Tag: Bulgaria

Between transformation and apathy – the dynamics of the independent scene in Sofia

We’ve sat on this article for too long because it’s hard to be objective and unbiased about something we’ve spent many years of our lives trying to be an active part of, and improve. It’s even harder to admit we’re not certain what the actual state of our scene is anymore, because we feel disconnected and irrelevant. What we think we observe does not seem homogeneous enough, or it is not headed towards a state that we can understand, explain, or predict.

Published July, 2025

Puma & The Dolphin (WTF IS SWAG, 2015)

Puma & The Dolphin at first may sound a little strange. The combination of these two very different animals has become the name of the new project by the Bulgarian producer Nikko Names, known for his beat-driven duo 1000names associated with Project Mooncircle.

Published December, 2015

Bułgarskie Wakacje

Before the fall of communism, holidays in Bulgaria used to be - apart from Croatia - a package holiday bliss for sea-hungry workers from the Eastern European region. Cheap and cheerful, the Bulgarian seaside with its Black Sea was a treasured annual getaway.

Published August, 2015

Interview with Esem

One of the most interesting and idiosyncratic Bulgarian electronic musicians, Esem has been crafting out his own species of sonic experiments with consistent inconsistency for more than a decade now. Esem’s works include 3 LPs, a collection of field recordings, many digital releases for experimental labels like Merck, deFocus, Sutemos, Mahorka and the legendary Kahvi netlabel, and his latest Aquanaut EP, which was released last Christmas via Bandcamp.

Published February, 2014

2013 in Bulgarian music by Snezhana Bezus

Snezhana Bezus, apart from supplying this very page with insightful news and findings from the Sofia sonic underground, is also involved in the Sofia Beats club night. 1.

Published January, 2014

WTF is SWAG presents: EAT DESSERT ONLY VA

It’s been a whole year since my first contribution to the Easterndaze project. Call it fate or accident, but today, upon this anniversary, my topic is, just like back in 2012, the latest WTF is SWAG various artists compilation.

Published November, 2013

Space bass: Big Tiger – Music from Planet Earth EP

On September 5th Bulgarian electronic duo Big Tiger launch their second release - “Music from Planet Earth” EP, courtesy of Australian label DRTY SHDWS PRJKT. Exactly 36 years earlier NASA launched their Voyager spacecraft in an inspiring attempt to explore the depths of our Solar System and hopefully communicate with potential alien lifeforms by means of the famous Golden Record containing the Sounds of Earth.

Published September, 2013

MANASYt – Hailing from the Otherside

It may seem ironic. Finding a Bulgarian producer can be an easier task if you choose to look outside, rather than within the borders of our country.

Published March, 2013

WTF is SWAG presents: Foggy Mountain EP

After the brilliant EAT DESSERT FIRST compilation that highlighted the end of last summer, the WTF is SWAGbrigade are back on track to hit us with a fresh dose of bass-heavy vibes. Foggy Mountain EP is a split project between two talented young producers – Bulgarian Lenard and Hungarian oneone, including 4 original tracks and 5 remixes.

Published February, 2013

Snezhana Bezus on Bulgarian music scene 2012/13

1. What’s the highlight for you in your countries music scene? People seem to start waking up.

Published January, 2013

1000names – A Minute a Day LP

Bulgaria is closer to Space than you might think. Apart from the space food production trivia and the fact that a Bulgarian folklore song is travelling the Universe as a message to other intelligent lifeforms, our country has spawned another intergalactic curiosity – 1000names.

Published December, 2012

Maria Stankova – The Mystery of a Bulgarian Voice

What is music? For most people, it is something more confined within boundaries than we ever realize. We’re so used to the common conception that in order for it to be considered music, any sequence of sounds should have, for example, a beginning and an end, some clear pattern or structure, discernible rhythm, melody, etc.

Published October, 2012

WTF is SWAG: Bulgarian beats beckon

If there is any place in the world where the overuse of “swag” has lead to something productive it must be Bulgaria. Marked by its history of 500 years under the Ottoman rule, followed by a fair share of Communism, the country is now an absurd amalgam of past, present and future.

Published September, 2012

1000names – Invisible Architect (Project Mooncircle, 2011)

“It’s a mystery where the music comes from and why it sounds the way it does. We look for the answer in the garden of the invisible architect – and try just to be…“ To make electronic music today is quite simple.

Published December, 2011