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On 16 October, the Rave track at SoAlive brings a full day focused on the electronic scene - where it is today, what's changing, what's not working, and where we go from here.We’ll present the results of the Bulgarian Electronic Music Audience Survey 2026 for the first time - with more than 1,000 responses. We’ll look at who is going out, what audiences are looking for, how things have changed, and what this tells us about the future of electronic music in Bulgaria.
We’ll also bring together promoters, club owners, artists and scene-builders to talk honestly about the realities behind the dancefloor - building communities, keeping venues alive, changing audiences, money, programming and playing the long game.
Joining us are people behind some of the region’s most important clubs and festivals, including Reworks Festival, Bassiani, Jaeger, Drugstore and more.
And because a scene is not built through panels alone, we’re taking the conversation into the night. Our friends at Club Mesmeric will host a cultural program with screenings, showcases and an Afterparty!
What’s happening:
14:30 - 15:10 - Keynote + Discussion: Bulgarian Electronic Scene Survey Results
The second edition of the Bulgarian Electronic Scene Survey is in, with over 1,000 respondents from across the country's club and festival audience. Victoria Tsacheva and Alexander Vladimirov will walk you through the numbers - who's raving, what they're looking for, and how the scene has shifted since the first edition. Then they'll discuss the findings together with two people who live the statistics through their work.
- Victoria Tsacheva, Electrick.me
- Alexander Vladimirov, Fonoteka Elektrika
- Yosif Lazrak, That Divine / Monkey Project
- Mario Milev, Low Key Collective
15:15 - 16:00 - Panel: The New Generation of Ravers
Who are the new ravers, what are they looking for, and why isn't it just about the music anymore? We’re gathering people with their fingers on the pulse of Sofia's youngest scene to find out.
- Veselin Koev, Off Beat Radio
- Daniele Modern, Duna / Balkan Station
- Gorazd Popov, Zabranena Muzika
- Moderator: Stephan Panev, Music Producer / KOMPONENTI
16:05 - 16:45 - Panel: Underground clubs: Challenges and Future
Lessons learned on how to run a club - from booking to budgets - and how to build not just a space, but a community around it.
- Branislav Jovančević, program manager, Drugstore, Belgrade
- Ivaylo Kolev, Jaeger, Oslo
- Vladi Vankov, Club Dom, Sofia
- Moderator: Alexander Vladimirov, Fonoteka Elektrika
16:45 - 17:00 - Coffee break
17:00 - 17:45 - Keynote + Fireside chat: Dance or Die: Giorgi Kikonishvili, Bassiani
For two decades, Giorgi Kikonishvili has worked at the intersection of queer activism and club culture in Georgia, co-founding Horoom Nights at Tbilisi's Bassiani — a club that's been raided, shut down, and gone on strike for its country's democracy, and kept dancing anyway. A personal keynote followed by a fireside conversation on what a dancefloor can mean when it's more than a night out.
- Moderator: Victoria Tsacheva
17:50 - 18:30 - Panel: The Long Game: Twenty Years In
Three scene-builders who've each spent decades running Reworks, Metropolis, and HMSU sit down to talk about what actually kept them going. Expect fewer statistics and more of the moments that almost made them walk away.
- Anastasius Diolatzis, Reworks festival
- Martin Popov, HMSU
- Ziggy, Metropolis
- Moderator: Marta Daneva (Laylla Dane) / Electronic Music Curator
18:30 - 19:30 - Networking
Stage Mesmeric:
18:00 - 20:00 – Bulgarian Rave Archive /video exhibition/
20:00 - 21:00 – Screening: Comics Club The Film
21:15 - 22:00 – Showcase: Monikah
22:00 - 23:00 – Showcase: TBA
00:00 - 06:00 – Afterparty
Tickets for RAVE TRACK available here: https://soalivemusicconference.com/tickets/
Your RAVE TRACK ticket gives you access for the whole day, including the main SoAlive Music Conference programme on Friday
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Event venue
Перото, Перото, Площад България, 1463 София, България, Sofia, Bulgaria
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.