VILNIUS - It's shocking just how much has changed in Vilnius over the last 10 years. Not so long ago, the best place you could go to shake the lice out of your hair was to take your chances with the kind of vodka-only den of iniquity that even Charles Bukowski would feel uncomfortable in, and ask one of the buxom gold-toothed waitresses for a turn under the mirror ball.
Budding anthropologists can still find bleak basement bars amid the grim tower blocks of the Lithuanian capital's outer limits. But getting your dance floor fix in central Vilnius is no longer a problem, thanks to the likes of the newly opened Pacha Club.
Pacha is actually part of a chain of clubs. It all began in the small Catalan resort of Sitges in the heady days of 1967. Pacha opened in Ibiza in 1973. That single act is perhaps responsible for the entire rave culture. Thanks, Pacha.
Since then, Pachas have mushroomed all over Western Europe. Vilnius is the newest addition to the family. The only other one in the region is in St. Petersburg.
Pacha's ripe and suggestive double-cherry logo has found a new home within the twin-tower Vilniaus vartai (Vilnius Gates) complex of luxury fashion shopping brands, office suites and life-of-Riley apartments.
Located near the Parliament building at the far end of Gedimino Avenue, the city's main drag, the Gates opened to a flurry of fireworks last year.
By Vilnius' sleepy standards, Pacha Club is pretty awesome. With a dizzying sound system, professional lighting, and some of the best showcase dancers you'll find in Vilnius with their clothes on, it succeeds in coaxing the self-conscious locals to cast their inhibitions aside and writhe wildly.
There are eight bars, which means that the lengthy wait to get in out of the cold is compensated for by ample access to an astonishing range of drinks. Some of the cocktails taste suspiciously watery. But that may be because the owners are kindly thinking about the needs of their guests, who come off the dancefloor after several hours' stomping, gasping for refreshers.
Not many of Pacha's jet-setting insomniac superstar DJs have made it out this far east yet, but recent turntable maestros pandering to the Pacha Vilnius crowds have included King Roc, whose frenzied electro-house breakbeats are much sought-after in London.
This coming Friday, expect to catch the Netherlands' DJ-duo Remy and Roland Klinkenberg. On Saturday, homegrown talent Andrius Rio works up a primal, thumping beat.
Once you've been imbued with the Ibiza spirit, check out Pacha online. Besides the racy but disappointingly uninformative Web site for Pacha Vilnius, there's the umbrella site for the global brand. Order music by the Pacha DJ regulars, subscribe to the latest issue of Pacha magazine, and buy lots of cheerful cherry-logo merchandise. There are even psychedelic cherry t-shirts for the toddlers. It looks like Pacha is here for generations to come.
Pacha Vilnius
Gyneju Street 14, Vilnius
Open Fri-Sat, 10pm-6am
