site.btaBTA, The Foundation Present LIK Magazine Issue Dedicated to 10th Anniversary of Supergroup's Founding

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and The Foundation presented Tuesday a thematic issue of LIK magazine dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the founding of the supergroup. The event was part of the Price of Success meetings within the programme of the Apollonia Arts Festival in Sozopol.

BTA General Director Kiril Valchev was moderator of the meeting, while BTA’s LIK Department Head Georgi Lozanov and the musicians from the supergroup (Venko Poromanski, Ivan Lechev, Kiril Marichkov, Dobrin Vekilov, better known as Doni, Slavcho Nikolov) took part in the discussion.

"The issue about The Foundation is yet another one made on a different model of the LIK magazine from before, from the 70s and 80s, because it no longer makes sense to make a sort of a cultural digest, as this work is done successfully by the Internet," Valchev pointed out. "We opened the archives of the BTA. On various topics we are looking for what the BTA has written, respectively - what it has captured in the photo archive, and we are publishing issues as a historical image," he added. The Director General also pointed out that 10 years are enough to build such a historical image of The Foundation as well.

"LIK issues tell important stories. One of the new stories is that of The Foundation,” emphasized Lozanov. He added that the supergroup is only "the tip of the iceberg", as each of its members has a great background. "Each of them is an individual entity – both in music and in Bulgarian culture," said Lozanov.

Asked by the BTA Director General when the supergroup was formed, Marichkov replied that it happened in March 2013. After long rehearsals, their first concert followed, which took place in the club of the Bulgarian Army Theatre. "It went very successfully, we gained self-confidence that we have really done something properly," said the musician. "There were a lot of journalists, one of them said, 'You are destined for success,'" Marichkov added. Journalist and former BTA Director General Panayot Denev recognized himself in these words. He was among the guests in the audience at the premiere of LIK magazine in Sozopol.

The musicians said that the idea for the supergroup was based on a musical project in which some of them performed an acoustic versions of Beatles songs.

Poromanski commented that it took about 50 rehearsals so this fusion of quite bright personalities who have a lot to say in music can happen. "Not to learn the repertoire, but to make it sound our way so that everyone could find their optimal place in the overall picture. That was the hardest and most important thing we were able to accomplish in our first few months of communication," he said.

Valchev raised the issue of the idea behind the band, which was commented this summer in Varna - that they are not just a band, but a foundation whose goal is to preserve the best of Bulgarian music through different faces, that they will seek to renew the band itself to be eternal. "That's Doni’s idea, it's no coincidence that the name is 'The Foundation' - it corresponds with the name of Isaac Asimov's The Foundation," said Kiril Marichkov. He recalled that Asimov's five volumes are related to the theme of how to preserve the memory of humanity.

The Foundation members also talked about their long-standing relationship with the Apollonia festival, which they visit almost every year.

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev recalled that several music issues have already been published since the re-launch of LIK magazine last March.