Over the last year, UK Ug has gone global. Fans from LA to Tokyo are tuning into the country’s distorted sonics and rocking Union Jack beanies. But of all the places on earth, the city increasingly emerging as UK Ug’s second home may come as a surprise: Warsaw, Poland.

It’s here that, after London, leading names like fakemink, YT, Fimiguerrero and Feng find their biggest audiences. The trend points to a subtle but longstanding alliance between Polish and UK rap, with landmark Polish MCs like Popek, Miły Atz and Hedo Jackinabox all releasing grime tracks throughout the 2010s.

Continuing this lineage, more than 60,000 Polish fans flocked to Clout Festival last weekend. Held on a former military airfield outside Warsaw, the country’s biggest rap festival featured performances from fakemink, Feng and Skepta, alongside US artists Slayr, Nine Vicious and Molly Santana. It proved a true test of faith for Polish rap fans, with torrential rain and thunderstorms forcing the cancellation of several performances. At one point, attendees were even warned to step away from the festival’s large metal structures to avoid being struck by lightning.

“Despite all of this, however, the energy and the artists were absolutely insane,” Polish photographer and Dazed clubber Vika Terekhovska, who was on-hand to document the festival, recalls. “Everyone was going crazy and having the time of their lives. For many people, even the extreme weather conditions didn’t stop them from having fun until the very end.” 

Fortunately, one performance that wasn’t interrupted by the biblical weather was Dazed cover star and UK Ug paragon fakemink. Below, Terekhovska catches up with ten stalwart fakemink fans at the event. 

KEILA (24)

Do you listen to any other artists from the UK underground?

Phreshboyswag. I like how they pronounce their words when they rap; it hits different.

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

“Blow Me”.

ZUZA (18)

How did you discover fakemink?

From the song “Blow Me” – I found it on Pinterest.

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

“Celebrity Deathmatch”.

LORA (21) AND JULIA (21)

How did you discover fakemink?

Lora: On Instagram.

Julia: From my friend Lora.

Do you listen to any other artists from the UK Underground?

Lora: Fimiguerrero, Rico Ace, EsDeeKid and Fakemink. I just love it. Their accent is a vibe. 

Julia: Ken Carson.

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

Lora: “Playlist”.

Julia: “Fever”.

PAWEL (26)

Do you listen to any other artists from the UK Underground?

Fimiguerrero. They are wild in some way.

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

“Blow the speaker”.

KONRAD (16)

Do you listen to any other artists from the UK Underground?

Feng. It’s just fucking cool new music.

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

“Mr. Chow”.

ANDRIEN (19)

How did you discover fakemink?

From SoundCloud.

Do you listen to any other artists from the UK Underground?

YT and Feng. 

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

“Black Jeep”.

OLIVIA (19)

How did you discover fakemink?

From YouTube.

Do you listen to any other artists from the UK Underground?

Fakemink is top for me. I like his voice, his music; it’s always good.

STANISLAV (27)

Do you listen to any other artists from the UK Underground?

Of course, all of them. They give me a nostalgic vibe and remind me of when I was a boy. They give me a cloud rap vibe.

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

“fml.” and “Blow the Speaker”.

KRISTINA (20)

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

“Face To Face”.

DANI (25)

How did you discover fakemink?

My friend from Berlin sent me his song “101” with DJ Phat, so I left the party to listen to this song outside in the quiet.

Do you listen to any other artists from the UK Underground?

Of course, one of them is halfadedd.

What do you like about them?

Fucking insane, I love them. Mostly I love how they turn their voice into the instrument, into the part of the song; it’s beautiful. 

What’s your favourite fakemink song?

I have two. The first one is “101” with DJ Phat and the second one is “Music and Me”. 

Check out the gallery above for a closer look at fakemink’s performance at Clout Festival.