If you are in Puerto Rico’s west-coast and have nothing to do on a Thursday, visiting Rincón’s Art Walk is always a great option. There you can find the works of many local artists and designers such as Patinetero, Bunkerfish, Native Sketch, and Omar Iloy. However, while sometimes you might find a band or group performing at the local plaza, this was not the case last Thursday, February 1st. Of course, that doesn’t mean one can’t find some good music around the area. While not too long ago, Bajo La Luna took the stage in Art Walk, and last Thursday chillwave-disco act Labajura and indie rock band Dogos took the stage at the nearby Café 413, and had those in attendance moving their feet and shaking their hips.
(flyer for the show by Derick Joel)
As both acts started getting ready, Café 413 was already filled to capacity with people of all ages enjoying their food and drinks. The first to perform was Labajura who greeted the audience with his robotic voice and started the show with a chilled laid-back track from his self-titled debut album. At first, much of the audience seemed like they didn’t know what they were listening to, although it didn’t take them a lot of time to realize that they were about to have a night full of dancing. Labajura performed songs like “Amigx”, “Isabela”, and other Caribbean-influenced disco tracks from his first album and his upcoming sophomore project; all of which had audiences, both young and old, shaking hips and stomping feet. To finish his 30 to 40 minute set, Labajura played his chillwave-disco track “Lovin,’” which, once more, had the crowd dancing to the groove, and by the end asking for more.
(picture of Labajura performing)
The night continued with Dogos, an indie-rock band with members from the west-coast and the metro. This would be their second show in Rincón in less than a month, as they had previously performed with The Disfunction in La Estación. The Dogos’ second performance, in what seems to be their mini-tour across the island, had the crowd not only head banging, but also clapping and shaking their bodies. It was simply inevitable for the people to not move to Dogos’ dance-rock influenced sounds. By performing tracks such as “Como te va” and “Restaurante al fin del universo”, Dogos had the audience engulfed in a dreamy shoegaze environment where if you weren’t moving some part of your body you simply weren’t having fun.
(picture of Dogos performing)
Last Thursday in Rincón’s Café 413 was one to enjoy. If you were looking to eat and drink, the restaurant was there to provide. Plus, Labajura’s and Dogos’ chilled and dream-like disco and indie-rock elevated your experience even more. If you visit Rincón on a Thursday, make sure to visit their Art Walk at the local plaza, and while you’re at it, visit Café 413, which is right next to it. Who knows? You might just find a great show like the one on February the 1st.
Listen to Labajura on Spotify here
Listen to Dogos on Bandcamp here