photo © boryana pandova
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Viktor Benev toured extensively in europe on festivals and clubs with various chamber ensembles (youth percussion pool) and bands (oft robin, crystal sound project, viktor benev quartet, zone c, marinheiros do brasil, de fuego orchestra), for most of which he wrote original repertoire.
since 2017, benev works in the field of improvised music, accompanying contemporary and modern jazz dance classes in a number of parisian conservatories and private dance studios. he worked with choreographers and educators peter goss, manuèle robert, christine gerard, marion ballester, yorick grand, marcel gbeffa, jean alavi, patricia karagozian, isabelle pipard, magali verin, as well as others.
Benev's passion for music became evident during his childhood. Starting with professional classical music studies in percussion and piano at the age of six, he quickly gained recognition at numerous international competitions and did multiple european tours with orchestras and chamber music ensembles.
In search of a natural medium for artistic expression, at the age of 17, Benev approached jazz, composition and improvisation through an autodidactic learning method, which gained him admission and later on, a Masters degree in the renowned Paris National Conservatory of Music and dance.
As a keen aficionado of electronic/electroacoustic music, he started an exploratory journey in sound architecture and musique concrète, which led him to the foundation of his own label enovae records and the production of albums.
since 2017, benev works in the field of improvised music, accompanying contemporary and modern jazz dance classes in a number of parisian conservatories and private dance studios. he worked with choreographers and educators peter goss, manuèle robert, christine gerard, marion ballester, yorick grand, marcel gbeffa, jean alavi, patricia karagozian, isabelle pipard, magali verin, as well as others.
Benev's passion for music became evident during his childhood. Starting with professional classical music studies in percussion and piano at the age of six, he quickly gained recognition at numerous international competitions and did multiple european tours with orchestras and chamber music ensembles.
In search of a natural medium for artistic expression, at the age of 17, Benev approached jazz, composition and improvisation through an autodidactic learning method, which gained him admission and later on, a Masters degree in the renowned Paris National Conservatory of Music and dance.
As a keen aficionado of electronic/electroacoustic music, he started an exploratory journey in sound architecture and musique concrète, which led him to the foundation of his own label enovae records and the production of albums.
From 2018 onwards, he began experimenting with recording, sampling, and mixing, dedicating his time to the search for emotional, state-based music, rather than one established on structural mathematical principles. He developed this research by writing his own manifesto on music creation in 2020, through which he seeks to generate eclectic soundscapes by integrating a process of improvisation, trial and error, often drawn from solitary work in his studio.
He currently has four solo albums to his credit, including aeon (2020), architextures (2022), five dreams (2024), and his latest, cross origin affair (2025), which blends influences from traditional Eastern and Bulgarian music, atmospheric electronica, trip-hop, house culture, drum and bass heritage, dancefloor music, and ambient, all carefully selected into 13 tracks. The diversity of each album clearly demonstrates the artist's insatiable curiosity for music in general, defying genre classification.
benev enriched the Bulgarian national radio and the union of bulgarian composers' recording archives through several sessions and produced multiple singles and albums for Crystal Sound Project under enovae records, which earned the latter nominations at the Independent Music Awards (2020) and the Paris Lift-Off Film Festival (2024).
As a composer, his artistic output extends to creating/writing music for: dance companies and classes, visual art installations, chamber music ensembles and big bands.
He currently has four solo albums to his credit, including aeon (2020), architextures (2022), five dreams (2024), and his latest, cross origin affair (2025), which blends influences from traditional Eastern and Bulgarian music, atmospheric electronica, trip-hop, house culture, drum and bass heritage, dancefloor music, and ambient, all carefully selected into 13 tracks. The diversity of each album clearly demonstrates the artist's insatiable curiosity for music in general, defying genre classification.
benev enriched the Bulgarian national radio and the union of bulgarian composers' recording archives through several sessions and produced multiple singles and albums for Crystal Sound Project under enovae records, which earned the latter nominations at the Independent Music Awards (2020) and the Paris Lift-Off Film Festival (2024).
As a composer, his artistic output extends to creating/writing music for: dance companies and classes, visual art installations, chamber music ensembles and big bands.
VIDEOS
PRESS
"wonderful performance."
andrew baker from the american embassy in bulgaria on viktor benev's concert at haskovo jazz festival
“oft robin, a trio coming from bulgaria wins over an audience of jazz fusion afficionados that ends up wanting more. there are few moments of lull. the three bulgarians, unprone to stillness, raise the temperature in the concert hall.”
anne yven publicist at citizen jazz on oft robin's performance at trondheim jazz festival
"The band was very well-coordinated and all three were excellent jazz musicians with great solos. I must however highlight Viktor Benev and his incredibly great playing which was innovative and exciting both rhythmically and tonally.
Kåre Kolve on oft robin's performance at trondheim jazz festival
andrew baker from the american embassy in bulgaria on viktor benev's concert at haskovo jazz festival
“oft robin, a trio coming from bulgaria wins over an audience of jazz fusion afficionados that ends up wanting more. there are few moments of lull. the three bulgarians, unprone to stillness, raise the temperature in the concert hall.”
anne yven publicist at citizen jazz on oft robin's performance at trondheim jazz festival
"The band was very well-coordinated and all three were excellent jazz musicians with great solos. I must however highlight Viktor Benev and his incredibly great playing which was innovative and exciting both rhythmically and tonally.
Kåre Kolve on oft robin's performance at trondheim jazz festival
"benev's sound constructions are always clever, but here his melodic gifts are clearly evident."
"strikingly beautiful."
dino dimuro publicist at pitch perfect on the album architextures
“intense and classy journey.”
parkett channel review of the track aera / architextures
“breathtaking journey where fantasy and reality blur.”
"majestic tapestry of sound."
last day deaf review of the track in the city of broken angels / five dreams
"unique journey and one that benev pulled with aplomb."
dino dimuro publicist at pitch perfect on the album aeon
"strikingly beautiful."
dino dimuro publicist at pitch perfect on the album architextures
“intense and classy journey.”
parkett channel review of the track aera / architextures
“breathtaking journey where fantasy and reality blur.”
"majestic tapestry of sound."
last day deaf review of the track in the city of broken angels / five dreams
"unique journey and one that benev pulled with aplomb."
dino dimuro publicist at pitch perfect on the album aeon
DISCOGRAPHY
eno.008 | digital
eno.007 | digital
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eno.002 | digital
