where you were - the place where air was replaced by the black and thick substance which is actually Amenra's music.

понеделник, 17 септември 2012 г.

'Vultures Become Eagles' Days 12 & 13 (Serbia) and that's all

15/09/12 Subotica, Serbia
w/ Cvlt Of Grace, Minus Three, Sparks

Trve Serbian black metal
After the small but super packed and intimate show we had in Pecs we were about to have one of the craziest gigs for the tour in Subotica, Serbia. A place that first looked almost as calm and quiet as my hometown actually turned into hell. The venue started to fill around ten when there were already around fifty people and I guess by the end of the night they surely doubled/trippled. We were five bands that night and we were supposed to play last so it was going to be a long one. So again unloading, setting up the stage and the merch table and finally a dinner. Dario, who was setting up the show led us to a studio near the venue and all five bands enjoyed a freshly cooked meal. Beans with lots of veggies for the vegans and sadly meat for the offal eaters. We were kinda separated on the tables so we could throw offensive jokes to the other guys who still haven't realized how lame their food of choise was hhaha. Shortly after that the show started with Sparks and weird stuff started happening. First of all I was so amazed to see so many people showing up to a gig in such a town. Then while we were at the merch table a guy came took a shirt of the Minus Three distro and ran away. Our singer Georgie ran after him and after few minutes I discovered the guy (a friend of the promoter) actually stole it, George reached him and when he tried to take it back the guy hit him. Not something serious but still quite a fucked up thing to happen. However when that dude tried to escape again local punks got him and beat the crap out of him and while we were enjoying the rest of the show I heard he was in a hospital. Quite cool! The rest of the show went smooth, people were having a lot of fun, moshing all the time. Some of them moshing quite violently but still I don't care it was better than Western European crowds just standing with hands in their pockets. After the show we went to sleep in the same studio. Few of us chose the van and on the next morning we heard that was the right choice because another fight happened in the place where all other bands slept. Fucking crazy small town, fucking Expectations/Eaglehaslanded thug life.

16/09/12 Novi Sad, Serbia
w/ Cvlt Of Grace, Minus Three

Last day of the tour. Sad and kinda relieving at the same time. So we woke up pretty late, had some decent wi-fi times and headed for Novi Sad which was only 100 km away. And we reached a damn beautiful city with loooots of beautiful women. The weather was awesome unlike the radical cold in Austria and Warsaw, Poland. We had a plenty of time to kill so we roamed around the city, slept on benches, hanged out with the ducks in the park and enjoyed Serbian women which surely are on the second place of my tour chart (after the Polish girls). After we met with Vuk from Furtive Forest we went to the venue where we were about to kill some one or two hours more. So again sleeping on benches, drinking juice and coffee, small talks you know how it works. Then after we unloaded for a last time we set up the stage and did a soundcheck after which we were certain this would be one of the best shows in terms of sound. Again five bands that night. Eaglehaslanded started playing first in front of around 20 people but I think they played one of their best sets for the whole tour (not as destructive as in Warsaw but pretty much so tight and powerful). After them were Cvlt Of Grace. I really hope we'll play with those guys again soon because I totally love their music live. Minus Three were awesome too, I really dig their vocals although the music is not my cup of tea right now. Our set was okay, nothing special, not bad at all and obviously people were enjoying it a lot. Especially our mates from the other bands who didn't save energy and showed us so much support. It was a great moment as everybody knew it's our last show so they made sure we have the best of it. And we had. What was left after that was a terrible and exhausting night drive through the rest of Serbia because we had to return the van early in the next morning. However we survived it and here I am writing this one from my place in Sofia.

Expectations & Eaglehaslanded 'Vultures Become Eagles' Tour 2012
Those days we'll never forget, those days we'll never regret 
Brassov baby w/ our main mate Marius Costache
After thirteen days on the road and that bunch of stuff I had already written there's so much more to be said. There are bands touring with months but for a two-years old DIY band driving almost 6000 km around Europe was an intense enough experience. Still everything worked out so well. I wrote that somewhere else but I'll repeat it here - we have so much friends, we just have to find them. And we found many of them. Huge thanks to Eaglehaslanded who are the nicest dudes in the whole universe.

