Biography
In April 1997, at the dawn of Bulgarian club life, Dimitar Ekimov – Dimi founds SLANG with members Antonii Georgiev – Tonto (Ahat) on the keyboard, Dimitar Karnev (D2, Es) on the guitar, Yavor Alexandrov – Yasho (D2, Herman’s Wolf Band) on the drums and Ivan Nestorov (Atlas, Herman’s Wolf Band) on the bass guitar. The band is quickly established as one of the leading names on the club stage.
In the spring of 1998 Yurii Bozhinov joins SLANG on the bass guitar. At the end of that year, the song “Blue” is written, and Borislav Petrov joins the band on the drums.
At the beginning of 1999, Dimi invites Peter Glavanov (Ognen Zvuk, Naked, Rag Dolls, Gentle Groove) to play the guitar. At the end of the spring the band records the songs “Without Love” ("Кой") and “Within Me Within You” ("Зъл дух") at studio “Graffitti”, songs that are at the time not even mixed and mastered, but are still played on multiple radio stations. A short time after, Tonto is replaced by Kalin Petrov (Latino Partizani) on the keyboards. Kiril Makedonski plays the saxophone and trumpet with the band from September 1999 to the spring of 2001.
In the spring of 2000, the Bulgarian National Television films a one hour movie for SLANG. At that time SLANG meets the American Mathew Cherniawski, who decides to finance an English language album by the band, and at the beginning of the summer the musicians start recording at “Studio 33”. At the beginning of September the second single “Empty Heart” ("Мой свят") is finished, and so is its video. The song stays at and near the top of the national radio-TV Top 50 chart “Forte” for more than a year. Part of the filming for the video of “Without Love” ("Кой") is done shortly before this, and the song comes out as a fourth single in the summer of 2001.
The first SLANG album – “BLUE” ("СИНЬО") comes out to the Bulgarian music market on December 12, 2000, produced by SLANG and published by "Avenew Productions". In it are thirteen original songs, including the English version of the song "СИНЬО" the album is named after -"BLUE".
The bass player Georgi Tsvetkov joins the band at the beginning of October, participating in the video of “Flash of Light” ("Любовта няма край"). The video itself is released in March 2001 as the third single from the album.
Since January 2001, SLANG’s drummer is Dimitar Simeonov, and the shooting of the video of “Without Love” ("Кой") is completed with his participation. In the middle of July the band finishes filming the scandalous video “Bad Reputation” ("Луда Глава") based on an idea by Joro Markov and produced by the Bulgarian National Television. With the participation of Nadia Boteva, in the spring and fall of the same year the band makes new arrangements of the eternal songs “My Song, My Love” ("Песен моя, обич моя") and “Homeless Clouds” ("Облаци бездомни") by Yosif Tsankov, commissioned by the foundation with the same name. On September 8, within the cultural festival "Apollonia 2001," SLANG delivers a great show with the special participation of Vassil Naydenov, Nadia Boteva, Borko Chuchkov, Maria Ilieva and Mariana Popova.
In November 2001, SLANG starts working with Vassil Naydenov on a joint music project for club gigs and big concerts, which turns out to be a great success. As a part of this project, the band makes some inventive covers of Vasil Naydenov’s repertoire – “Phone Love” ("Телефонна любов"), “Race” ("Рали"), “Adaptation” ("Адаптация"), “Rains” ("Вали"), “Like The Sun in a Mirror” ("Като слънце в огледало"), “Almost Forgotten Love”("Почти забравена любов") and others. At the end of the year, SLANG record the Christmas song “One Heart” ("Едно сърце") with music by Dimi and lyrics by his wife Iva.
In the middle of February 2002, the band finishes shooting the video for “I Can Feel You” ("След хиляди години сън"). In the spring, "Avenew Productions" produces a promo film for SLANG. Since the beginning of March, the band’s drummer is Dimitar Mitev – Dundee (Atlas), who records most of the percussion in “BLUE” ("СИНЬО"). Invited by the Bulgarian community in Limasol, Cyprus, on May 19, 2002, SLANG and Vassil Naydenov perform a remarkable show for the day of the Bulgarian education and culture, May 24.
Since the beginning of February 2003, Mladen Nestorov – Ducky (Analgin, KGB, Strangers) is the band’s bassist. In the summer, SLANG participates in a big “Anti-drugs” national tour organized by Joker Media. Since the beginning of 2003, the band starts working on a second album with the working title “SLANG 2 – EVERY DAY”, again with the energetic cooperation of Mathew Cherniawski. The first single from the album, the ballad “Stay” ("Остани") and its accompanying video, which is part of a trilogy, is made featuring the amazing Teddy Velinova and is rotated on all Bulgarian TV channels and radio stations at the end of December 2003.
The second single from the album, “That Is Why” ("Затова"), airs June 2004. In 2004, SLANG stop their media gigs to concentrate exclusively on recording “EVERY DAY”, the band’s second album. Still, at the end of June SLANG accept the invitation to make new acoustic arrangements of 30 of the songs of Bon-Bon vocal group, which they perform with them on their anniversary concert, filmed and aired on bTV. The studio work on “EVERY DAY” is finished in July, and by the time it airs, the second video from the trilogy, called “No Matter What, No Matter Why” ("Хищник"), has been filmed. The song is, in fact, the first chapter from the trilogy from a chronological standpoint and is the third single in the album. Playing the predator is once again Teddy.
SLANG’s second album “EVERY DAY” is produced by the band and comes out on the music market on 22.11.2004. It contains twelve compositions in the band’s signature diverse and unique style, brought together in the sound environment of real life… The album also has Bulgarian and an English versions.
Dimi and SLANG’s last concert together is on 06.05.2006 at Lovech Rock Fest. At that time Pepi Glavanov is abroad, and the guitarist is Ivan Lechev.
On June 29, 2008, Dimi dies in a motorbike accident on highway “Hemus”.
On 05.03.2010 the band organizes a concert called “SLANG and Friends” as a tribute to Dimi’s memory. On stage in the packed “Sofia Live Club” are the most popular names of Bulgarian pop and rock music: Nasko from BTR, Yavor from Gravity Co, Amalia, Maria Ilieva, Mariana Popova, Grafa, Dicho, Dimo from P.I.F., Orlin Pavlov, Dessy Tileva, Nadia Boteva, Vicky from Mastilo. The concert ends with the song “Empty Heart” ("Мой свят"), and Dimi’s daughter Dara is one of the singers.
In the summer of 2012 the four musicians that were SLANG band members decide to reunite. Vladimir Mihaylov is invited to be the lead singer, who is also among the performers in the tribute with the songs “Without Love” ("Кой") and the ballad “Stay” ("Остани"). Since the fall, the band has started work on new songs.
SLANG are:
Peter Glavanov /guitars/
Kalin Petrov /keyboards/
Dimitar Mitev - Dundee /drums/
Mladen Nestorov - Ducky /bass guitar/
Vladimir Mihaylov /vocals/
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