Interview: Alexander 'Screamoe' Atanassov (+ mini mix)

Last year during one of my trips back home I stumbled upon an event by a project called Marble Souls. As a person who has been following the future beats & baile funk scene and a Soulection fan, seeing similar music being played in venues in Sofia felt really nice. That was the first time I connected with Alexander - one of the driving forces behind the collective.

Now, it's time to see what he cooked for us! I hope you also enjoy the mix & the chat we had below!

Tracklist:

Hey Alex! Thanks for the mix man, before anything - how would you describe your selection in a sentence?

Hey guys and thank you for this opportunity. I tried to incorporate different styles of music into this mix. I’m a huge Soulection fan and most of the tracks are from some of the label’s most popular artists like DKVPZ and Sam Gellaitry. I also love to explore this baile funk and afro beat vibe that has been going around the world since last year. So much for describing it in a sentence :D

Tell us a bit about yourself? Where does 'Screamoe' comes from?

Screamoe comes from those distant times, around 2006-2007, when MySpace was a big deal and Facebook wasn’t popular at all. I am a big metal and hardcore fan and I was really into screamo music at that time. So I was like “I’m gonna put an “E” at the end of it and that’s what I ‘ll call myself”. Everyone just started calling me by my nickname. When I moved to Sofia, people knew me as Screamoe and most of them had no idea what my real name was.

Other than making and playing music, I try to keep myself busy with a lot of different side projects. I work as a Social Media Manager at Ogilvy and I am a big sneaker and streetwear fan. I am a designer by education and recently I started exploring the world of video production.

You're often playing with our friend Oleg /Criteria/ and also with another friend of yours Stoyko /St3ykul/ under the moniker Marble Souls. I must say as a person who has been enjoying the music, I was really happy seeing people vibing and pushing the future beats scene in Bulgaria. How’s the project going and what are your future plans?

Marble Souls was ST3KUL’s project. We played a couple of shows together and we just clicked. I found that he has the same love for future bass and liquid trap music as me, so we started doing Marble Souls together. CRITERIA is a close personal friend to both of us and he joined the crew in the beginning of 2018. He really understands the meaning behind it and what we are trying to achieve.

We are trying to keep it chill for now - no pressure. The idea of Marble Souls is to bring new and unexplored styles to the local scene in Bulgaria, alongside the familiar ones like hip-hop. I think that people here are enjoying it and starting to understand it even more and more. Every month we have these small block parties at CRITERIA’s bar where you can just socialize and enjoy a cold beer. Each time even more and new people turn up and this is amazing.

Do you think the scene especially in Sofia is evolving/standing its own ground?

Yes, I think now the scene in Bulgaria is way more stronger than it was 10 years ago and it has grown and evolved a lot since then. Now you have a lot more clubs and DJs that play different music. Thanks to the almighty Internet, people are discovering more and more artists and everyday you can find something new to listen and play on repeat.

I also like that DJs are experimenting with different styles. Nowadays you can here a lot more hip-hop, trap, EDM and other music styles being mixed together. That’s what we are trying to do with Favela Gang - the other crew I am part of. We are trying to bring that Brazil sound to Bulgaria and give something new to the audience like baile funk, afrobeat, kuduro and moombahton - music styles that people here like, but are not really familiar with them. Yet.

Besides DJing, you're also a vocalist in a hardcore band. While music may sound different, do you think there's a connection between the genres you play while DJing and the live music you play?

The tempo! Our songs are usually at 120-140 bpm. I can say that most of them have a lot in common with today’s trap and hip-hop music. We often describe our style as “what trap would sound if it was metal”. All Last Remains members love hip-hop and trap. For example - our guitarist is a beat maker and goes by the name Liyan K.

Speaking of heavier sounds, what are your thoughts on trap music? Would that be, to some extend, the punk/rock/heavy music of todays' young generation?

Some people may say that EDM trap is dead, but if you take a closer look at the scene, you will find out that is very much alive and doing well. Trap producers like Yellow Claw, Carnage and many more are still doing trap bangers. They are just experimenting with the sound, doing features with rappers, etc. I love trap, and I love hardcore music.

I am sure that many of the people who listen to metal like trap, drum & bass and dubstep. Even some of the most popular producers and DJs like Borgore, Getter and Krewella are metalheads.

Who are your favourite producers, people whose sound inspire you?

I’m a big Borgore fan. I started following him back in the days, when dubstep was the shit and haven’t stopped since that. I think that he is one of the most versatile artists out there, experimenting with different styles of music. For example, his latest album is a jazz one. How ‘bout that?

Also as I mentioned before, I’m a big Soulection fan. Joe Kay is one of the people I look up to and I try to follow his approach on life - just be happy for what you have, be the best version of yourself, work hard, believe in yourself and in what you do, and everything will come into place.

What was the last song that you got obsessed with? Something you played on repeat?

Currently I have Princess Nokia’s “For The Night” stuck in my head and on repeat. I think she is pretty underrated as an artist. She deserves more credit for what she does. If Cardi B and Princess Nokia get into a freestyle battle, I think that Nokia will win.

Who are your favorite artists in the Bulgarian scene?

I have a lot of respect for anyone who makes quality music - friend or not. NDOE’s latest album is amazing. I like what the guys at Sofia Beats are doing and I am always trying to keep up with newer and younger artists.

Special shout outs to the Best Kept Secret crew, my homies CRITERIA, ST3KUL, Tekniq, Eskud and SAVA, the Dope Zoo crew and of course - the Boujee Gang girls. I think that these are the people that are defining the hip-hop/trap scene in Bulgaria right now.

Favourite party you ever played at and why?

I enjoy playing everywhere, but the most memorable one would be last year at the No Sense club in Plovdiv. People were stage diving and jumping on the tables. It was crazy and hella lit! I would love to do a heavier trap/dubstep set at some festival. Shout out to all the promoters reading this interview!

Thanks for the mix and the interview! Any famous last words?

Thank you, guys again, for the opportunity to show and tell more about myself, what I do and to shed some light on what we are trying to accomplish here in Bulgaria. I hope everyone will enjoy the mix. For more of that, you can follow me on social media. One love!