It was great to see them playing twelve nights in a row, it was great to see them playing even after their equipment was stollen. It was just to hang out with those guys, no matter if they were playing, cursing in Serbian or just sleeping in the next seat of the van. I'm really happy that we met such awesome people like all promoters who booked us, cooked for us and all of their friends who shared their food, homes, time and pets with us. Huge ups for all our Romanian, Hungarian, Serbian, Austrian and Polish friends who made this happen. We really enjoyed all places we visited, played and stayed because everywhere there were people who made them feel like home. I hope we return on the road. Soon. 
Brassov again with half of the Breathelast crew and our pals at Next Dog Studio
No meat in this kitchen only the coolest vegan food and people, Rozbrat Squat, Poznan


If you missed some of the older entries and you are too lazy to scroll down here they are in a chronological order:

Days 1&2 Sofia (BG) & Brassov (RO)
Days 3&4 Sibiu (RO) & Budapest (HUN)
Days 5, 6 & 7 Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan (Poland)
Days 8 & 9 Prague (CZ)
Days 10, 11 Weiner Neustadt (AUS), Pecs (HUN)
Days 12, 13 Subotica, Novi Sad (Serbia)

събота, 15 септември 2012 г.

'Vultures Become Eagles' Days 10 & 11

13/09/12 Weiner Neustadt, Austria 
Our hosts keep having the coolest decorations in  the universe
This was probably our calmest show. Despite the fact we were so pissed because of the van robbery the whole atmosphere in Weiner Neustadt was surely not going to take the hell out of us. We were supposed to play in a huge building which looked as a small factory or an office space but it was actually only for band rehearsal rooms. Each band was listed on the front door exactly as if it was their office. We met some really cool people and had the biggest dinner after the one at Darina's place. Two salads, lasagna, pizza and toooooons of juice, no need to mention everything was vegan. After eating everything as the hungriest Balkan monsters that we are we were so into a nap not for playing a gig. However we did both. There were some nice people who showed up, even two Bulgarian friends came from Vienna. But it was more of a calm and chilled out evening than a intense hardcore madness. After the show we hanged out in Steffi's place who's really ranked in our top promoters chart. She had two awesome dogs, one of which was called Tofu and was totally crazy. After an awesome breakfast with tea and coffee we hit the road back to Hungary but this time we were playing Pecs.

14/09/12 Pecs, Hungary @ Mattus Rehearsal Rooms
w/ Cvlt Of Grace

Despite it is located in the same country at first Pecs didn't look like Budapest at all. Maybe because we spent our first hours far from the city center it looked more like a Balkan town than a part of Hungary. However it was really nice. Our day there started with a vegan chilli that our promoter Zoltan from Cvlt Of Grace cooked. It was hot and spicy and kinda brought me a lot of energy as I almost couldn't sleep during the drive. Afterwards we headed for the venue which was a rehearsal room the guys rented for the show. It was a really awesome place with few rehearsal rooms. After few hours of waiting we unloaded our stuff, set up everything and Cvlt Of Grace started their show. And they were awesome. Probably my favorite band I saw on that tour. And the coolest part was we were playing with them the next two days. If our show in the Austrian rehearsal rooms was the calmest stuff ever in Pecs it was super intense. The rehearsal rooms was packed with lots of people and they were really into both Eaglehaslanded and us. There were some issues with few nazi guys who were kicked out of the show and we almost felt like Wolf x Down lol not. After the show we went on a quest for falafels and it almost felt as if we were in Bulgaria because we had to go to four different places cus it seems the closest you go to the Balkans the more scarce falafels become. In the end we had some, even if it wasn't the coolest thing you could ever eat it was still better than every falafel you can have in Sofia. After our second dinner we headed back to Zoltan's place where we had our second real sleep for the tour and some sweet times with his cats.



четвъртък, 13 септември 2012 г.

