The Bulgarian ethno group Isihia has set itself a huge task.

Through their music, the band members want to revitalize the Bulgarian nation by reminding people of their ancient roots. "We wish to rebuild the self-confidence of the young generation who copy anything American - if it continues they will gradually lose their identities and then their souls," said keyboard player Tatiana Yosifova.

Vocalist Kalin Yordanov accepted that they have an enormous responsibility. "Most threatening to the Bulgarian nation today is not economic instability, but weakness and impersonality of spirit," he said. "Our music can return people to their past and allow them to travel deep inside their minds, their history and their fantasies."

They have already gained the respect of many Bulgarians. An audience of 4,000 gave them a standing ovation in Sofia last year when they supported the Macedonian ethno band Anastasia. At the SunMoon festival in Trigrad last month, Sylvia Tsankova from Sofia was overwhelmed by Isihia's live performance. "As I listened to them, I realized what it meant to be a Bulgarian," she said.

The media, however, has had mixed reactions. "Some newspapers have been quite ecstatic but I don't think the whole press has covered them as they should have," said Bobby Ivanchev, director of AveNew Productions, which manages the band.

The eight members of Isihia bridge past and present by mixing haunting orthodox chants, based on original 14th century texts, with a variety of Bulgarian folklore instruments including gaida (bagpipes) and kaval (wooden flute). The experimental sounds of keyboards and electric guitars add a contemporary influence. "The modern instruments provide the ambience we need to support the traditional instruments and chanting. In this way it is more profound and you have the sense of travelling while you are listening and playing," said Yordanov.

The choice of concert venues is a crucial element of their music. "We try to perform in special places with unique ambience and atmosphere," said Yordanov. They have played in Saint Sofia church, the National History Museum, Sofia University's Grand Hall, Trigrad Gorge and, last weekend, in a Macedonian amphitheatre.

"Even though Sofia is an ancient city there are very few suitable places to perform," said vocalist Evgeni Nikolov. "Most of the places we'd like to play in are buried under the city," he added.

The group released their first album, Isihia, earlier this month. It means that they'll have less control over the way the music is heard but they're happy with the result. "We never wanted to be commercial," said Yordanov. "But we want people who love the music to hear it. Concerts are very good for this but the album can reach a wider audience."

Although it's now available in most Bulgarian record shops, their album is rarely played on the radio. "They don't play this music because they consider it to be uncommercial," said Ivanchev. "They prefer to play chalga."

The band recently stated that: "Our mission is to ring the bells and wake people. We do not accept chalga as a national identity." They believe their music is closest to Bulgaria's roots but acknowledge that most people accept chalga as the real Bulgarian folk music. "This is a tragedy," said Yordanov. "The chalga groups think their music refers to folklore but it does not." Isihia wants to offer the public a new musical experience. "For people who want to reach the real folklore, there has been no opportunity," he said. "Our music can make those people realize that there are other ways and possibilities."

One of their tracks has been remade for a video that should attract a more mainstream audience. Ivanchev sees this as the only way for the music to get the radio airtime it deserves. "It'll introduce a wider audience to the album," he said.

Several band members are historians and their fascination with Bulgaria's past drew the group together. The name Isihia derives from the medieval orthodox Hesychast movement. The monks involved wanted to renew their connection with God, which they felt had been lost over the centuries. They used Isihia, or absolute silence, as a way of finding inner speechlessness. The group admitted they want to achieve a similar aim with their music - to reconnect people with God and their own spirituality, but stressed that they didn't want to force anyone in a particular direction.

"It's music to be felt not understood," said Yordanov. "For us it's Isihia, for someone else it could be different." The diverse combination of cultures and traditions in the Balkans has been a great inspiration for the band, but they feel that their music could also be beneficial for a western audience. According to Ivanchev, it contains emotions that are unknown to westerners.

"The music can teach them something about the history of Bulgaria - about our feelings and mentality," he said. Yordanov added that, for all the West's involvement in the Balkans, the events in Yugoslavia and Macedonia prove they still do not understand the region. "I hope this new music will be a way for the western world to reach our mentality and culture," he said.

Ethno music will continue to gain an increasing share of the world market, said Ivanchev. "People are becoming more interested in their history, roots, emotions and nationality."

Ivanchev is currently working on releasing the album in Germany, France, Britain and the U.S. Last weekend's Macedonian concert was the band's first performance outside Bulgaria - their next international appearance will be in October at an ambient festival in Budapest. They will also play at the Apollonia Arts festival in Sozopol on Sunday.