KiNK

Bulgarian techno producer and DJ KiNK, born Strahil Velchev, earns widespread acclaim for his electrifying, on-the-fly live sets that put him in charge of a vast array of analog synthesizers and controllers. His output blends playfulness with experimentation, moving fluidly across house, techno, and acid while drawing from jazz’s improvisational ethos and the high-octane pulse of the early rave era. International interest in his music surfaced around 2008, after which he began appearing at clubs and festivals on every continent and supplied remixes for Trentemøller, Nina Kraviz, Matthew Dear, and many more. Releases on Ovum, Rush Hour, and Running Back form the backbone of a prolific catalog that features both anthemic crowd favorites like the 2015 single “Cloud Generator” and wide-ranging, exploratory albums such as 2017’s Playground. In 2018 he established Sofia Records, through which he has continued to issue EPs, among them the high-octane 2022 collection Hyper Epic.

Raised in Sofia, Bulgaria, Velchev grew up far removed from established club circuits. Throughout his teenage years he followed dance music and rave culture from afar; by his early twenties he was producing tracks with synthesizers and software, shaping a personal aesthetic rooted in the Detroit, Chicago, and U.K. styles that had captivated him. In 2001 he co-founded the producer-and-DJ collective pBPM (Porno BPM) to organize events and issue music by local electronic artists. As KiNK he issued his first acid-tinged 12-inch singles in 2005 and recorded two projects with Berlin-based minimal techno artist Stefan Goldmann under the Vinyl alias, yet it was his initial joint work with U.K. producer Neville Watson that brought wider recognition in 2008. That year Rush Hour’s Hour House Is Your Rush imprint put out both “Inside Out” and “Full Flight,” prompting KiNK to begin performing internationally, including a 2009 appearance at Berlin’s Panorama Bar.

Thereafter he expanded his touring calendar and placed well-received singles and EPs on Undertones, Ovum Recordings, and Sharivari Records. While the Watson collaborations largely adhered to classic acid house, KiNK’s solo material often ventured further afield, as on the 2010 release Aphex KiNK, which paid tribute to one of his key influences. Further solo records and partnerships with Marc Romboy, Catz ’N Dogz, and Sierra Sam preceded his 2014 debut album Under Destruction, which showcased some of his most abstract compositions to that point.

“Cloud Generator,” among his best-known tracks, surfaced on Gerd Janson’s Running Back label in 2015. He went on to collaborate with Elektro Guzzi and Fabrice Lig and to release additional solo 12-inches via Pets Recordings, Royal Oak, and DGTL Records. Returning to Running Back in 2017, he delivered his second album, Playground, whose tracks spanned sunny filter-disco and fractured, unstable IDM. Cocoon issued Live at Cocoon Ibiza, capturing one of his celebrated performances, in 2018. The 2019 single Piano Power revisited rave-era sounds on Running Back, while Home, the first release on Sofia Records, followed several months later; both featured vocals from frequent collaborator Rachel Row. Three EPs—Nagore, Pista, and Toplo—appeared in 2020, followed by Clap on 2 in 2021 and the higher-BPM set Hyper Epic in 2022.