'Vultures Become Eagles' Days 8 & 9 (Czech)

Tough times in Prague

11/09/12 Prague, Czech Republic
w/ Backjumber @ Cafe Na Pul Cesty

When not in the van this is my ride
After the most awesome times in Poznan we left for Prague. A half day in the van and we actually reached it. It was super crowded and it became clear we'll have tough times finding a place for the van. We were about to have tough times about a lot of things but I'll get to that. So we quickly find the venue as Stefan from Eaglehaslanded had been there before. It was full of kids and we were like 'Nah, we're not spoiling their party', however we did. Couple of hours after we find the venue our equipment was unloaded, set up and Eaglehaslanded played one of their coolest gigs. The sound was great, the venue was small enough to look packed even with the 20 people that came around. Our set was also intense and sweaty and I surely enjoyed it. Backjumper played last and they were super fast and energetic. I think they played around 40 songs in 30 minutes. So after a quick second bite from the nice vegan pasta that the promoter Pawel had brought us we were ready to go and have some sleep. After a show travel in Prague we got to the place we were about to crash and it was so cool. It was an anarchist info center run by a small collective. It had a free shop, a library and a lot of zines and small stuffs you can buy if you want to support the place. I bought few zines and books that are more targeted at social and political stuff than music. So it was both a chance for me to expand my views and modestly support those guys. We got great tea, awesome conversation and we fell asleep just to be woken up the next morning with a tasty vegan breakfast. 

12/09/12 day off w/ Expectations; Mytrip gig
w/ Zlozvuk Sound System @ Cafe Na Pul Cesty

Mytrip @ Prague, awesome times
After the best cereal (with fruit sauce) I've ever had in my life we went for a walk in rainy Prague and it felt awesome cus we were about to crash at the same place later in the evening. As we couldn't book a show for Expectations and Eaglehaslanded for that day we decided to stay in Prague for a day off and I used that chance to play a small gig in the same venue but w/ Mytrip. Before that we went to Darina's place for a huge and I mean H U G E lunch with countless vegan meals. When we got there we saw someone had tried to open our van. However we couldn't do anything about that and we just paid for few more hours on the parking and hoped that the nice neighborhood will be cool to us. After eating like kings most of the guys from the bands came with me to my solo show. It was pretty well attended for such a rainy day and for such a twisted music as the one me and Zlozvuk were about to play. It was again a decent show, the people at the venue responded well and helped out by buying some Mytrip and even Expectations merch I was caring. Around 22h it was time for us to go back home. After sneaking in the subway as the dark balkan fucks that we are, and a 20 minute walk we got to the info center. We were about to go to bed when we got a call from the guys who went to sleep in the van and the shitty news came. Our van was broken and some instruments were missing. Two Eaglehaslanded guitars, their drum pedal and a bag full of clothes. Plus two broken van windows. So few calls, cops, reports at the police station and sufficiently fucked up we fell asleep because with or without guitars we are finishing this tour. Shutting down now, hopefully the van stays safe tonight cus I'm sleeping inside and I surely don't wanna get stolen and sold so some asshole could get his fix.

P.S. Seriously the Balkans need such places as that info center and consider the idea of not having meat in your kitchen. It's more than awesome.  

вторник, 11 септември 2012 г.

'Vultures Become Eagles' Days 5, 6 & 7 (Poland)


Cold showers, magical vegan food and extremely beautiful girls, this pretty much applies to all three days we spend in Poland.


Touring in the name of Jesus (Cocksucking) Christ <3
07/09/12 Warsaw, Poland
w/ Ceaseless Desolation

