RENÉE MOOI Reveals: "PANTERA (ACÚSTICO)" First Single From New EP With LAST JERÓNIMO
A sound ritual.
Mexican artist Renée Mooi presents "Pantera (Acústico)", the first single from her new EP A Morir a los Desiertos. This piece marks the beginning of a profound journey that reimagines Mexican folklore from a contemporary sensibility with the help of the virtuoso jaranero Last Jerónimo.
“Pantera (Acústico)” is an exploration exercise that condenses centuries of syncretism, mestizaje, and sonic hybridization into just a few minutes. The piece is based on the jarana, a chordophone originally from Veracruz and the instrumental core of Son Jarocho.
This genre, born on the Gulf Coast during the 17th and 18th centuries, is the result of the encounter between Totonac and Nahua cultures, African rhythms, and Spanish Baroque music. The choice of the jarana as the sole instrument, masterfully played by Last Jerónimo, reveals not only its harmonic and rhythmic richness but also its power as a narrative medium.
Renée Mooi's vocal treatment evokes ranchera music, Spanish copla, and flamenco cante jondo, integrating melismas, modal breaks, and an expressiveness that is reminiscent of ritual. Her voice is not limited to quoting folklore; she embodies it, transforms it, and projects it as an emotional channel. In this piece, Hispanic-Arabic heritage, ornate scale, and pre-Hispanic sounds intertwine in a lively and profoundly Mexican sound experience.
Recorded in a pre-Hispanic cave in Teotihuacán, the music video for “Pantera (Acústico)” draws on the spiritual essence of the environment. The result is a testimony of connection with the land, with the ancestors, and with the mestizo lineage that defines Mooi's identity.
The production was in charge of Renée Mooi with Alan Santos, with mixing by Santos and mastering by Erick Urbina. The minimalism of the production highlights the ritual power of the jarana and vocal format, explored like never before.
This release serves as a preview of what the full EP will entail: a collaboration between Renée Mooi and Last Jerónimo that reinterprets Afro-Mexican folklore through a contemporary aesthetic.
With more than 15 years of career, Renée Mooi has established herself as one of the most proactive voices of the Mexican independent scene. Her music has resonated in stages such as Vive Latino, Bahidorá, the Zócalo of Mexico City, El Teatro de la Ciudad, La Feria de San Marcos, and high-profile events such as private dinners for Enrique Olvera, Cartier, and the Council of Leonora Carrington and Soho House (L.A. and Mexico City).
Her proposal fuses the ancestral with the avant-garde, the ceremonial with the sensorial, creating an immersive and deeply identity-based experience.