Exclusives
Partying in a Bodega Is Officially a Thing
In conversation with Dos Flakos and DJ Guari, the masterminds behind MUNDO Soundsystem, and Jay Needham of Tequila Cazadores & Agave, to discover how Bronx bodegas became the hottest nightlife destinations.
- By: Julianne Elise Beffa I Photos By: Angel Montavo
The fluorescent lights hum above a crowded Bronx bodega, stacks of plantain chips and bags of candy illuminate under the glow. A DJ spins in the corner, wedged between the fridge and the ATM, while bodies move shoulder to shoulder to a pulsing reggaeton beat. The scent of bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches mingles with the sharp tang of Cazadores Cristalino cocktails. At 1 a.m., this ordinary corner store has transformed into the city’s most electric dance floor. People are screaming, laughing, and waving jerseys in the air, and for a few hours, the Bronx is the center of the universe. This is MUNDO Soundsystem, the Bronx-born movement transforming everyday corner stores into full-blown nightlife experiences, part community block party, part underground rave, all heart.
Founded by Dos Flakos and DJ Guari, MUNDO is not just an event; it is a cultural uprising. It is nightlife stripped of pretense and built on pride, a movement where the city’s soul pulses to a reggaeton beat. And now, in partnership with Tequila Cazadores, a brand with nearly a century of heritage rooted in Jalisco, Mexico, that local energy is going national. What began as a Bronx phenomenon is now a cross-country Bodega Rave Tour, bringing uptown authenticity to cities like Chicago and San Francisco, complete with surprise DJs, Cazadores Cristalino cocktails, and limited-edition jerseys that have become collector’s items in their own right.
“When people ask if MUNDO started as an experiment, we tell them no,” Dos Flakos told LOOP Mag in an exclusive interview. “The culture and energy of the Bronx has always been here. We just got tired of leaving our borough to be seen when we make such a huge contribution to nightlife in New York City.” That Bronx-born authenticity is MUNDO’s secret sauce. What started as a neighborhood party quickly became one of the most talked-about nightlife movements in the country, crowned Time Out New York’s “Best Nightlife Event” and landing on New York Magazine’s “Reasons to Love New York” list in 2024. Even Diplo and Major Lazer have shown up, but fame is not the goal here. For MUNDO, it is about representing the block.
“The moment it clicked was during one of our parties when Flako began shouting out every borough and people from everywhere, even Jersey, screamed back,” DJ Guari recalls. “That is when we realized people were traveling far for what we built in our backyard.” That backyard, the Bronx, is more than geography. “Home is home at the end of the day,” Flakos adds. “The Bronx shaped our sound, our experiences, and our identity. No matter how big the stages get, our community keeps us grounded. We are still kids from the Bronx who love playing for our people.”
Crowds flood bodegas-turned-dancefloors to experience something that feels both nostalgic and new, gritty, glamorous, and completely original. “Bodegas are already community spaces where culture lives,” Flakos says. “Turning them into raves was a natural extension of that energy: dancing, chopped cheeses, nutcrackers, sweating under bright lights. It is the most New York thing ever.”
Enter Tequila Cazadores, one of Mexico’s most iconic tequila brands, founded in 1922 in the highlands of Jalisco. When their global team discovered what MUNDO was doing in the Bronx, it was not a typical brand partnership pitch, it was a spark of recognition. “What caught our attention about MUNDO Soundsystem was how effortlessly they turn music into community,” says Jay Needham, Global Senior Brand Director for Tequila Cazadores. “Their Bodega Rave concept celebrates culture by meeting people in communities they’re already a part of. It’s inclusive, it’s creative, and built from real passion. Which is exactly what we aim to do at Tequila Cazadores.”
That synergy led to something more profound than co-branding. It became, as Needham puts it, “a cultural exchange rather than a sponsorship. From the beginning, we didn’t want this to feel like a logo slapped on a flyer. We wanted to be part of something that already had deep cultural meaning. MUNDO built this movement from the Bronx outward, fueled by community, creativity, and pride. For Tequila Cazadores, that mirrors everything we stand for as an authentically Mexican brand.”
Nightlife has always been about dualities, high and low, gritty and glamorous, champagne and chopped cheese. The MUNDO x Cazadores collaboration thrives in that tension. “Many heritage brands stay in the ‘polished, premium’ lane,” Needham admits, “but we believe that’s where real culture happens. Bodegas are more than corner stores, they’re everyday gathering spots and places where people connect. It’s premium, but it’s never pretentious. As our brand mantra is ‘real tequila for real people,’ that’s exactly what this is.”
