Cuban collective Interactivo is a second-beer-of-the-night band. The group play music ushering listeners from the early swaying of the evening to the more rumbling rhythms of night. It would work wonders in any space, but as the first band playing Fuji Rock’s Thursday night preview, Interactivo shined as a gateway into the weekend proper.

They started with relaxed funk for a crowd that was still assembling at the Red Marquee. Interactivo merged easy-breezy beats with brass blurts — with a claves-like clacking adding some nice detail. But early on, they opted for wordless grooves, establishing a relaxed atmosphere for the thousands of punters dancing lightly to the music just after the sun set.

But this just made the ramp up towards release all the more effective as the set went on. With each subsequent song Interactivo ratcheted up the energy, singing and even shouting over swifter drumming. It all boiled over with the final two songs. Both numbers shot for a party-starting mood, every instrument and vocal careening into one another to create a rave up that nearly everyone under the tent got swept up in. It was the right way to get the crowd ready for the three days to come.