After the Budapest show we packed our crap and got in the van for another twelve hours. I'm writing this diary three days later so my memories are a bit blurry. I remember sleeping on a gas station, some of us sleeping outside on the grass, the other ones packed in the van. However after what looked like forever we reached Warsaw. It was grey, cold and immense. Our GPS was surely not able to cope with the route because of construction works. The other GPS we have got fucked up too. So a cab helped us to reach the venue. I think we almost didn't see anything of the city as it was a drive around its suburbs far from the central parts. Maybe that's why we couldn't really feel better about Warsaw. What we saw was grey colors and cold. When we got to the venue things got better. We had the best meal so far on the tour. The best baked potatoes, some vegan gyros and the vegan version of Bulgarian soup with sour milk and cucumbers. However the next hours we spent waiting and I mean we waited a lot. This was the first time I felt the clash of cultures. If in Bulgaria a show would start so late after its announced hour probably no one would stick around for long enough to actually witness the show. However the people stayed. Ceaseless Desolation had way too many issues and technical problems. But what I heard was a fierce mixture of crust and black metal. I guess in Poland and Czech Republic they'll never start playing anything else. And maybe it's a good thing. The tech issues kept happening during the Eaglehaslanded set. Maybe because that pissed them off they played like beasts. Our set was nothing special, just the same old songs. During the sets I felt the cultural clash again. People were mostly hanging around, not partying a lot, but after the show a lot of them came by the merch table and showed appreciation. After the gig we went to sleep in a recording studio, after a cold shower and quick chats with the awesome and hospitable people we went for a sleep. During the whole night there were those people playing in the studio and when we woke up at around 10 they were just leaving the rehearsal room. That's what I call dedication.

08/09/12 Krakow, Poland
The dudes at Krakow had the coolest decorations like ever and Furia we miss you :@
Due to too many shows happening in the region we had to switch the gigs in Warsaw and Krakow so basically we had to travel the same routes twice. So after another six hours we reached our next city. And if Warsaw felt cold as steel this one was totally different. I totally fell in love with Krakow. All amazing little squares, tiny streets and huge old buildings, totally different from what we previously saw in Poland. And the women. I totally reconsidered my dedication to blonde and red-haired women. And it was so nice to see women who are actually appreciating your attention even if it comes by a bunch of punks from Eastern fucking Europe. We went for a nice walk, then we easily found the venue. It was located in the Jewish Quarter and despite such great bands like Finisterre and Beyond Pink had played there, we were told it was about to be closed. I guess Expectations and Eaglehaslanded were the last bands to ever play that spot. And hell it was nice, small and comfortable. Not many people showed up that night however it was the same as in Warsaw. They were enough to sufficiently show us their appreciation by being super nice and buying music and merch from us. Tonight it was only two of our bands playing so it became quite a nice and intimate show which I guess was the main reason people appreciated it. We ended around 10 and an hour later we went to the place where were supposed to sleep. An awesome old appartment in the central part of Krakow, inhabitted by punks and decorated with super cool god free stuff. And most importantly the home of Furia, the coolest pitbul on Earth, who was something between a rad freerunner and a super sweet girl. Few hours of sleep, the usual cock talks and in the morning we're back in the van heading for Poznan. Unfortunately Furia didn't come with us.

10/09/09 Poznan, Poland
w/ Fight 'em All @ Rozbrat Squat
I guess it was okay to be everything in Rozbrat, everything cool and nice of course, such a rad place.
The show in Poznan was the first time we are playing in squat on this tour. All around Poland we met people telling us Rozbrat would be awesome so we were really anxious to get there as it was the oldest squat in the country with 18 years of history. After a walk in Poznan and few moments on their "beach" under a bridge somewhere in the city we went in the squat. It was a whole new world existing in another one. A closed community of punks, bikers, crust punks and all types of people. All of them were super friendly and for less than half a day spent there we were able to feel safe and to feel the atmosphere they were able to create in this place. It's such a pity Bulgaria doesn't have that culture, that willingness to build something more and subcultures existing only online and for a bunch of shows. Actually Rozbrat has some really rough times now and it's highly possible to get closed. So I won't be going further into details about unpacking, travelling you've already read that several times. But I will mention the food, which for a third day in Poland was awesome. Won't be making a chart in order not to offend anybody but those three days were totally my favorite days of the tour in terms of eating. Sandra was the coolest promoter ever, she took us on a walk, put a show for us in the awesome Rozbrat squat and cooked us great dinner with dessert and she even woke up at 5 next morning so she could bring us breakfast. The show was awesome, pretty packed and the people seemed really into it. We played every song we have and this is always a proof we're enjoying our time. And how could you not enjoy Rozbrat?After the show we went to Kebabistan for a quick falafel. Earlier in that day I didn't taste what the other guys said was the best falafel they've ever tasted. And I hope I got a treat by Dancho cus this felt as if I'm eating falafel for the very first time. One more thing Bulgaria has to learn a loooot about in the future. After a nice walk in Poznan at night we went back for a quick bath and went to bed because the road to Prague was expecting us.
Just a piece of advice, don't be ignorant like me. Read more about such active and awesome communities as the Rozbrat one, if your country and life allows it help them, start one, whatever. Just do something. That feeling you are a part of something different, of a collective looking out for something more... that's unique.

