- A snapshot of a special place and time in early '00s Bulgaria, where a motley crew of producers were making excellent techno-trance.
- Bulgarian artists Doulo Klan and HellBounD established a label called [-M-E-L-M-A-K-] during the zenith of that country's rave scene, while summering at their respective grandmas' houses in the small town of Lukovit. Their teenage friend groups, luk-O-weed Crew and G.T.N.D. Mob (Goa Trance Never Dies), held parties in garages, basements and backyards, inevitably damaging a veggie garden and tipping off the parents as to what was going on. Now, Polish label Brutaż has released a compilation EP, The Underground Sound Of Kyustendil, which collects four tracks recorded during those formative years, between 1999 and 2007.
This music was made by kids who loved trance and then ventured into techno. The Doulo Klan and Waterblip make it melodic on "Oscilloscope," while HellBounD leans into industrial on "Potentiometer." The latter also reflects another style described at the time as "tribal" under his alias Zie3i on "Coffeinnum." These more techno-styled tracks brim with a kaleidoscopic brightness also found on a psytrance EP from Prarhamansah, released on [-M-E-L-M-A-K-] in 2003 and reissued on Brutaż last year. The Doulo Klan and HellBounD initially distributed the record as CDs with handmade covers at their parties in Lukovit.
The Underground Sound Of Kyustendil is a snapshot of both a specific era and a more general present. Kyustendil, the namesake of the compilation, is not Lukovit—it's actually where The Doulo Klan lives now, and where he he was able to find more time to create music, organise events and relaunch[-M-E-L-M-A-K-]. It's where he came across ddx, who builds up a hypnotic state with a happy hardcore-ish beat and acid basslines on "Different." The two used to frequent the same trance parties in the capital Sofia, and their meet-cute in Kyustendil indicates growth for the rural crew who are now all grown up.
Tracklist01. The Doulo Klan & Waterblip - Oscilloscope
02. ddx - Different
03. HellBounD - Potentiometer
04. Zie3i - Coffeinnum