DJ Steven Krachanov Dies; Metropolis Co-Founder Remembered

Death of DJ Steven (Stefan Krachanov), Bulgarian techno pioneer and Metropolis co-founder, was announced after he died on June 10 at age 64 following a brief illness. Stefan Krachanov, known by his stage name DJ Steven, began his DJ career in the late 1980s and won the first Bulgarian DMC championship in 1993. He also represented Bulgaria at the DMC World Finals in London.

He founded the Metropolis party series in 1997 and served as a resident DJ and booker, helping to build Metropolis into a leading platform for electronic music in Bulgaria. Through his label Mekanika Recordings he released music and was regarded as a key pioneer of Bulgarian house and techno culture. As a resident and booker for Metropolis he brought international artists including Carl Cox, Sven Väth, John Digweed, Jeff Mills, Josh Wink and Ben Klock to Bulgaria.

Stefan Krachanov, popularly known as DJ Steven, was born in 1962 and began his influential DJ career in the late 1980s. A key figure in the Bulgarian techno scene, he won the first Bulgarian DMC championship in 1993 and went on to represent Bulgaria at the DMC World Finals in London. His contributions to the music world are profoundly felt through his co-founding of the Metropolis party series in 1997, a significant platform that revolutionized the Bulgarian electronic music scene.

DJ Steven was instrumental in attracting international talent to Bulgaria, acting as a resident DJ and booker for Metropolis. Through this role, he brought renowned global artists such as Carl Cox, Sven Väth, John Digweed, Jeff Mills, Josh Wink, and Ben Klock to the country. Additionally, he released music on his label, Mekanika Recordings, reinforcing his status as a pioneering force in Bulgarian house and techno culture. His efforts have left an indelible mark on the music industry, fostering a vibrant electronic music community in Bulgaria.

DJ Steven, real name Stefan Krachanov, was a pivotal figure in the Bulgarian electronic music scene, with his career marked by several noteworthy achievements and contributions. Starting his DJ career in the late 1980s, he quickly established himself as a leading force in Bulgaria’s techno culture. In 1993, he won the first Bulgarian DMC championship, further amplifying his influence by representing Bulgaria at the DMC World Finals in London.

In 1997, he co-founded the Metropolis party series, which became a cornerstone of the Bulgarian electronic music community. As a resident DJ and booker for Metropolis, DJ Steven was instrumental in bringing international electronic music stars to Bulgaria. Renowned artists such as Carl Cox, Sven Väth, John Digweed, Jeff Mills, Josh Wink, and Ben Klock performed in Bulgaria through his efforts. Besides organizing events, he also contributed to the music scene via Mekanika Recordings, his label through which he released music that underscored his role as a pioneer of house and techno culture in the region. This combination of event organization, talent curation, and music production solidified his legacy as a central figure in transforming Bulgaria’s electronic music landscape.

An Instagram post by the Metropolis crew stated, “Our dear friend and kindred spirit has left us, and we find no words to describe the emptiness in our hearts.”

The post added that music was his form of communication and that he mastered it, noting performances ranging from intimate club crowds to large gatherings at the Festivalna Hall and the Street Parade in Borisova gradina.

The message described him as a smiling presence who prolonged parties to give listeners more genuine music.

GROOVE published comments describing him as “the smiling magician” who often delayed the end of parties and stating that Metropolis and everything created there carry a part of his DNA.

A separate statement reported by GROOVE said that Steven was instrumental in building up the electronic music scene in Bulgaria, that he pursued this mission with unbroken energy until the end, and that his sudden death hit the speaker hard, who called him a passionate and visionary person with his heart in the right place.

Founded in 1997, Metropolis became a central platform for Bulgarian electronic music and a primary venue where DJ Steven shaped the country’s scene. In his capacity as resident DJ and booker for Metropolis, he organized and curated lineups that introduced Bulgarian audiences to leading international artists, including Carl Cox, Sven Väth, John Digweed, Jeff Mills, Josh Wink and Ben Klock. This curatorial role linked local club culture with international techno and house movements and positioned Metropolis as a bridge between Bulgarian and global electronic music communities.

DJ Steven’s influence extended to large-scale events, with performances and programming that reached audiences in venues such as the Festivalna Hall and at the Street Parade in Borisova gradina. Colleagues and collaborators described his long-term commitment to building the electronic music scene and noted that he pursued this mission with unbroken energy until his sudden death. Those statements emphasized his active involvement in growing both intimate club nights and major public events, reinforcing Metropolis’s role as a key platform in Bulgaria’s electronic music landscape.

Stefan Krachanov, known professionally as DJ Steven, was widely regarded as a pioneer of Bulgarian house and techno culture, and his work with the Metropolis platform helped establish a central infrastructure for electronic music in Bulgaria. In his roles as co-founder, resident DJ and booker he curated lineups and staged events that connected local audiences with international artists and supported both intimate club nights and large-scale public gatherings.

He released music through his label Mekanika Recordings, and collaborators highlighted his long-term commitment and unbroken energy in building the scene until his sudden death. The Death of DJ Steven (Stefan Krachanov), Bulgarian techno pioneer and Metropolis co-founder, marks the passing of a central figure whose platform-building, curatorial work and musical output shaped the contemporary Bulgarian electronic music community.