Gallya’s Road to Success [Interview]

Gracing the techno scene in recent years is Bulgarian DJ/Producer Gallya. From launching her own Record Label in 2015, to a breakout nomination in 2016, and to touring internationally today, Gallya continues to break through boundaries and exceed her fan’s expectations in music and live performances.

Although only a few years old, Gallya’s label Set About has been boosted as one of the most respected labels in techno, releasing artists like GusGus, Hatzler, Teenage Mutants, Maksim Dark, and DJ Lion. A win-win situation, Gallya now has the ability to use Set About to release her own music as well as share the platform with artists she is passionate about from all across the globe.

Gallya’s driving sound became largely more noticed after her 2016 nomination for Beatport’s Top Tech House Artist. The road ahead was then limitless for Gallya to cement her name as a producer who cranks out mind-bending and dynamic music. 2017 held her Machines EP, which quickly broke the Beatport Techno Top 100, peaking at #16, and clung tight to that spot for an entire month.

Moving to today, the Bulgarian artist scored a signing with Deadmau5 for numerous 2018 records. Dropping not one but two tracks on Deadmau5’s Mau5ville: Level 2 Compilation, the year has been a massive success and eludes yet again to the promising nature of innovative sound that Gallya possesses. Both “Sunlight” and Galya’s remix of “GG” took her to the next level, and also helped pave the way for her newest EP Sanity Can’t Wait via Gallya’s very own Set About imprint.

With 2018 coming to a close, we had the chance to chat with Gallya about this year’s highlights, her highly anticipated New Year’s Eve Set About Showcase in Bulgaria, and a whole lot more – read on below!

The Nocturnal Times: Weʼve finally arrived at the last month of 2018! How has your year been? What were your biggest highlights?

Gallya: This year was super exciting! I found my right hand and soul mate in my music journey, my manager Abi Getto. Itʼs great to have someone by your side, helping to move everything forward. Also I had a super special release last month on Mau5trap, I did a remix of Deadmau5 for his album and I couldn’t be prouder or happier with it.

The Nocturnal Times: Congratulations on your new EP that dropped today! What can you share with us about the inspiration behind Sanity Canʼt Wait?

Gallya: Thanks! I made the two tracks from my EP at almost the same time. I just wanted to create something different and go harder than I usually do. I just felt like this sound would really work for me and it did! I’m super happy with how both tracks turned out.

The Nocturnal Times: The two songs, “Sanity Canʼt Wait” and “Unplug” both hold pretty fast pace and energetic sounds, how did the production for each track begin?

Gallya: Yes! I love dynamic techno and I always try to improve my tracks to be more interesting. When I produce, I always think about how it will sound in a big venue and whether it has the groove I need to feel. I think about what I want to hear as a fan; that’s the best way to look at your stuff in different way.

The Nocturnal Times: Youʼve now released a massive array of EPs, each with unique vibes and evolutions of your own sound. Are there any plans in the works for you to produce an album?

Gallya: I see an album as a really special moment in my career. If I release an album the music will be very different from what I normally make – I’m actually already working on some strange projects but don’t have a deadline to finish or release them. Eventually I’ll find a moment in my career to release them as an album, but I’m not in a rush.

The Nocturnal Times: Youʼre closing out the year with the Set About Showcase in your home country of Bulgaria – what can those in attendance expect from your performance?

Gallya: I’m so excited for this event! Itʼs not the first time we’ve done a showcase in Bulgaria but this is the first time the whole concept is ours, stage, sound, decoration, everything is specifically chosen by us. For example we have two huge elephants which will be projection mapped, and the sound will be Adamson E15 – this is the first time our friends at Stagemasters are bringing this system to Bulgaria. Be-At TV will be streaming all night so if you are not around you will be able to join us online. 🙂

The Nocturnal Times: There are a handful of other artists lined up for the Set About Showcase, how did all the artists come together for this one?

Gallya: We chose to invite Matt Sassari because he is very popular here – his style is similar to ours and he is one of our best-selling artist in the label. Maksim Dark we like a lot and he has never been here so we thought it’d be great to have him here and interesting for people to hear someone new. Peppou is a Set About artist who is very popular in Bulgaria right now. We appreciate not only his production skills, but also the amazing job he did at our last showcases in Bulgaria. We’re happy to have him as part of the national support once again, along with DJ Steven, Bulgariaʼs techno bedrock. What Steven has done for Bulgariaʼs electronic music scene over the past 20 years is incredible. As part of the legendary Metropolis event series, he has played with all the biggest names in techno like Sven Vath, Carl Cox and many more. We are very proud to have such an experienced act on our label showcase! And of course Metodi Hristov, my label partner – we both always play on the Set About showcases. Sometimes we play b2b and maybe we’ll do it at this showcase because we love to play together…. When we choose the artists for our showcases we always think about the variety of artists and how they’ll work together, so people are able to experience the best show ever. Kind of like when you arrange a track, you need to make sure all the parts fit seamlessly for the entire experience – but for this, it’s a 9-hour experience, haha.

The Nocturnal Times: What sort of shows will be following Set About? Tell us about your tour plans for 2019?

Gallya: We are planning a lot of stuff, very interesting releases and parties, but for now we’re keeping it a secret. We’ll reveal more soon!