amek070 Vanishing Standards III (CS)

Order on tape & digital at Bandcamp.

credits

The third installment of our bi-annual Vanishing Standards compilation series closes the year of our fifteenth anniversary. As usual, we wanted to have as many members of our extended family aboard as possible, as well as welcome new ones into it. Of course, they are in the company of Amek regulars, whom, whenever we could, we tried to inspire to work in new collaborations and configurations. The result is not only the shortest volume in the series but also the first one dominated by atmospheric, yet noisy, tracks punctuated with unexpected heavy hitters. 

 

Mastered by Marius Costache 

Artwork by Nikola Kostov

amex005 V0LAND "Innenraum" CS

Order at Bandcamp. 

Symeon Yovev (V0LAND) is a Bulgarian-born composer and experimental artist. Field recordings, modern-day experimental hardware instruments, and obscure vintage sound machines are among his preferred tools. This more hardware-leaning approach has resulted in music that is not only meticulously structured, and texturally rich, but also deep, nuanced, and still somehow impulsive and organic. To quote V0LAND, his music draws inspiration from the spontaneous organization of chaos into form. And what is a better example of organized musical chaos if not the distillate form of a live performance. 

 

If you’ve followed Amek for long enough you probably already know that we love raw demos, debut albums, and first live shows. “Innenraum” documents not only a session of shared musical exploration but also the artist’s first-ever show in his hometown of Sofia. This is exactly why we decided to welcome V0LAND in Amek not with a studio recording but with this live artifact that documents the music he presented in late Spring 2023 in Sofia.

INNENRAUM was performed live on May 27, 2023 at Koncept Space, Sofia by Symeon Yovev (V0LAND). 

EXPERIENCE is a tape series of live recordings, captured during Amek Collective events or guest appearances.

amek069 Evitceles "Bruised" CS

 

Order at Bandcamp.

On "Bruised", his third full-length album for Amek, Bulgarian producer Evitceles probes even deeper into his bottomless and tainted well of influences. As hinted in some of the project's other, most recent, releases, his music has become even more guitar and vocal-centered, with beats and basslines feeling somehow colder and simpler. While the artist's signature aggressive, at times lo-fi, approach to production makes the overall sound of the album feel gritty and punishing, "Bruised" also has a tasty and deranged post-punk flavor to it.

Like every other bit of Etien Slavchev’s constantly morphing discography as Evitceles, the album doesn’t stay in the same place for long. It toys with us through drastic mood switches, innate intensity, and laconic but emotional lyrics and vocals. We never know where Evitceles’ music is headed, but we want to be a part of this journey. You’re (kind of) welcome too!

Produced by Etien Slavchev
Artwork by Mild Kiriya

a-m_e|k p_103 Conjecture (GR), Evitceles, XI-N (DE), LATE at Koncept Space on 04/11

Greek post-industrial artist Conjecture returns to Sofia five years after his last show here in the company of XI-N and local madmen Evitceles & Late. November 4 at Koncept Space, Sofia. See you there!

RSVP here: https://facebook.com/events/1077512263243589/

amek068 Valance Drakes "Hate Devours Its Host" LP

In the year of our 15th anniversary, we've been extremely picky with the records we want to put out so we are delighted to be announcing the release of "Hate Devours Its Host", a brand new full-length by Valance Drakes and his third one for Amek. This is undoubtedly the enigmatic and shadowy producer's most ambient-leaning work and we are proud to be sharing this with the world on limited vinyl & digital. Thanks to everyone who's been involved in this project.

Оrder at Bandcamp.

Four years lay between An Angel In Alliance With Falsehood and Hate Devours Its Host, Valance Drakes’s brand new full-length for Amek Collective. This deeply personal record sets the producer on yet another path of narrative-driven musical alchemy. Without a doubt, Hate Devours Its Host is Valance Drakes’ most atmospheric work to date. Multilayered ambient soundscapes and spiraling melodic debris are used not as a backdrop but as the backbone of the record. The producer's signature intricate rhythmic structures, subterranean basslines, and hypnotizing sample manipulation are entangled in this drifting sonic environment. All these elements become an inseparable and emotionally intense whole.

We watched this album grow and unfold. As with all things Valance Drakes, the music in Hate Devours Its Host seems that it can be experienced in a breath but truly grasping everything that lies within requires patience and attention to detail. All elements in Hate Devours Its Host are carefully considered, meticulously organized, and purposeful. This full-length is another showcase not just of Drakes' sound design and compositional craftsmanship but an honest representation of life as beautiful or punishing as it can get.

Produced by Valance Drakes
Mastered by Marius Costache
Artwork by Nikola Kostov

a-m_e|k p_103 Passepartout Duo (IT), Musical Statues, Dayin at Koncept Space - 01.10.2023

For the 14th event of our Sunday concert series шумна неделя, we return to Koncept Space with the Italian electroacoustic and experimental music project Passepartout Duo and local support by Musical Statues and Dayin. See you there!

RSVP: https://facebook.com/events/3622774431287147/

Angel Simitchiev & Lucia Udvardyova at ReBonkers, Varna (gallery)

Angel Simitchiev & Lucia Udvardyova

Amek x Easterndaze

Listening Biennial 2023 

21/07/23 ReBonkers, Varna 

Photos by Silvana Ilieva

a-m_e|k p_102 Amek x Easterndaze: Angel & Lucia live at ReBonkers, Varna

It's been ages since we put together a show outside of Sofia so here's one happening in Varna on July 21st. We're gathering forces with Easterndaze to make a Bulgarian seaside edition of this year's The Listening Biennial. Read more about them here and see you in Varna. It's a free donation gig.

RSVP: https://facebook.com/events/255921253743360/

a-m_e|k p_101 Tim Holehouse (UK) & Maxim Mokdad at Fabrika Avtonomia on May 14

It's been a while since we've seen Tim Holehouse in Sofia and on May 14 this is changing. Catch you at Fabrika Avtonomia for an evening of nomad blues, lo-fi pop and fun times. 

RSVP here: https://facebook.com/events/1480846579390785/

Sara Persico, Evitceles, Yoana Robova, Blessed by Saturn at Koncept Space (gallery)

Blessed by Saturn

Yoana Robova

Evitceles

Sara Persico

22/04/23 Koncept Space, Sofia 

Photos by Silvana Ilieva

a-m_e|k p_100 Sofia Дrone Day w/ V0LAND, Vestimir Markov & DWAAL

On May 27 Sofia will be celebrating International Drone Day for the seventh time. Expect live sets by Bulgarian acts V0LAND, Vestimir Markov & DWAAL. It's a free donation event so no excuses! 

RSVP here: https://facebook.com/events/1397659737689414/

Vague Voices, Trace Amount, The Soft Moon at Mixtape 5, Sofia (gallery)

Vague Voices

Trace Amount

The Soft Moon

05/04/23 Mixtape 5, A-Side, Sofia 

Organized by Indioteque & Alarma Punk Jazz

Photos by Zlatina Tochkova