Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Kottarashky with 2 events in Berlin: a premiere of the film Balkan Black Box and a concert

Photo: siff.bg

Kottarashky is one of the most intriguing musicians to have appeared on the Bulgarian music scene in the first decade of the 21st century. The man behind the stage name is Nikola Gruev, and his work is an ongoing genre-blending experiment. He is known for his unorthodox approach to Bulgarian folklore, his collage technique mixing original recordings, including everyday sounds, with electronic music, hip-hop, jazz etc.

Kottarashky is now returning to Berlin with two events: the premiere of the film Balkan Black Box on 5 November, and on the following day, 6 November – he will have a concert. For him this is a comeback because he has not had any appearances in Berlin for 10 years, even though his music is released by a Berlin label.


Balkan Black Box has so far only been presented at Sofia film Fest in different towns of Bulgaria, but actually its premiere in Berlin precedes even the premiere in Sofia. Berlin is the first stopover for the film, it is to be shown in New York next. The film is directed by Tzvetan Dragnev – Balkan Black Box is a film about the free spirit, about the difficulties musicians encounter, it is in fact something of a portrait of the Bulgarian underground with protagonists Kottarashky and his band The Rain Dogs. “The film is very interesting, very unorthodox – imagine a road movie with lots of beautiful shots from Bulgaria,” says Kottarashky. 
Freeze-frame from Balkan Black Box
Together with film director Tzvetan Dragnev, he is presenting the film in Berlin at the invitation of the Bulgarian Cultural Centre during the Bulgarian Documentary Cinema Week "Doc-Art-Fest”, 31 October - 5 November. Balkan Black Box has a German-language version though it is expected to be watched mostly by a Bulgarian audience.

Kottarashky and Sando Sandov
On 6 November, Kottarashky will have a concert appearance at “It’s a BAR” – this time not with the whole group but with only one of the members of Rain Dogs – Sando Sandov. As a matter of fact, Kottarashky says the duo was formed specifically for Balkan Black Box. Despite the elements of improvisation, Kottarashky says the music he is to present in Berlin is not exactly jazz – maybe something more like ethno-jazz with quite a lot of electronic music but also with a very fresh live sound. Because, as Kottarashky says, young people are looking more and more to electronic music, and he is hoping they will get to feel what a pleasure live performances are.  

Four from the album Opa Hey (2009) by Kottarashky & The Rain Dogs

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: Facebook/Kottarashky, siff.bg



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Surprise for Bulgarian audiences - Austrian violinist Rainer Honeck and Bulgarian pianist Plamena Mangova give first concert together

Little-known works will be performed by outstanding musicians at the Bulgaria Hall in Sofia on 6 November.  Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10, an early work by Benjamin Britten dedicated to his composition teacher Frank Bridge, will be..

published on 11/4/24 2:32 PM

"Boris Christoff – Ambassador of the Bulgarian Song" concert in Studio 1 of the BNR

"Boris Christoff – Ambassador of the Bulgarian Song" is the title of the concert of the opera singer Plamen Beykov and pianist Bozhena Petrova, which will take place tonight in Studio 1 of the BNR. "The program is an..

published on 11/4/24 8:15 AM
Vesko Panteleev-Eshkenazy

Varna and Sliven immerse "In the world of music" with maestro Vesko Panteleev-Eshkenazy

One of the best violinists in the world and concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam Vesko Eschkenazy is back home, in his native Sofia. The reason - the two closing concerts of the national tour of the project "In the World of..

published on 10/31/24 12:17 PM