A boutique showcase aims to put Poland on the musical map with a funky fusion of jazz, electronica and short films.

THEY’VE given us feisty freedom fighters, great scientists, reliable plumbers, tasty sausages, smooth vodka, and even a pope.

Poland has much to be proud of. And over the past few years many a denizen of Katowice, Lodz and Gdansk have become a welcome addition to the British cultural melting pop.

But how much do you know about Polish culture … and its music?

Unless you are Polish yourself, which is cheating, you probably don’t know much beyond Chopin, a few technicolour folk dances, and an awful lot of rather extreme death metal. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

But fear not, for, fortunately, we are about to get educated. Tomorrow Oxford becomes Little Warsaw for a night, when the city’s O2 Academy hosts Fertilizer – a showcase of everything that is hip, funky and exciting in the land of Lech Walesa.

This is ‘pole’ dancing with a difference!

“Fertilizer is about music which fertilizes the mainstream,” says Naomi Wilkinson, from Sound UK, the group behind the mini-festival.

“Each year we focus on music beyond the mainstream from whichever country catches the attention of our musically inquisitive ear, bringing over the freshest sounds and the most interesting artists to UK audiences.

“This will be the fifth Fertilizer festival, and it follows its genre-busting predecessors from Norway, Britain, Germany and France, by proving that the Poles have more to offer the UK than excellent builders!”

And while previous Fertilizer events have taken place only at festival HQ in the East End of London, this year the crew are heading down the M40, and beyond, with a touring triple bill – featuring electronica artist Jacaszek, postrock jazzers Sing Sing Penelope, and contemporary jazz ensemble Contemporary Noise Sextet.

And the whole thing will be interspersed with some cool, if offbeat, Polish film shorts.

Producer Maija Handover says: “These are all artists who are bubbling up into the mainstream and we are really pleased to be taking this mini version of our East End festival on the road.

“It’s a real boutique showcase of the best music in Poland – celebrating the unique, the adventurous, the bizarrely wonderful and most characteristic music from the country.”

And she should know. The Fertilizer team went out to Warsaw and Krakow themselves to ‘sus out’ the scene by casing a few of the cities’ hottest joints.

“The acts will have appeal to UK audiences, but we hope to attract Poles too,” she explains.

“I’d like to think Poles living in the Oxford area will come down and check out the bands. They are all hot young things on the Polish scene and not at all mainstream. If you like Pop Idol you are not going to like it, but if you are a fan of electronica and contemporary jazz you will love it.”

The musicians are a pretty diverse bunch. But is there anything which unites them?

“They all have a great sense of humour, lots of energy and are open minded,” says Maija. “They have a variety of influences from their heritage – which is very rich in jazz.

“People in Oxford will find it accessible but also surprising and unexpected.

“We hope people will take a risk and come down because they’ll really enjoy it. Come and hear what Poland has to offer – it will change your preconceptions of what the place is all about.”

So crack open a bottle of low-alcohol vodka, and get down to a night of cutting edge sound, Polska-style.

Fertilizer on Tour is at the O2 Academy Oxford, tomorrow. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are £10. Call 01865 305305.

Introducing: Sing Sing Penelope - formed in Bydgoszcz (try saying that after a few vodkas) in 2001 by a group of musicians already playing in important jazz, avant garde and post-rock bands and connected to the avant-garde Brain club, their sound draws on these broad musical experiences to create an intriguing modern electro-acoustic sound and language.

Jacaszek – from beginning his musical adventure by illustrating a poem, he has gone on to create dense and filmic electronica that combines electronically prepared sounds with acoustic instruments such as the violin and cello with beautiful results.

Contemporary Noise Sextet – this group creates work with elements of cinematic music but combines it with energetic jazz.