Not trusting Nana Akua's report on the TV as the definitely guide, my contact in Cracow (in Polish it's Kraków) is the joint DJ of the club where Paul recently guested, Maciej Grochot aka DJ Animisiewasz Startt.

What's the club called and what is your music policy?
Me and my DJ friend Jerry host one night a month in one of clubs in Kraków spinning tunes from broken-beat through to funk and rare groove to jazz and other genres. We are free to welcome any guest DJs we like and so at the very first party last week we invited the best, Paul Murphy. The club is called RDZA (it means Rust) and its website is www.rdza.pl. The name of the night is kinda hard to translate and is a bit incorrect with (?) polish grammar rules (that was my intention) "od dawna zawsze tak chcialem spedzic te noc z toba razem" it means (I'll try to do my best) – "from the very first day I always wanted to spend that night with you".

Cool and by the look of the photos you had a really good time? What's the popular local drink?
Paul he really is a special bloke. We had a good drink and it wasn't his entire fault as MJ Cole's manager got him one shot after another. The drink of choice is vodka and truly popular vodkas are winiówka (cherry cordial vodka, my favourite) and krupnik (honey liquor).

Paul thought it was very groovy and very cold. When does it start to get warm in Kraków and are there any festivals in the summer in Poland that would appeal to the same fans of your club?
Yeah, it was very groovy although weather at the time was very bad, really windy and snowing all the time. Forecasts say that spring shall arrive soon in Poland. There's one big summer festival called Astigmatic (5-7th August) and it takes place in Płocku. The first one started in 2003 but at the time I was in Dusseldorf and couldn't get there. Last year I was in Bristol same time the festival was organised in Poland and missed it for the second time. I believe I won't be going abroad this year and try to be there on my third try. I remember that year 2003 we had that goddamn Creamfields for the very first and last time. It turned out to be total disaster but we had a lot to drink.

What are the future plans for guests at "from the very first day..."?
We want to carry on the idea of inviting quality DJs like Paul as the club seems to be happy with what we're doing. We'd love to get the very best guests like Nik Weston or Snowboy or even Quantic! I'd like to have Mr. Cosmic Sounds (Zeljko Kerleta) at our night also. It makes sense to promote quality dance music in the long run.

As well as "from the very first day...", you and DJ Jerry have your own radio shows?
Yes, mine is a one hour show called "Piêkni ch³opcy graj± piêkne piosenki" that means - 'beautiful boys play beautiful songs' and it's jazz, latin, funk orientated. I do this show with a friend of mine who hides under the nickname Piêkny Ch³opiec Ten Piêkniejszy (he's the one in the photos with me and Paul holding the 'Jazz Room' 12" with some breakfast supplies). It's a weekly radio show every Saturday at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. your time) and it is streamed live though Internet. If you want to check it out log on www.radioabc.pl and click 'Radio Online'.

Jerry has his own two hour show every Wednesday from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm on RadioABC 98.4 fm. (19.00 UK time as I believe). Jerry's show is called 'Nova Forma' but he doesn't come from Kraków. He was born and lives in Sczecin, which is a town in northern Poland (it takes up to 10 hours on a train to get there from Kraków!). Radio ABC is also there and broadcasts only locally. We record our shows in advance and send. We are friends with very similar taste in music. He recently had a Fluid Ounce Special on his show, Zero dB vs. Dave da Gato, which I think it was a mix he got from the label.

Which other Polish DJs do you like?
The other Polish DJs; we are friends with are Niewinni Czarodzieje of Innocent Sorcerers. I believe you may have heard of them as they got one 12" released on Fluid Ounce. Joseph Malik's Believe and See from Warsaw, Victor Shiva from Kraków, Robert Busha from Poznañ, Family Groove from Szczecin. I also like what Never After collective is doing promoting quality drum'n'bass, DJ Burn Reynolds and Fusion Posse from Jazz Radio

And if in Kraków when your club night wasn't on, what are the other clubs you could recommend a visitor?
You've just missed last weekend which was great because I was playing with Alex Barck from Jazzanova and Desney Bailey and that party everyone in Kraków wanted to get in. Some other clubs are Prozak, Ministerstwo, Roentgen (rough but worth checking out) but be prepared to hear mainly house or breakbeat with some exceptions of course.

And talking of Jazzanova, Jazzanova Compost Records (JCR) have released Polish Jazz LP's such as, 'Novi Singers - Vocal Jazz From Poland 1965-1975' & the compilation 'Polish Jazz' which included Jerzy Milian. Are there any other artists that we should be looking out for that you could recommend?
Modern ones, I'd say Fisz (hailed as a Polish Mos Def) his brother Emade, 15 Minut Projekt (drum and bass played live), Ewa Nawrot (vocalist featured on one of the tracks on Slope's Komputa Groove), Niewinni Czarodzieje (Innocent Sorcerers) and Pink Freud.

And of the classics, Alex Band (recently Yam Who? re-mastered and re-edited one of their tracks and released it as a limited bootleg), Ewa Bem, Bemibek, Bossa Nova Combo, Tomasz Stañko and Zbigniew Namysłowski.

Where are the best places to buy records/CDs in Kraków?
'Neuma' is a small shop with everything from limited satanic black metal releases through to disco to jazz. A total mess up but sometimes you can find true gems in there. There's 'Antique Music' which is run by true vinyl devotees, 'Music Corner' where the second hand section is interesting and the Penny Market that takes place every Sunday morning (place is called Hala Targowa) where people sell literally everything including records.

Paul freaked at the number of nuns he saw in Kraków. Are there any popular tourist sights to see apart from the Nuns? (Pope Jean Paul II is of course Polish)
Poland is a catholic country that's why we are flooded with churches, monasteries and their inhabitants. In the summer, the whole of Kraków is a bloody sightseeing place. It's the tourist capitol of Poland! (check the BBC site, see links below. GH)

What are the best websites for finding out what's going on in Kraków?
The best one in English is Magical Cracow - Magiczny Kraków.

What else are have you got planned?
The next 'od dawna zawsze tak chcialem spedzic te noc z toba razem' will be a Friday or Saturday in April (see the web site for updates). Besides DJing I do graphic design for party posters and flyers under the moniker ein/zwei/die/zain and I change my daughter's diapers. Apart from that, subject to a getting babysitter, Roots Manuva is coming on 23/04/05 to Studio Club, Kraków (check this week's Gilles Peterson show for a brilliant live session from the Rootical one, GH).

So we leave Maciej with the nappies and the hot news that Mr. Weston is keen to visit Poland! So more twisted jazzy hipity hop vibe excellence coming to RDZA soon. Congratulations. Many apologies for any Polish grammar errors the may have crept into the above and many thanks to Maciej. Not as good looking as Nana Akua but a he's got far better taste in music.

Links
BBC1 7.00pm Monday "A weekend holiday in Krakow"
Astigmatic (5-7th August)
Paul Murphy Photos in Poland Key: Maciej is the guy with a goatee and sideburns. "DJ Jerry was taking pictures all the time so he is featured on only one. He's the blonde guy with a ponytail in a picture with me (he has closed eyes)".
RadioABC08.4fm
Zbigniew Namylowski.
Hear Jerzy Milian's 'Astrobollid' on the 3Hedz Show
with Matz (19-11-2004)
Magical Cracrow - Magiczny Kraków