Wheel it Polski Style: Drum 'n' Bass in Krakow

When drum and bass overlords Fabio and Grooverider first started dropping beats on London's pirate radio stations way back in 1987, they could not have imagined that their experiments would eventually spawn a world-wide phenomenon. True, Drum and Bass is a long way from matching the dizzy heights of such venerable global smashes as Steps or Bryan Adams, but the music has come a long way since the days of desolate warehouses, smiley T-shirts and those distinctly aristocratic white gloves.

With pockets of drum and bass popping up across the globe, it should come as little surprise then that Poland has a scene of its own. And Krakow, the cultural capital, is one of the best places to check it out.

Don't expect a direct echo of what's cutting it in the London clubs - just as countries such as Brazil developed their own idiosyncratic styles, with sun-drenched, samba inflected rhythms coming to the fore, a certain Polish taste quickly emerged.

Krakow is a city that might have come straight out of the pages of Grimm. And the array of folklore that the city has inspired is as well known to Polish children as tales of King Arthur are known to the English. Polish tastes often drift into the realm of fantasy - one of the biggest hits during the last years of communism was HTV's mystical 'Robin of Sherwood', with its glorious antler-attired Herne the Hunter, the mysterious spirit of the forest. In music, bands like Pink Floyd, The Cure and The Sisters of Mercy garnered huge followings.

In this light, you can see why it was the ambient Bukem-style that made the biggest splash in this part of the world. Bukem himself has played Krakow with the Logical Progression crew on several occasions, whilst in recent months Nookie and Gavin King (AKA Aphrodite of 'King of the Beats' fame) have both jetted in. Nookie fell head over heels for the city, and he's well on his way to becoming an honorary citizen of the venerable Kraks.

Krakow's drum n' bass scene is still small. It's nowhere near as big as Polish hip-hop, which is huge and surprisingly good (plenty more amusing eccentricities here too). Allthesame, drum and bass forms a lively facet in Krakow's nightlife. Expect plenty of surprises - its certainly not all ambient stuff - far from it.

Of the venues that play drum and bass regularly, its worth checking out Strefa, which is right on the market square. This venue has the atmosphere of a house party (in this instance the house is a marvelous nineteenth century mansion - pure Krakow then). Also worth checking out is the huge barrel-vaulted Krzysztofory cellar, again on the Market Square, where Nookie played recently. Round the corner you'll find Roentgen, a legendary haunt from the last days of communism. South of the Square, head down to Prozak, which is one of the hippest nightclubs in Krakow. Sometimes Prozak puts on experimental drum and bass sessions with live electric guitar over the top - not to be missed!

Bars that often play drum and bass include Pod Jemiola - the decor here is like a groovy cottage from the Polish Highlands (it has to be seen to be believed). Also Pauza, a sleek first-floor bar on Florianska that has a loyal following, and Mute, on nearby Jana street.

As far as homegrown Polish drum n' bass goes, we'll keep our eyes peeled for any rising stars to look out for. However, please humour us, we're not the ruffneck gangsters that we were in days of old, and this writer is becoming a bit of an old fogey. 'Rinse it my dear fellows!' as the Duke of Wellington said at the Battle Of Waterloo.