All the way from Cuba, the best act in Cuba in fact, says the Fuji Rock promoter who brought them here, Los Guanches banged out authentic salsa and merengue that rattled the wood floor at Café de Paris three times throughout the course of the fest, as well as a late night jammer at the Pyramid Garden.

They also get the “longest conga line” award for Fuji Rock 2013, having a wrap-around boogie train snaking the circumference of Café de Paris, so long in fact that the line was able to high-five itself at one point.

Thanks to the dancing duo that made their debut in the second song, showcasing super quick salsa moves and inviting audience members to try out the dance floor, what was at first a somber crowd, looking exhausted from the rain and sighing when the stage manager took their chairs away and made everyone stand up, began shaking their booties and appreciating the fact that they get to hear Cuba’s finest in such an intimate setting.

So intimate in fact was the Café, while selling Havana Club rum mixers and 1000 Yen real Cuban cigars to coat the livers and lungs of everyone with shades of the Caribbean, the dancers during their break took a stack of CDs and stickers around in the crowd and hustled their goods to the innocent and musically infected audience.

You can take Los Guanches out of Cuba, but you can’t take the Cuba out of Los Guanches.

Can’t really blame them though, I mean you actually have to commend their outgoing confidence and professional attitude. After all, they came here to perform and get paid to do so, and with a large band like theirs, they need to make sure the money will go around.

That said, everything else aside, it was a rare treat to see this Los Guanches act in the flesh, almost two decades of performing under their belts, bringing a taste of their island to ours. It is that unique and worldwide diversity you can always expect from Fuji Rock, and one aspect of this world-class fest that keeps people coming back.