събота, 8 септември 2012 г.

Whoever needs words

Seriously... whatever I've written here can describe this. Hopefully you can feel a bit of it, go look.

'Vultures Become Eagles' Days 3&4

06/09/12 Sibiu, Romania
@ Bohemian Flow

After a decent sleep in the van we hit the road to Sibiu. It was a short ride which we pretty much didn't feel. Needless to say we got there on time, we also had a plenty of time to get lost and also hang around. We pissed of a granny by stopping by her window, we gave her an apple she promised to come to the show (using body language). However after a decent struggle we found the venue which was placed on a really awesome square in the heart of Sibiu. After loading in we still had some time to kill and we spent all of them online like total nerds, don't know what I was doing as I obviously am posting this a day later. What else we did was eat the awesome food Andrei, Alek and their crew made. And that vegan cake whooooo. However the show started, it was only us playing so it would be a fast one. A bunch of people were already at the venue, Eaglehaslanded started and the people responded great. During our set it was the same. People went insane. Last year we gotta blast in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca (some of the people who came there were at Sibiu too) so I can pretty much say Romania is one of the best places on Earth. After the show we talked with pretty much everybody in the venue, who were possibly the kindest people ever. Then we went to Andrei's place and we slept for few hours before we started our 12-hours-drive to Budapest.

07/09/12 Budapest, Hungary
w/ Wasted Struggle, The New Dead Project@ Trafik Club

Won't be telling stories about spending 12 hours in the van. For me it wasn't even boring cus I'm a cool dude used to doing whatever I gotta do. After some cool and some boring hours we got to Budapest. No border issues, not a single crappy situation, just the opposite. Few miles before entering the city, at a gas station we met Last Hope with whom we played our first gig and who had also started their tour that very same day. When we entered Budapest our GPS issues got pretty serious and while looking for a tattoo studio we got into a pretty messed up suburbs full of sluts and some old people touching kids' cocks, gays fucking around. It was rad to watch and a nice start in our time in Hungary. Few minutes after we parked we were also mugged by a local dickhead pretending to be working on a parking, however some of the guys chased him and took our money back and waving middle fingers we went to look for another cool spot to park our ship. The venue here was also placed on a beautiful square. We loaded in and had an awesome meal that Bence and his girlfriend made for us. They were so cool they even prepared stuff that we'll take and have for breakfast. The venue was nice, the local bands were really intense and interesting. Especially Wasted Struggle which I'll be really interested in witnessing with a better sound or maybe on a recording. I remember hearing their music before but it felt like changed and evolved in a different way which I think is cool. What I didn't like about the show in Budapest is that there were people selectively watching the whole show. All the time going up and down the stares, out and in of the club as it is not a hardcore punk show but an exhibition where you drink wine and wear your classy clothes. However a lot of people showed up, bought merch, talked to us. I guess this is their way of responding rather than drowning in sweat like in Eastern Europe so I'm appreciating that a lot. During our set the audience was great so I guess I can put this in the list with the cool Expectations shows. Now as I'm writing this we're on our way to Warsaw. A drive that we started right after the show but we stopped and slept in the van. Not sure if we'll make it on time, but hopefully we will. Cutting the crap now. Vultures out.

четвъртък, 6 септември 2012 г.