For MUNDO, that authenticity is non-negotiable. “We treat everyone on the same level,” Flakos says. “The crowd, the performers, bartenders, security, everyone. Ego stays outside. The big artists who come through love it exactly as it is because it is raw and innovative. The community defines the vibe, and that will never change.”
If there is one thing that perfectly captures this partnership, it is the drink menu. For the Bodega Rave Tour, Cazadores created custom Cristalino cocktails inspired by classic New York nutcrackers, the colorful bottled drinks you might grab on a hot day in the Bronx. Except this time, they are premium, portable, and perfectly balanced. “That contrast was exactly what made it exciting,” Needham says. “Cristalino has this duality, it looks crystal-clear and modern but carries the depth of an aged tequila. Serving it in a bodega setting gave it a new dimension. We created the cocktail offerings around riffs on the nutcracker and incorporated tropical flavors that fit the vibe, so the drinks tasted premium and fresh, yet aesthetically part of the neighborhood.”
Two standouts from the tour are the Caribbean Wave, a pineapple-lime Tajín masterpiece, and The EJ DJ, a guava-coconut-lime blend that screams Uptown summer. Fans can sip them at the rave or recreate them at home, a nod to Cazadores’ goal of making the experience accessible to all.
What began in a single Bronx corner store has evolved into a national movement. With the support of Cazadores, MUNDO’s Bodega Rave Tour has hit Chicago, San Francisco, and more cities on the horizon. But with expansion comes the challenge of keeping the soul intact. “Bodegas are a Northeast thing,” DJ Guari says, “so seeing people in Chicago and the West Coast fall in love with this has been surprising and exciting. We are sharing the Bronx with the world and they are embracing it.”
Each city has its own rhythm and energy, Needham adds, “but the common thread of music is something that unites people from different geographic locations in a way that feels special and exactly what we were aiming to capture with this program- bringing people together with good music, dance, and tequila.” The response has been electric. “Seeing the excitement and large turnout in new cities like Chicago and San Francisco has been a highlight,” Needham says. “The energy and passion that the fans bring for the experience reinforces why we are doing this.”
The common thread of music is something that unites people from different geographic locations in a way that feels special and exactly what we were aiming to capture with this program
Alongside the music and cocktails, MUNDO’s limited-edition jersey, pictured below, has become the unofficial uniform of the movement, a wearable piece of the culture that connects fans coast to coast. “A jersey represents a team,” Flakos says. “When people wear ours, they are representing MUNDO, Cazadores, and the Bronx. Fashion is a major part of Uptown culture so we wanted something people could take home and wear proudly.” For Cazadores, it was the perfect extension of the collaboration. “We wanted to tap their personal style and create a custom piece that would resonate with Bodega Rave fans. The limited-edition jersey captures the essence behind the Bodega Rave Tour- there’s no dress code and personal style is highly encouraged,” Needham explains.
In an era when nightlife is shifting, with Gen Z embracing micro-events, sober parties, and daylife experiences, MUNDO and Cazadores are showing that community still wins. “Nightlife is becoming more personal and intentional,” Needham says. “People are choosing quality over quantity when it comes to their drinks and that’s a good thing. Our role is to keep creating experiences that bring people together, however they choose to participate. Even if attendees aren’t drinking at the moment, we are still able to help create a space where they can have a good time and find community, which is at the core of everything we do.”
For MUNDO, that creativity without limits is the future. “We are building culture on our own terms,” Guari says. “Whether it is day or night, inside or outside, in a bodega or on a global stage, people expect one thing and we give them something new. The future of nightlife is creativity without limits and that is exactly what MUNDO represents.”
So what does a perfect MUNDO x Cazadores night feel like? Dos Flakos doesn’t hesitate. “It feels like community. A packed floor, everyone vibing with Cazadores Cristalino nutcrackers in hand, and a room full of people from different backgrounds all moving together. We are giving our city something positive and innovative to celebrate. No matter how big it gets, our purpose stays the same- to represent the Bronx everywhere we go.” In that moment, surrounded by bass, bodega cats, and a sea of jerseys, the line between global brand and neighborhood block blurs. What is left is the shared heartbeat of culture, real, loud, and completely alive. “When someone walks into a Bodega Rave and thinks, this feels like home, that’s everything,” Needham adds.
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