Photo Credit: Killer Nugget / Moshunters
Over two years have passed since the great Costa Rican dancefloors were silenced by the pandemic. Although some establishments are still standing, the electronic scene has lost much of its essence. Therefore, the festival season in 2022 promised to return that joy to the fans of the Tico electronic music, which was loaded with line-ups only dreamed of in previous years.
For the occasion, Ocaso revealed to us a strong line-up, perhaps one of the heaviest in all its editions, which included a variety of styles including techno, hard techno, acid, and melodic techno; a whole selection for different tastes and the enjoyment of all. The only thing left to do was wait for January to drop this invasion of electronic music in Guanacaste.
And so it was, the date arrived and the festival began, even if with some surprises that perhaps changed the plans of some attendees, but they did not prevent them from enjoying the music. In this case, the first significant change occurred with the inclusion of Roca MÃstica, where most of the festival took place, with only 1 day at the already famous Finca La Senda. The public, even with this change and divided opinions, was faithful to the event, and with this, the first main day began.
Friday, all the fury of techno is unleashed in Tamarindo.
Yes, Ocaso had its start on Thursday, January 6th, and although that day had a very good reception, the focus was on Friday for the debut of several DJs in our country. In this case, Farrago was presented as an unknown to some, but the Dutchman knew how to stand out with his set. Extremely hard and fast-paced techno that did not let up in the hour, and the crowd simply did not believe what was being experienced. By this point, the place was in full ecstasy and I think it was timely, as Giorgia Angiulli was also making her first appearance in Costa Rica. Always eccentric in her game, the Italian had a whole arsenal of instruments and objects to create the most epic and emotional atmospheres. Maybe she lowered the intensity a bit in terms of speed, but she knew how to keep everyone in a state of trance from start to finish.
Giorgia finished and we were ready to be destroyed by the last headliner of the night, as a very happy Amelie Lens appeared on the stage, ready to give everything in her first presentation. The intro plays out, and she drops the first kicks, which are like direct blows to the head of every raver present.
Amelie’s set was slightly reminiscent of what we heard from fellow compatriot Charlotte de Witte in the past, but she was tougher, more direct; each track was a really heavy and fast techno cut, a rapturous punishment rarely heard in our country. The climax comes with ‘Higher’, one of the tracks from her last EP, the public responds and Ocaso took us back to previous years where we could enjoy more frequent events.
Saturday, The path of Tico electronic music
After a devastating Friday, day 3 of the festival arrived, and given the line-up, we knew we were going to a guaranteed party. La Senda is already an old acquaintance of the scene and in a certain part, the most veteran attendees have a very special affection for it. Without a doubt, you could live an atmosphere of nostalgia even.
La Senda welcomed us with all its magic and mysticism, with a very well-executed stage and incredible light work. For this edition, the number of lasers and lights doubled according to the organizers. It is important to note that the security, cleaning, and logistics tasks, in general, were very orderly, at no time were there any disorders or situations that altered the event.
Palestine’s Sama’ Abdulhadi began with a darker shade of techno that took more than one by surprise. Even for us, it was a complete surprise to hear Sama’ so dark and merciless with the Costa Rican crowd, thumping techno with a mystical air that really he did not let us rest in her entire set. Sama’ said goodbye and gave her place to Doc Martin who is already a veteran in Ocaso. Latin-style tech house that had the public dancing and enjoying the return to this mythical place.
Doc Martin finishes and gave way to an unbilled stranger. There was no mention of him on the official lineup, but Gerd Janson knew just how to make himself known. House of the most faithful to the ’90s was his proposal, which was very well received by all. We’d even dare to say that Gerd’s set was one of the best of the entire festival, even taking into account previous editions. He really knew how to read the dancefloor and knew how to continue with the party we were living.
Already in the middle of the night, Gerd Janson closed his phenomenal set and it was time for our country to receive Solomun for the first time. The artist dazzled with his extended set, which would end past 9 AM in the morning. It was as if he was testing the attendees, dropping passages from techno, house, tribal, and other genres that had the public turned on at every twist and turn for an electric closing to the Ocaso Festival’s indelible voyage.
