Cacao Dance @ Eagles Nest Atitlán

Cacao Dance was a recurring event at Eagle's Nest, a retreat centre in San Marcos La Laguna on the shores of Lake Atitlán, guided by Mose. Phones, cameras and substances were kept out of the space. Mose founded regular alcohol free cacao dances in Guatemala, and cacao ceremonies and ecstatic dance shape both his productions and his DJ style. His sets often weave chanted sacred songs into multicultural rhythms, sometimes with live musicians improvising alongside him. A June 2023 post on the Eagle's Nest blog called the Mose Cacao Dance one of the venue's signature gatherings and noted that he sometimes mixes with live flute. Each edition began just before sunset with a cacao ceremony and a period of silence, and the music then started softly. From there the live mix built gradually to an ecstatic peak, then receded into soft, spacious music meant for integration, with dancers often finishing on the floor. The set opens with Mose's remix of Semilla Pura by The Hanuman Project. About eleven minutes in comes Om Ganesha, a collaboration between Sam Garrett and Mose. Close to an hour and a half in, he plays his remix of Tonantzin by Poranguí. Eagle's Nest now lists the Mose Cacao Dance as a past event series that has wound down.

Sources: eaglesnestatitlan.com, mosemusica.com, deezer.com

Editorial note from Best Downtempo DJ Sets of All Time