Kontrol
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Bulgaria |
| Products | Punk rock music albums |
Kontrol (Bulgarian: Контрол) is a punk rock group from Bulgaria that originated in 1988. They achieved significant recognition in the early 1990s with their albums Bumm (1991) and Lele kako (1993). The departure of frontman Nikolai Yordanov in 1997 led to a decline in their popularity, culminating in the band's dissolution in 2000. They briefly reunited for a Bulgarian tour in 2009 and officially reformed in 2014 with Ivan Gatev stepping in as the new lead vocalist.
History
Kontrol is recognized as one of Bulgaria's pioneering punk bands. Their first recordings, "Tryabva vsichko da priemam" and "Nai-vazhnoto," were featured in the 1988 movie Pred praga. That same year, they independently released an eight-track demo titled Stariyat dub.
In 1989, after signing with Balkanton, they launched a split LP alongside Nova Generacia, which included six songs taken from Stariyat dub. That year also saw their participation at the Svyat - chudni hora festival held in Michurin, with their track "Ima" appearing on the official 1990 compilation.
During 1990, Kontrol recorded fifteen songs at BNR Studio II. Following the political changes after communism's collapse, fourteen of these tracks were issued on the cassette BUMM in 1991.
Their sophomore album, Lele kako, was recorded in 1992 and released in 1993. Concurrently, the compilation 88-92 was issued, featuring early material alongside selected tracks from both BUMM and Lele kako. Additionally, a re-release of BUMM with extra songs was made available that year.
The band’s third studio effort, LyubOFF, was released in 1994, followed by a live album titled Punku nema'a umre in 1996.
After Yordanov's exit in 1998 and the arrival of Petar Stanoev as his replacement, Kontrol produced their fourth studio album, Pazete si decata (Save Your Children), released in 1999 before disbanding the following year.
In 2004, a compilation called Te t'va e, containing tracks from the Yordanov period, was released. The band also recorded the song "Urok po tanci" in 2001.
Kontrol reunited for a Bulgarian tour in 2009 alongside Revyu and Hipodil. The group officially reassembled in 2014 with Ivan Gatev taking over lead vocals and subsequently released the album 9 in April 2017.
Discography
- Stariyat dub (1988, self-published)
- BG Rock I (1989, Balkanton)
- BUMM (1991, Mega International Records)
- The Punk Years 1988-1991 (1992, Killed by the Perestroika; bootleg including Stariat dub, Kontrol tracks from BG Rock I, and live recordings)
- Lele kako (1993, Unison)
- 88–92 (1993, Unison)
- Lyuboff (1994, Marlboro)
- Punku nema'a umre! (1996, Radius)
- Pazete si decata (Пазете си децата / Save Your Children) (1999, Polysound)
- Te t'va e! (2004, Stars Records)
- 9 (2017)
- Chervenata Kniga (Червената книга / The Red Book) (2021)
External links
- Kontrol at Bulgarian Rock Archives (in Bulgarian)