Tangra Mega Rock Radio is planning a concert by the bands D2 and Odd Crew on Saturday, 30 July. What makes the concert so unusual is its location – Musala peak. The cause that brought musicians and scientists together is how to dispose of the construction waste amassed on the highest peak in the Balkans.

Musala rises to a height of 2,925.403 meters, as it was measured in 1932. According to different sources the name means “close to God”, “road to God” or “place of prayer.

“I must say there are two sides to this campaign we have been putting our efforts into for six months. One is obviously the concert by the Odd Crew and D2 at the very top of Musala peak which will probably turn out to be the highest altitude rock concert ever held in Europe. It must be noted that before this peak was called Musala it had an older name, Tangra, the supreme proto-Bulgarian deity and Tangra is the name of our radio station. The idea came from our friends at the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences who have a research facility on Musala. Again on Musala there is a construction waste dump that has been accumulating for years – bricks, tiles and all kinds of other building leftovers. They may not seem to be much of an environmental hazard but they definitely do not belong there. The idea is to transport the waste to the landfill in Borovets which will do the peak and the surrounding area a world of good. There have been a great many people climbing Musala in recent years. Over the weekend, when the weather is clement, there are no less than 300 people conquering it. It is our aim to bring in as many people as possible to help clean up the area. We will give them gloves and plastic bags, we have people to coordinate the work. To collect the rubbish we shall be relying on volunteers, transporting it afterwards will be our concern. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences facility is very high-tech, with some of the brightest minds in the country working there but also people who take care of the environment up in the mountain.”

“The people working at our radio station, withmyselfastheexception, are mostly musicians,” says Vassil Varbanov further. “Some of them play with famous bands like D2, Odd Crew, Babyface Clan, Last Hope. For different reasons the last two of these bands will not be able to take part. The concert will be about one hour long. Curiously, once we have cleaned it up, the Southwestern part of Musala actually forms a comfortable amphitheatre where the audience can take their places. Our friends, the physicists will help us with the sound so it can reach the audience without dispersing. That is also being done so as not to disturb the wildlife inhabiting the mountain.”

It should be remembered there is no cabin or chalet on the peak itself and the closest shelter is no less than an hour’s walk away. The cabin lift from the resort of Borovets will operate until 8 PM on July 30. Vassil Varbanov added that as far as he knows there are no vacancies at the shelter or the cabins in the vicinity of the highest cabin lift station. One more important piece of information – camping out at the peak is forbidden. Tents are allowed next to Musala cabin, around Musalenski and Karakashevolakes. The organizers say the concert will be over by 4 PM, so enthusiasts will be able to reach Borovets; it takes around three hours to arrive from the peak at the lowest point reached by the lift.

The audio features:

-  Mirage, performed by D2, feat. Milenita;

-  Shapes in Grey, Acoustic, performed by Odd Crew;

-  Six, performed by D2.

English version: Milena Daynova