Ivan Shopov is an artist with many faces, he’s а painter, musician, producer, composer, aesthete and an innovator.

Graduated an MA in print making from The National Academy of Arts in Sofia, he’s the author of numerous ink and acrylic pieces. He’s often drawing and designing artworks and posters for his own projects and for those of popular artists in the electronic scene. So far he’s done eight solo exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad.

Ivan Shopov has been involved in over 250 musical releases, among which we find both solo and collaborative albums. This has established him as one of the leading figures in the European electronic underground. His various projects span over genres like drum and bass, IDM, jazz, ambient, techno, rock and classical music. Ivan Shopov has released over 120 vinyls for some of the biggest international labels. A part of his own production and the works of artists who he believes in can be found released via his two labels Etheraudio Records and ABCD.

Ivan is working as a composer scoring contemporary dance and theatre productions. He’s contributed music and sound design to various video and short film project, interactive art installations. Since 2012 he’s written the music for 15 dance pieces by Derida Dance. In 2017 one of them is awarded the prestigious “IKAR” award. Shopov has been publishing soundpacks which are often found in the production of fellow electronic artists.

What really separates Ivan Shopov from the other artists in his field is the way he’s mixing traditional Bulgarian folklore with electronic music and jazz. This way he’s building a bridge between his country’s musical history and the current tastes of his audience. Among his most popular releases in this direction are “Kanatitsa” with Avigeya, “InFusion” with Theodosii Spassov, “Kuker” and “Orenda” with Бalkansky.

Ivan Shopov is keen on sharing his knowledge and has been a demanded lecturer and teacher. Besides regularly doing workshops and online courses, since 2016 he’s been lecturing Analog and digital sound design at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia. With 20+ years of experience he’s also regularly working as a mixing and mastering engineer.

The European stages who’ve experienced Ivan’s music are numerous. During his international tours he’s reached USA, South America, Russia, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Photo credit: Ivaylo Petrov