KI/KI: "The club community in Poland is really into the music and always great vibes"

It’s no secret that the club scenes across Poland are some of the best in the world. Following in the footsteps of nearby techno capitals like Berlin and Tbilisi, dance music hubs in Warsaw, Krakow, Łódź, Poznan and beyond are rivalling Europe’s well-trodden club destinations, with thriving techno communities and plenty of established nightclubs across the stretch of the country. Thought of as one of the best dance music cities in Europe, Warsaw is where we’re bringing the Burn Energy Tour on October 26 for its second leg, headlined by Dutch techno, trance and acid phenomenon KI/KI.

Warsaw’s club scene has been building for over three decades, but recently its reputation as a leading hotbed for techno has become irrefutable, with the city home to renowned clubs including Smolna, Luzztro, and Jasna 1, and a buzzing community of inspiring DJs and dance music collectives. In a book penned by former Mixmag editor Duncan Dick, Warsaw's contemporary scene was described as “politically and musically active, one of the strongest scenes in Europe”

The political context around Warsaw’s early club culture and some of the city’s most legendary venues was recently spotlighted at an exhibition in the Polish capital, chronicling its “transformative” club scene from 1989 to the modern day. While elsewhere across the Eastern European nation, such as in second city Krakow, you'll find dance music scenes that are unrestrained in their musical scope, including hosting one of the world’s best-known experimental festivals Unsound.

We’re heading to the Polish capital on Saturday, October 26, bringing you a string of events from dawn to dusk. Kicking things off with a workshop hosted by The Blu Mantic in the day, we’ll then head to Warsaw’s seminal Palace of Culture and Science for an all-night knees-up headlined by KI/KI, who’s set to be joined by local talents including DUEL founder Sept, purveyor of techno trips Hekato, and rising star Ola Teks.

KI/KI is no stranger to Poland’s flourishing clubland. After coming up in Amsterdam’s techno scene with a residency at queer party Spielraum, KI/KI has consistently impressed with her blends of high-energy techno, electro, trance, acid, and rave, digging up treasures from the past blended with futuristic productions of her own. When she steps up to the decks, it's like a hurricane is conducting the dancefloor. We can’t wait to get stuck in.

Sign up for the Warsaw workshop here, get tickets for the party here, and read an exclusive Q&A with KI/KI below.

Tell us about your formative experiences with dance music and some of the first techno clubs you remember visiting…

I started clubbing in Amsterdam, where I was based. I think my first techno party was when I was 17 or something, and I fell in love with it straight away. The point I properly started clubbing was when I was around 20, and I started performing too as a resident at Amsterdam queer party Spielraum. That's where I discovered clubbing, and I really got involved in the queer scene. Those were my most beautiful experiences, I think, and how it all started.

Your headline set on the Burn Energy Tour takes place in Warsaw – what’s your connection with the city? Have you been before?

It's actually really funny, when I was younger, I always wanted to visit Warsaw. My mum went there one time on holiday and I was like, okay, I really want to go there too. I’ve played in Warsaw since then, but I didn't really have the opportunity to see the city much. So I’m super excited to see the city this time, because my last experience in Warsaw was super sick.

Tell us about your past shows in Poland – what were those experiences like?

I recently played Audioriver Festival last year and it was super, super sick. The crowd was really reactive, and I love that festival in general.

I also did two club shows before in Poland; it was more than three years ago when I did my first show there. One was in Warsaw, then I played another afterwards in Poznan. Both shows were super sick, I remember them really well because the crowd were really open and into the music. I felt like I could play anything. They responded so well, and the vibes were really good. I had a good time when I was playing there, I think the techno scene in general in Poland is really well educated, they're super into it. It's been a while since I last did a proper club show in Warsaw and Poland in general, so I'm really looking forward to my Burn Energy Tour set.

Warsaw has been described as Europe’s new club capital – what is it about the club scene that makes it so special?

I think it’s a really important place to have a healthy underground club scene. Crowds are really friendly and educated and know what’s going on. There are a lot of progressive line-ups, a lot of new upcoming talent playing there, and the crowds there really want the scene to thrive. You can just feel it. My experiences there have been really good, and the people were super thankful that I was there. There’s no judgement at all, just good energy. Maybe that's why the scene is growing so fast now.

How do you think young people in Poland are connecting with techno today? Do you think it’s growing in popularity with the new generation?

To be honest, after COVID, I was a bit worried because there were a lot of young people who had skipped four years of clubbing. I saw that a lot of 18-year-olds just didn't go out because it was never on their radar. I was like, ‘oh god, it's gonna die’. But now it’s really made a big comeback, and I think dance music is growing with the new generation. It’s so important, because that's the future, right? I think it’s also growing because of TikTok, it’s a whole new era. You really see this big techno community on there.

Are there any Polish artists who are really exciting you right now?

Martina, or VTSS, of course. I just went back to back with her a couple of weeks ago which was really great. I’ve always loved Monster, too. Then I'm going to work with another Polish artist soon, Dogheadsurigeri, she’s sick. I love her production and what she's doing at the moment, and I really enjoy working with her. I think she's going to have a good future.

Why is it so necessary to have DIY, grassroots venues in cities like Warsaw and beyond?

I think DIY venues are really important to stay grounded in the underground scene. If you only had big festivals and clubs, it would be so different. People are way more into the music and the whole experience around it when they’re able to lose themselves in a club, so it’s important to stay connected to the underground scene. I think it's good to have a mix of both those big clubs and DIY spaces to keep you grounded.

Are you looking forward to performing in Warsaw?

I'm very much looking forward to the show! I’ve seen who else is lined up for the tour, and I think it's going to be super, super sick. There is such a sick line-up in every location. I think in general, the location in Warsaw is going to be epic. I'm really going to try to do something special there, I'm going to play a lot of unreleased music — at least three unheard tracks, as well as my own released music. I'm going to try to create a super sick vibe and set, and just have the best time with everyone.

What sort of sounds are you looking to showcase at your Burn Energy Tour show, and how do you think crowds in Poland will react?

As I’ve mentioned, my experience in Poland was that the people in the club scene there are super open, super into it, always great vibes. The crowds are always really sick and look super cool. I'm really looking forward to it, and I think it's a good base for my set to feel free to play whatever I want to play. I'm going to play a lot of high-energy, of course, I want people to go wild and have fun. I'm going to play high-energy techno, trance, acid, and a lot of unreleased music. We're just going to have a crazy good time with each other. Maybe I’ll try to throw a curveball in my set and go super high BPM all of a sudden... let's just see what happens!

Warsaw is the second stop on the Burn Energy Tour 2024, following the debut event in Budapest with additional stops set for Italy and Spain. Stay tuned to Burn Energy and Mixmag’s Instagram pages for updates.