Gergana Rayzhekova
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
E-mail: grayzhekova@yahoo.com
Abstract: The current Bulgarian alternative music scene is divided internally and externally by various factors. After 1989, Bulgarian alternative bands intentionally moved astray from pro-Russian affiliation and Bulgarian musical idioms and quickly adopted the English language as a basic composing language. This situation was enhanced by the super image of Western bands and their unreachable international success and geographical distance. This created a kind of aura around foreign musicians and their music, a status of non-approachability where they are never to be criticized, their melodies never to be altered. This attitude is based on many psychological factors and led to the current state where the alternative scene in Bulgaria has morphed into a schizophrenic place which praises any foreign material while severely scrutinizing any Bulgarian songs and artists. The abyss created in this way lures bands into playing covers also due to the gradual and persistent club domination over the years and clubs’ lack of responsibility towards forming a stable club audience and club community. All of these factors led to the alternative music’s decline in Bulgaria and the identity emigration of the Bulgarian alternative music scene.
Keywords: alternative music, club suggestion, identity emigration, musical–spatial transposition, symbiotic and parasitic hybridization, bio-musical autosuggestion
Rhetoric and Communications E-journal, Issue 33, March 2018, rhetoric.bg/, journal.rhetoric.bg, ISSN 1314-4464