'Vultures Become Eagles Tour' Days 1&2

Sofia, Bulgaria 04/09/12
w/ Last Hope @ Club Studio
photo by Valeri Vesselinski
Rarely would I be such a ego freak to review a show I played in Sofia. However unlike the last 5 years I've spent in this city this particular show was the start of something new. On September 4th we were about to start our first real European tour. And it was hell of a start. The day started early and we pretty much spent it all in a bunch of cars, cabs and finally the van that was supposed to be our home for the next almost two weeks. Won't brag about how awesome it was to play for all our friends who suprisingly seemed to have missed us those few months which we abstained from playing in order to make the beginning of the tour somehow special not only for us. And it was a blast. We finally were able to check out live Eaglehaslanded, our Serbian mates that are the other half of the 'Vultures Become Eagles Tour'. And they are insane. This was their second show and I remember my second shows... Nothing like that. I hope those guys stick around long enough so we're able to get more of their music in the future. Such a band was really missing on the Balkans and I'm pretty certain it won't be too much if I say they are actually the first screamo band in our region. No matter how absurd this may sound to the people from Western Europe, but I guess it's high time they learn more about the depths of our continent. However won't go further into details. It was a rad show, our people seemed to enjoy our new CD. Actually one of the coolest things was that peope were actually disappointed we couldn't make the vinyl we promissed. This is surely a blast of optimism that our scene is really growing in the right direction. So the night ended at around 3 o'clock after a mindless switch of cabs, cars and our van. The next morning was supposed to start in only 2 hours and a half.

Brasov, Romania 05/09/12
w/ I Started Into The Forest/Coins As Portraits
Brassov was the best
It is only three hours after we called it a day. It's still pretty dark outside and having in mind I haven't been awake before 10 o'clock for the last few months it was a huge torture. However thirty minutes later with my backpack and a terribly hurting neck from last night I go to the meeting. An hour and something later we're packed in the van that's pretty much supposed to be our new home for the next two weeks and off to Romania we go. And boy it was hell of travel that took us nearly 12 hours, half of which in Bulgaria, the other in Romania and a significant part of going in circles in Brasov to find the venue. Few hours before we got there our main mate Marius Costache (who was not only patient enough to record us for a second time, but even came for the show in Sofia) got a message saying the club owners didn't pay their rent so the show should be moved. 

And this was totally the best possible way things could have gone. We played a pretty much abandoned old medical supplies factory that became a home for a hardcore punk show for the first time. The atmosphere even before the show was sooo awesome. Dim lights, cool local people gathering, new and old friends travelling to see us and say hi. AND the RAD food Iulia cooked for us. From the first minute at the venue it was a blast and it became even bigger. The show started with I Stared Into The Forest and their wicked and complex hardcore, surely a band you want to dig deeper in their music. The next act were Coins As Portraits, who share a guitarist with the previous band. And those guys were so intense, their music is so complex and they play it like kings. All the time I was listening to them I was thinking, boy if those guys were jazz musicians they would be making all the money in the world and they deserve it so much. As to our sets I will be short. The night before I couldn't feel Eaglehaslanded so perfectly because I was stuck at the merch table, but that night I watched their set thoroughly and I can just repeat what I wrote, I hope these guys stick long enough so we enjoy more of their intense and powerful music. As to our show I'm still too excited and I'm definitely writing the best one we ever had. We had technical issues with one of the guitars but everything was solved on the go and it surely didn't spoil the fun, on the contrary it made it way more real. I hope the tour keeps being so awesome. I hope we meet as friendly people as the guys from Brasov everywhere we go. Big ups for Adrian, Bogdan and all involved for setting this up for us and everyone that showed up. A thought is stuck in my mind all evening long – we have so many friends everywhere, all it takes is to travel and meet them.

But in the end this is the place this band belongs :D

понеделник, 27 август 2012 г.

'I carry love, I carry darkness'

This is our new record, download it for free donation, learn it, share it, comment it, feel it... whatever.

петък, 24 август 2012 г.

