“The life of a musician is a really good thing as long as you manage to live it the way you want, with the music you want, and not the music the market dictates,” says drummer Ivan Dimov. His career is connected with two emblematic Bulgarian 1990s – Mastilo and Mary Boys Band. However, for 20 years here has been working in management for a big American food company, a job that took him to Switzerland. For the past 11 years he has been living close to the country’s economic capital Zurich, where he has thrown his home open to Bulgarian musicians and artists.  

“I’m renting a house in a small town near Zurich so that I can have a decent studio in the basement. And I want to have a big house because the Bulgarian community in Switzerland is not that big. Together with my wife we have told all musicians and performers that whoever wants to have a show or a concert in Switzerland, they can get food and accommodation at our place, free of charge. That is why our house is comparatively big, and there is a separate guest flat. Besides that, together with the Bulgarian school in Zurich (Rodna Rech – editorial note) we try to provide for the Bulgarian cultural events so as to keep the Bulgarian spirit alive – we provide books, take part in all initiatives of the Bulgarian community, I am in charge of the sound system. There is a folk dance group in Switzerland – Ludi Mladi – and they too organize wonderful events.”

But whatever he may be doing, music is something Ivan just can’t do without. And the studio he equipped is his favourite place in the home.

Born in Burgas, the musician started playing the drums at the age of 9. After graduating from the music school, his talent led him to the Academy of Music in Sofia, where he studied under Prof. Tatiana Karparova. He then left for neighbouring Türkiye, where, in the town of Izmir, just like his teacher, Ivan Dimov taught percussion instruments from 1997 until 1999. And as soon as he came home, he started drumming for different pop and rock bands.  

“With Mastilo I was the guy who, together with Victoria Terziyska (vocals), pushed the band towards pop music, the other two band members wanted a harder sound. It was a good time with them, but then they decided to sign a contract with a major Bulgarian label. When I read it I knew I couldn’t sign that because it meant the end of my career in economy which I had already started. So, we decided to part ways with the other band members, and they took on a new drummer.”

His adventure with the next band – Mary Boys Band – started a little bit after that. He got a call from the band’s front lady Maria Mutafchieva, the two had known each other from their time in Burgas.

“The best thing about the band was that we got along so well, that is why it is such a pleasure to play with them,” Ivan Dimov says. “We got together, we played together, we liked each other and decided to go on together. That was almost 20 years ago. The video to the song Long Way Home was the first video I took part in.

I recorded all drum parts, I also did the arrangement of one of the songs and that made it very different from all other songs. Actually it was the only song without an official video. Maybe it’s just me, I am such a fan of jazz, and that provoked me to make it sound funkier.”

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos courtesy of Ivan Dimov, Facebook /Ivan Dimov, Lilia Yotova