Caprisono is the open-air project from the Capricho collective, a group of friends who split their time between Barcelona and Mexico. We spoke with the team about where it began, how they choose who plays, and why they almost stopped this year.
Capricho was a name in Mexico City’s underground before Caprisono existed. The party series, led by Bastard Love, has been described as one of the city’s defining underground nights, with bookings including Rhadoo and Voigtmann. The “micro festival” label has no strict definition, but it usually means a small capacity, few stages and an intimate format. Many such events grow out of a club night or party series, as this one did.
Interested to learn where the journey all began, we asked how Capricho came together as a collective, and why Caprisono started as a micro festival rather than a larger-scale event: “We are building Capricho and Caprisono step by step. We are not in a rush to create a large-scale event, even though we have a vision for the future that includes growing and reaching more people. For now, we want to keep things simple, raw, and vibey. We are happy with how far we have come with this third edition.
Caprisono started as an idea between friends. The concept is simple: bringing different worlds together through music and creating a space where people can connect.”
With an emphasis on sound system culture, the 2026 edition will run between 14th and 15th November at a secret location in the mountains outside Mexico City. Two stages will run for more than 20 hours across one night and the following day, and with Mexico having its own tradition in the sonideros, the large travelling sound systems attending Caprisono are an experience unlike any other. It was interesting to learn what sets this gathering apart from other events: “Caprisono reflects the identity and values of the Capricho collective. For us, the main difference is the focus on community, atmosphere, and sound system culture.
We see Caprisono as more than just a party. We want it to be a form of expression, almost like creating poetry through music, people, and the environment. The concept is simple, but we take every detail seriously. We have a loyal community built around shared values. We want everyone to feel free to be themselves in a safe and respectful environment, where people look after one another.”
Capricho’s split between Barcelona and Mexico shapes its booking. Barcelona hosts major international festivals such as Sónar and Primavera Sound, as well as a deep club circuit, so living there means constant exposure to new artists. Finding artists at live shows and inviting them directly, rather than booking through agencies, is a long-standing approach among collective-run events. It tends to produce lineups that feel personal rather than formulaic. It is clear that curation is central to Caprisono, so we explored how they choose the artists, sounds, venue and atmosphere, and what makes someone or something belong in Caprisono: “Caprisono is, first of all, a gathering of friends and a community. We invite artists we deeply respect, many of whom are also our friends. We build the festival together and bring in special guests who we consider legends within their own local scenes.
Since moving to Barcelona, we have been exposed to new sounds and artists, which has naturally expanded our musical horizons. Sometimes we discover artists through our travels, and when we find someone we really connect with, we love sharing them with our community.
Sibil is a good example. We saw her perform at Nest, one of our favourite festivals in Barcelona, and she blew our minds. We were not friends before that, but we discovered her through music. That is how we approach curation: we go out, listen, discover artists we love, connect with them, and invite them to become part of the project.”
Remote outdoor events face different problems from club nights: power, transporting sound systems, access roads, weather and permits. Mexico City sits at roughly 2,200 metres, and the surrounding ranges are higher still. The 2025 edition, on 8 November, was held at a ranch on the edge of the city, with its exact location initially listed as TBA. Looking back at the first edition, we wanted to know what has changed most in how they produce, program and experience Caprisono, and what has stayed the same, “We learn something new with every edition. Caprisono is a different kind of project for us because we are producing parties in unusual locations, surrounded by the mountains of Mexico.
What has stayed the same is the essence of the project. What has changed is the way we approach production and the attention we give to every detail. We believe in the idea that less is more, so we focus on making thoughtful improvements rather than adding things just for the sake of it.
We are constantly experimenting, adjusting different elements, and looking for ways to make each edition better while staying true to what Caprisono is about.”
Small festivals are operating in a hard financial climate. Artist fees, insurance, production and travel costs have all risen, and many independent events have cancelled or closed in recent years. International bookings add pressure, since fees are often paid in euros or dollars while tickets are sold in pesos. Keeping capacity small protects the atmosphere but also limits income. Growth and intimacy often pull in opposite directions, so we asked about the biggest challenge in growing the festival while keeping its micro-scale spirit: “Honestly, keeping this project alive is not easy. We always want to offer the best possible experience, but producing an event like this is expensive, and sometimes we only manage to break even.
We are not doing this for the money. For us, Caprisono is a platform for expression and an opportunity to introduce people to artists they might never have heard before. Creating that experience is what makes it worthwhile.
At the same time, we know the project needs to become financially sustainable if we want to keep growing. We almost stopped this year, but our love for music convinced us to continue. Finding a way to sustain the project without losing its essence is, for me, the biggest challenge.”
Mexico City has become a significant destination for electronic music in recent years, drawing international artists and visitors. A festival that starts among friends and ends up drawing people from other countries is a common path for scene-led events. It usually relies on word of mouth, social media and the artists’ own followings rather than traditional marketing. We also asked whether the community around Caprisono has shaped the festival in ways they didn’t expect, through the audience, the artists or their collaborators: “Our audience and community have grown, and one of the things that makes us happiest is that Caprisono is no longer just a gathering of friends. We are now welcoming people from all over the world, which gives us even more motivation to keep going.
We have also been fortunate to receive support from and collaborate with incredible artists and people along the way. That support has been essential. We feel very loved by our community, and without it, Caprisono simply would not exist.”
Mexico City’s live music landscape includes large commercial festivals such as Corona Capital and EDC Mexico, alongside a smaller network of independent promoters, collectives and venues. Independent projects tend to rely on self-funding, community support and partnerships with like-minded collectives. On the festival’s place in Mexico’s independent music and cultural scene, we asked what role they want it to play and what conversations they hope it contributes to: “We want Caprisono to be another safe space for people to experience music and connect with others. Although we are a local project, we are connected to the world, and we want to continue building bridges between different cultures and continents.
Our goal is to contribute to culture, freedom of expression, and a community of people who genuinely love music. We do this for the people who care about it as much as we do. Mexico City is a huge city that deserves independent cultural projects of its own. Caprisono is still young, but the response from the audience has been very positive. We want to build on that connection and continue contributing to the city’s independent music scene.”
The geography in Mexico gives outdoor events plenty of options, from the volcanic ranges around the capital to the Sierra Madre. Adding local live bands to a lineup built mainly on DJs reflects a wider shift, as electronic festivals increasingly mix live and DJ formats. Capricho’s movement between Barcelona and Mexico also makes it a transatlantic project, which fits the language of bridges between cultures. Finally, we asked where they see Caprisono and Capricho in five years, and what success would look like beyond ticket sales or size: “I see Caprisono growing beyond what it is today and expanding beyond Mexico City. We want to explore some of the most beautiful mountains across the country. We already have some incredible locations in mind, but we want to take things step by step and grow at our own pace.
Caprisono will remain our nature and open-air project. We want to collaborate with like-minded collectives, welcome artists from around the world, and support local talent. We are also starting to include local live bands in our curation, which is an exciting new direction for us.
Capricho, on the other hand, will continue moving between Barcelona and Mexico. I see the community growing over the next five years, and we are planning a major comeback in the city next year.
Beyond size or ticket sales, success would mean building a stronger community, discovering new artists, connecting different cultures, and creating something that can sustain itself over time without losing its identity. We want to grow, but we also want to preserve the spirit that brought us together in the first place.”
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