Kosta Kostov is not a nickname! Born in the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, Kostov grew up in the unique Balkan way of celebrating. Moving to Germany didn't stop his passionate search for the best rhythms and melodies from the Balkans. Today working as a music journalist and dj, Kosta Kostov is the mastermind and resident "machinista" of the balkanXpress, the turbulent party in Cologne’s club Gebäude 9.
In April 2004, the balkanXpress started in Cologne’s club scene first as a regular party, to introduce and represent the many-facetted music of Southeastern Europe. It quickly became a reference for people who love spontaneous and passionate celebration. The balkanXpress takes you on a dance journey through the valleys and hills of the Balkan beats and breaks, always with view out to new horizons... The rhythms of typical music and dance-styles like horo, račenitza, čoček, rembetiko or klezmer are quite similar to the beats of drum ’n’ bass and breakbeat and offer a great space for fusions. The Balkan music also share a common ground with musical phenomena like the sounds from the Orient & Maghreb, the hispano-brazilian flavas or the Bhangra beats. The trip with balkanXpress will take you beyond the Balkans, to the music related neighbours that have more similarities with Southeast European music than expected.