Expectations - Vultures Become Eagles Tour


It's high time we announced this. And finally it is happening. I don't know what are your plans for September but mine are pretty clear. I'm starting this month with twenty shows in 7 European countries. We've been waiting for this since April. Back then we couldn't promote our debut album as much as we wanted, but we recorded a new EP so now we'll promote them both in Europe. I hope you are interested and if you are it will be a pleasure to meet you somewhere on the road. I'll do my best to maintain my own tour diary here so if you care just keep an eye on me, Expectations or our Serbian pals from Eaglehaslanded with whom we'll be sharing those two weeks. The full schedule is below, we'll be having a day-off in Prague but I may be able to fill it with a Mytrip show, who knows.

Sept. 4 - Sofia, Bulgaria @ Studio Club
http://www.facebook.com/events/496370650392636/

Sept. 5 - Brasov, Romania @ Ground Zero
http://www.facebook.com/events/470041503013863/

Sept. 6 - Sibiu, Romania @ Bohemian Flow

http://www.facebook.com/events/144254402382130

Sept. 7 - Budapest, Hungary @ Trafik Club
http://www.facebook.com/events/301596493261072/

Sept. 8 - Warsaw, Poland @ klub ZNOŚNA LEKKOŚĆ BYTU
http://www.facebook.com/events/483670834977338/

Sept. 9 - Krakow, Poland @ Kawiarnia Naukowa
http://www.facebook.com/events/227548950700568/

Sept. 10 - Poznan, Poland @ Rozbrat Squat
http://www.facebook.com/events/449212288457538/

Sept. 11 - Prague, Czech @ Cafe Na Pul Cesty

http://www.facebook.com/events/369866626416942/

Sept. 13 - Wiener Neustadt, Austria @ Bandhouse
http://www.facebook.com/events/412488772148997/

Sept. 14 - Pecs, Hungary @ Matus rehearsal room
http://www.facebook.com/events/251913641586596/

Sept. 15 - Subotica, Serbia @ Mladost Club
http://www.facebook.com/events/376579609080055/

Sept. 16 - Novi Sad, Serbia @ CK13
http://www.facebook.com/events/409957215689292/

петък, 3 август 2012 г.

A home for a bunch of friends

You are a new kid who lives to go to shows and listen to tons of rad music. First you are a guest, then you become a part. Finally you are the one building a home for new kids, for other kids who give a damn. You have a home where once you were a guest. You have a home which former hosts don't know about because they don't give a damn any longer. But you still do. It's because of that idea to build, leave, giveaway and always remember. Those days you'll never regret, those days you'll never forget.

photo by V. Vesselinski
// currently blasting Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Converge like hell's coming to Earth right now

неделя, 29 юли 2012 г.

The right stuff at the right time

A little over an year ago I was able to start a job which was one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me. After a great internship at the events department of the oldest daily business newspaper in Bulgaria I started writing for it. I knew nothing about journalism, I knew something about economy/business due to my education in International Economic Relations and I obviously had a feeling for writing. That job lead me to people who I'll always value in my life and it taught me a lot. However that didn't last longer. The newspaper got closed and was united with its main competitor. I spent few months in the newborn media and I quit as I had better things to take care of. Yeah, I mean, as my twitter bio says, playing in bands, drinking coffee and finally studying music in an academy.

But it seems that wasn't just a job I'll get over and change for something else. It seems I have an urge to write almost as powerful as the urge to play music. And lately, that urge has been striking me with full force. So I may have to edit my twitter bio after I post this but hell yeah, I'm back to writing. I hope I'll be able to cover as much stuff as possible because one of the coolest things of working as journalist and learning to be one is that you have to read and dig a lot. For now I'm back to business stuff but I'll be also contributing to a really cool Bulgarian e-zine called Rawk'n'Roll. I'll be reviewing releases in weirder and heavier genres such as ambient / drone / drone doom / black metal. I highly recommend you to follow this site as it has almost 10 years of presence in the Bulgarian underground and here this means a lot. All of my writings can be found via the search engine filter or by a simple click here. I may be posting some translations here as I'll be writing in Bulgarian. I'm also looking out for a place to contribute reviews of electronic music, maybe a foreign zine so if you have any ideas/recommendations/suggestions please shoot.

Watched a great movie today, it said the coolest stuff happens when you are not looking for it. Totally true, but this great stuff I gotta keep no matter my twitter info.

