Skopje, 25 March 2024 (MIA) - Mirko Popov, one of the most influential and pioneering Macedonian DJs, musicians, composers, songwriters, publishers and producers, died on Sunday after he was admitted to hospital last week reportedly following a stroke. He was 51. 

Popov was born in Skopje in 1972. He got into buying records and loving music since the earliest days of elementary school, which led to birthday party DJ sets in the early 80s. The creative environment at the time helped him develop healthy curiosity, divergent musical taste and a progressive orientated mind scape, which will appear decisive in the future. 

He got his first professional DJ booking in 1992, and the same year he joined the iconic Skopje music radio station "Kanal 103", which proved very important for his development as a personality and as a musician. "Free expression, which is the core philosophy of this radio station, can work wonders if used creatively," Popov said. He was "Kanal 103" editor-in-chief between 2008-2010. 

In 1993 he was at the epicenter of the Macedonian techno-cultural revolution, putting Skopje on the map of this modern movement. In 1995 he formes the PMG Collective as a manifesto of action to overcome dissatisfaction with the current cultural situation. In the next years, PMG will grow into a leading avant-garde force on the streets of Skopje, responsible for a wide range of actions and music revolutions. PMG events in the 90s are the essence of Skopje's urban folklore at the time, and Mirko Popov has regular DJ bookings in the region and in Europe. 

In 1998, he founded PMG Recordings, an independent Macedonian label which promotes quality music of the new era, celebrating contemporary culture. Today, PMG Recordings is a leading independent record label in the country, with over 300 releases (including releases of the sub-labels PMG Jazz, PMG Tanz Digital, Con:Tempo and Makedonide).

He has recorded and released 18 albums with his 3 bands: PMG Kolektiv, Kanton6, Makedonide Crew and 2 with the legendary Skopje jazz band Sethstat (one studio and one live album).

Since 2020, he has also been producing, releasing and performing as a solo artist under the name Mirko Popov Quartet.

He has performed as an actor in films and theater productions, scored several theater soundtracks, and directed a radio drama.

He is the director/producer of about 50 videos. He is screenwriter/producer of a music documentary “103 Love Letter to the Alternative Culture” and author of the video film “Do neboto zamok”.

He is the author of the book “Monography 20: Years I Love You”, and he is also the author of the children's picture book "Rozevata Planeta" ["The Pink Planet"], published for Chudna Shuma [Strange Forest] publishing house in Macedonian and in Albanian.   

As a music journalist, Popov has written articles for "Trn", "Reborn", "Urban Magazin", "Trotoar", "Skopsko Metro", etc. He published his prose, poetry and comics in "Margina", "Lift", "Skopsko Metro", etc.

Together with musician Vladan Drobitsky, Popov is the creator of the jazz festival "Kraj Vardarot Jazz" ["Jazz by the Vardar River"], and he was the initiator and editor of his music project, the platform "Silata EU mladite".

Popov is one of the few, who continuously made sure that the upcoming generations of local young musicians come to the surface, and this platform is an excellent proof of that.

Photo: Archive