About
About
I’m Lukáš Bulko, also known as Alapastel—a composer, sound artist, and performer creating music that listens before it speaks.
Born in Trenčín, Slovakia, I’ve been making music since I was fourteen—drawn to sound not as entertainment, but as a doorway. A way to reach what’s invisible but real. Over the years, I’ve grown through deep listening, intuitive experimentation, and an ongoing exploration of how music can hold space for what words cannot express.
I work with ambient, neoclassical, and experimental forms, blending acoustic instruments, electronics, field recordings, and ceremonial textures. Whether it’s a quiet ambient sketch or a rhythmic composition, what unites my work is a dedication to presence. I compose slowly, intentionally, and always in search of emotional truth.
Music as Ceremony
My album Ceremony (2021) was born from this intention—to offer music as a healing ritual. It was inspired by indigenous ceremonies, animist wisdom, and the vision of a future where humans live in harmony with each other and the Earth. The process of creating it was itself a ceremony: building compositions from the ground up, honoring the textures of tribal sound, and weaving them with electronics, strings, and silence.
I see music not just as a personal expression, but as an act of service—a way to contribute clarity, beauty, and depth to a noisy and wounded world. My work reflects this longing: to make space for people to feel, remember, and reconnect. As I’ve written elsewhere, “Music is a dialogue with the invisible. It creates a space where silence can speak.”
A Sonic Life
My albums Hidden for the Eyes (2018, Slowcraft Records) and Ceremony (2021, Lost Tribe Sound) have been praised by international platforms like Fluid Radio, Bandcamp Daily, Brainwashed, Headphone Commute, and Ambientblog. Described as “music that leaves a soul-mark” and “ceremonial ambient, as poetic as it is grounded,” these works are invitations into deep listening.
I’ve performed across Europe—Sicily, Prague, Vienna, and throughout Slovakia—with solo shows and full-band concerts, including appearances at festivals like Sharpe, Waves Vienna, Spectaculare, Hviezdne Noci, ZVUK for..., and World Music Festival Bratislava, where I performed the closing concert in the Klarisky Church.
With a group of close collaborators and friends, we co-founded Dream Scenes, a series of all-night sleepover concerts—immersive, slow, intuitive sonic experiences designed for rest, dreaming, and quiet presence. We’ve held these in Slovakia, Sicily, and Gran Canaria.
I also regularly offer Sound Journeys for meditation, movement, or healing. These have been shared in sacred spaces and creative retreats such as the Ecstatica Festival, 4D Gallery Bratislava, and House of the Sun in Crete.
Collaborations that Matter
Every collaboration starts with listening. I work with:
- Filmmakers and visual artists seeking cinematic emotional soundtracks
- Therapists and facilitators needing music for healing or mindfulness
- Developers and designers of games, AR/VR, and meditative apps
- Individuals and visionaries who long for a personal sonic portrait
- Cultural projects and organizations rooted in authenticity
I collaborate closely with a small circle of trusted artists: Ján Kružliak Jr. (violin), Gabika Bezáková and Lukáš Medlen (electronics), and my wife Kristína, who contributes vocals, acoustic instruments, and field recordings. The creative process is organic, co-creative, and often as transformative for us as it is for those who receive the music.
A Quiet Rebellion
I believe that music—true music—is an act of resistance in a culture flooded by overproduction and distraction. It is a sanctuary for attention. A space for the sacred. I share the concern that our systems no longer support the genuine, the nuanced, or the quietly revolutionary. And yet, I know there are still artists, thinkers, and listeners who seek what’s real. Who feel the same longing.
I make music for them.
For you.
If you're looking for sound that doesn’t just accompany, but reveals—let’s create something that speaks from the soul.
I offer a free initial consultation and custom demo, so you can feel if the process resonates.