// currently into: some unreleased Bolest Evropa pieces

понеделник, 16 юли 2012 г.

The first of I hope many

So it is Saturday, the morning after Frenchbulldog's debut. The alarm rings once and few minutes later I miss the first train, it's set again, it rings and some half an hour later I miss one more train. However it is already day two of the Artmospheric Festival 2012. It is 11 o'clock and at 19:00 I gotta start playing the small stage as Mytrip. So I had to take the train at 14:20 which means at the hottest time of the day - awesomeness. 

All hail that machine and its driver
After an hour of tram waiting/catching I'm at the station and then in the train. I won't go into any details of how hot it was because I could write a shorty story and a bunch of poems about that, I'll just go on instead. After an hour and a half I reach the station from where a bus is supposed to take us to the Festival place. It comes shortly after my arrival there and it is ANCIENT. The temperature inside is 10 degrees hotter than outside, which is radical. However we pack in and it leaves. The next 50 minutes pass slowly as the road is pretty fucked up and there's pretty much nothing you can do but drive slow as hell. In fact the bus almost broke down during the next other courses. But it succeeded in taking us up, then in taking us down the next day. And I guess it survived even few more courses.
When the bus reached the bio farm we had 15 minutes more to walk and then we reached the place that for the last six years successfully succeeded in making few people feel like home (as overheard in the bus). And all the heat, travelling and shaking is nothing compared to what an awesome place it really is. I don't wanna post photos, I haven't made any just because you have to go there and experience it personally any other words/visuals are only a major spoiler.


What I can say is that the festival surely deserves its name. The atmosphere is amazing and everywhere you reach all kinds of art forms. From the great vegan food to every single artist performing during the festival. Artmospheric 2012 was the first one for me in many aspects. First of all I am not a huge open air person. I like nature but I'm not dedicated to spending all my free time in woods and mountains with my ass itching from insect bites. So having in mind that, I can tell I had great time though I'm definitely not a neo hippie. It was also the first Artmospheric event I am visiting and I can't say there were artists I was really eager to see/hear live. But I really enjoyed some. I really enjoyed Auditory Oscicles, Soulslept, Genda and few acts on the main stage but I have no idea who they were. It was really interesting for me that people still listen/play/mix trance music. My experience with that genre ended early in my childhood and since around year 2000 I have no idea what's going on with that type of music. Anyway I heard some stuff that wasn't bad still not my cup of tea. What else I thought about is that IDM is one of the over exploited genres of our times and it has reached a state of development where you can pretty much do nothing original. I guess it applies to many genres but especially when they are that specific you have to watch just three different artists and you get to that conclusion. However I still dig it more than trance.

And as a final aspect, Artmospheric 2012 was the first time I am playing an open air with any of my projects. And it was awesome. I have no idea if people actually watched/heard my set because when I play ambient I tend to become over focused and barely have the need to look at the world or the humyns around me. It was a totally different feel about how the sounds were communicating with ambience that wasn't walls of a closed artificially built space. I played during the day so I couldn't go as deep and dark as I usually do and my set became a quite weird mixture of unpublished and even improvised rhythmic and melodic stuff. The usual ambient structures and textures I use were reaching really weird forms and contexts. The organised chaos that was accompanying the festival was also one awesome thing that really, really influenced my playing. There was a schedule and two well-equipped stages. Everything else was in the hands of the artists. You go, wait for your slot, then plug-in and play. When you're done you leave and do whatever you want. That total freedom makes it more than pleasure to be involved.

I guess that's pretty much all I wanted to say. I could talk about the sky and the smell of timber and a bunch of other stuff for hours but just go there and experience it. No words can describe falling asleep while someone is playing live, then waking up at 6 the next day when someone else is starting something else. That mixture of total freedom, comfort plus the sense not a second is wasted and the event is so saturated with happenings - that's just insane! 

The day after I played was also full of rad music but I had to go so I can chill out at a bit at home before I hit the road today again. And in a vortex of radical heat (for me), slow transportation and tons of recollections I reach civilization that... well it is also worth experiencing. However I hope I'll be able to play more open air festivals as soon as possible!