Surbahar to Release New Album ‘Passenger of the Galaxy’ via Mahorka

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Bulgarian electronic music project Surbahar is set to release Passenger of the Galaxy on September 20, 2026, through Sofia-based label Mahorka. The record is presented as the project’s third album and brings together electronic production, acoustic instrumentation and a group of guest musicians from across the Bulgarian scene.

Surbahar is the long-running project of musician, composer and producer Pavel Stoychev, who has been developing the alias since the early 2000s. His work has consistently moved between electronic and organic forms, drawing from ambient, chill, ethno, IDM, jazz and deeper progressive influences rather than staying within a single club-oriented genre.

Passenger of the Galaxy expands that approach through electronic beats, deep bass lines and detailed sound design combined with flute, kaval, violin, piano and vocals. The album’s concept uses space and movement through the universe as a framework, placing the listener in the role of a traveller moving through changing atmospheres, rhythms and acoustic textures.

The release includes compositions such as “Infinite Soul,” the title track “Passenger of the Galaxy,” “Complete Metamorphosis,” “Green Planet,” “We Are Unbelievable Creatures,” “Astral Floating,” “Ursa Major Rising” and the closing “Flight to Kangchenjunga.” It also revisits existing material through Surbahar remixes of Project OZ’s “Zapei mi Dobro” and Brokoli’s “Money Yay.”

A significant part of the album’s identity comes from the musicians invited into Stoychev’s electronic framework. Desislava Petrova and Nino Tiberius Gomes contribute vocals, while Zornitsa Tsvetanova of OZ Project appears on piano and Orlin Tsvetanov on violin. Dimitar Bakardzhiev contributes flute, with Roman Kurilenko and Yasen Mischuk adding kaval.

The acoustic instruments are not treated simply as decorative additions. They provide a contrasting physical presence against the synthesizers, programmed rhythms and low-frequency electronic foundation, giving parts of the record a connection to folk, classical and improvised musical traditions while retaining Surbahar’s electronic core.

Stoychev is credited with programming, synthesizers, guitar and percussion, as well as composing, arranging and recording the album. Mixing and mastering were completed by Surbahar together with Artmospheric Studios. The material was developed over an extended creative period leading up to its 2026 release.

Passenger of the Galaxy received its radio premiere on August 15 through the Bulgarian National Radio programme Kartini ot edna izlozhba on Horizont. The programme presented the album as part of its focus on concept records, highlighting the relationship between Stoychev’s electronic production and the record’s acoustic and ethnic instrumentation.

The album also continues a connection between Surbahar and Bulgaria’s independent electronic community. Stoychev has been involved in numerous Bulgarian and international projects over the years, while his work with Artmospheric has placed him within a wider network of ambient, psychedelic and alternative electronic culture.

The new release arrives through Mahorka, the Sofia-based independent label whose catalogue has long explored experimental and unconventional electronic music. Passenger of the Galaxy is also expected to reach major digital platforms through DistroKid and to be available through Bandcamp.

With Passenger of the Galaxy, Surbahar brings together material shaped over several years into a record that moves between electronic rhythm, spacious ambient passages and live instrumental performance. Its cosmic theme provides the connecting thread, but the album remains grounded in the interaction between machines, acoustic instruments and the musicians performing them.

Passenger of the Galaxy is officially released on September 20, 2026, through Mahorka.

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