With his truly unique style, ranging from raw techno beats to the darker side of tech house, Bulgarian-based Metodi Hristov was able to win the fans of electronic music for a short period of time. His productions gain support by various world known artists for some years that include Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox, Adam Beyer, Ida Engberg, Marco Carola, Monika Kruse, Joris Voorn, GusGus and others.

 With the establishment of his own imprint, Set About Music, in 2016, a new home for his huge library of quality tracks was found. As well as being a highly respected producer he has already earned a reputation for being a formidable DJ having played all over the world and with some particularly notable sets. Metodi‘s rise over the last year has been nothing short of phenomenal!

We had an interesting conversation with Metodi Hristov to talk about 2019 expectations, Set About showcases and latest release ‘Contact’ EP.

Electronic Groove: Hi Metodi. Thank you very much for taking the time to chat with us. Where in the world are you right now?

Metodi Hristov: Hello and thanks for having me! At the moment I’m in my hometown Sofia, Bulgaria, in my studio.

EG: You’ve had a busy start to the year with a release on Octopus Recordings and now your new EP ‘Contact’ on Set About. Can you tell us a bit more about these records?

Metodi Hristov: Yes, actually I intend to keep it busy till the end of the year. After these 2 releases, I have an EP for Filth On Acid to be out March 8th, then Set About again and after that an EP for Octopus and more... I love to make music and if I don’t have my own fresh material I feel incomplete. Actually, my track ‘Synthetic’ that was just released by Octopus Recordings was a part of my upcoming ‘Octopus’ EP, but Sian asked me for a track to be included on a VA mixed by Drunken Kong.  I made it around 7 months ago, but you know how it is… it takes time to send demos, wait for them to be approved and then wait for the label to schedule the release date… and when the release date comes you don’t want to hear this track anymore, because you overplayed it already.

‘Contact’ is the second Set About EP to be out in 2019 and includes 2 tracks – ‘Contact’ and ‘No Human Interaction’ which is a collaboration with DJ Lion. I named the EP ‘Contact’ because it’s been a while since I and DJ Lion made any collaborations and finally we have released one.

EG: How did that come about? Do you guys go back a long way?

Metodi Hristov: We have known each other a while now. He is half Serbian-half Bulgarian and he was very popular in my country back in the days. We’ve been talking about eventual collaboration several times in the past, and that was the perfect moment to start one. The day after my gig we woke up earlier to have enough time before my flight. In a couple of hours, we made the beat of ‘No Human Interaction’ and when I went back home I finished it in a few more hours with some directions from him. We were both so happy, we decided to release it for Set About. In the next 3 weeks, I made ‘Contact’ and I played it for the first time in front of 2000 people in Nis, Serbia. The crowd’s reaction was awesome, I love the feeling when I play my new track for the first time and see the people screaming and dancing with it, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.

EG: Let’s talk a bit more about your label Set About, which you set up in 2016 with your girlfriend Gallya. What have been some of the label’s biggest highlights over the past 3 years?

Metodi Hristov: Yes, Set About is our baby elephant and we love it like a child :D. It was a really good start back in 2016. So many good things happened since then. The brightest highlight ever since was definitely our showcase in Sofia on December 21st, 2018. I and Gallya were the promoters and it was a very different and constructive experience. We planned the event for the whole year and the last 2 months before the party were very intense. I’ve never felt so nervous and scared, but we did it! 2000 people came to our party and it was awesome! The other big thing was my collaboration with GusGus released by the label. I have been a big fan of those guys before I was a DJ and to make a collaboration with these legends, releasing it on our output was like a dream come true!

EG: That was the biggest event you guys have done so far?

Metodi Hristov: Yes, that was the biggest one. We have had several showcases back in Bulgaria and abroad. The difference this time was that we did it all by ourselves and were able to make it exactly how we wanted and I think it was beautiful!

“I love the feeling when I play my new track for the first time and see the people screaming and dancing with it”

EG: You’ve just signed to Analog Agency, will we see you touring more this year?

Metodi Hristov: Yes, for sure. I’m very happy because I’ve never been in agency up until now and it’s a very interesting and exciting moment of my career. Also, it’s a privilege to be in the same roster of some of the best DJs in the world.

EG: Can you tell us a bit more about the techno scene in Bulgaria?

Metodi Hristov: It’s very good. There are a lot of parties at venues that you can rent, like abandoned factories and sports halls. I like it because it’s more interesting and exciting than going to the same venue every weeked. Although, the clubbing scene is dying out a bit recently.

EG: What do you like to do when you’re not immersed in the world of music?

Metodi Hristov: I love sports like tennis, table tennis, football, kickboxing and now I just started wrestling. It’s a lot of fun and I didn’t think I’d like it so much. I also love to hike and of course to play on my PlayStation 🙂

EG: Finally, what’s in store for Metodi in 2019?

Metodi Hristov: I hope I can finally get my US visa this year… A lot of new music including interesting collaborations for labels like Set About, Filth On Acid, Octopus Recordings and Terminal M. Some touring to Australia and South America, and of course a bunch of Set About showcases around the world!

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