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Ocote Soul Sounds

The duo of Perna and Quesada developed their musical paths in eerily similar parallel universes. Though Quesada grew up in the Texas border-town of Laredo, and Perna came up in Philadelphia (later New York), both musicians straddled borders literally and artistically. Growing up on hip hop and the jazz and funk it was built on; both taught themselves to play multiple instruments; both had founded game-changing, booty-shaking big bands; and both were deeply moved by a powerful spirit of social and political activism, the spirit that was to become Ocote.A chance biodiesel breakdown, which left Martin stranded in Austin, led to the two playing around with some song ideas together, hitting the studio and ultimately resulted in their 2005 debut El Nino Y El Sol, Four years and three albums down the line, they have evolved into a seven-piece live outfit and continue to draw inspiration from a number of unusual sources: Cuban children's rhymes about the boogyman providing the basis for 'El Diablo Y El 'au 'au,' while 'Prince of Peace' is all about "a messiah coming back to town looking like Sun Ra, with this giant raucous marching band strutting down the streets"…quite!Outside of music, Martin is dedicated to the pursuit of alchemy and utopian projects such as biodiesel fuels, community art projects, and superadobe architecture. One recent work is BLACKOUT!, a coloring book.For more information about the music or other Ocote Soul Media projects, please visit our website.

Ocote Soul Sounds: The Ocote Way

by James Taylor
December 30, 2009

Ocote Soul Sound is the brainchild of two incredibly accomplished musicians, who continue to operate just under the radar;one more project to occupy the diminishingly available time of guitarist Adrian Quesada and flautist Martin Perna. With roots in the otherworldly grooves of label mates and benefactors Thievery Corporation, Ocote Soul Sounds' Coconut Rock (ESL, 2009), builds on the band's “Chicanos in Outer Space" groove by adding a cinematic quality reminiscent of David Axelrod, Weather Report and other fusion era powerhouses.

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Album Review

Ocote Soul Sounds: The Alchemist Manifesto

Read "The Alchemist Manifesto" reviewed by James Taylor

by James Taylor
June 10, 2008

Ocote Soul Sounds was born of strange conditions--a failed biodiesel-fueled road trip that lead to jam sessions in Austin, TX, that in turn lead to the cross country trade of mp3s and song ideas, that gave birth to a surprising debut, last years' independently released Electric Tides. Masterminded by two of the freshest voices in new music today, Ocote Soul Sounds is in top form on The Alchemist Manifesto, a worldly mix of sounds found “at the intersection of the ...

286

Album Review

Ocote Soul Sounds & Adrian Quesada: El Ni

Read "El Ni" reviewed by Ernest Barteldes

by Ernest Barteldes
August 6, 2006

In this welcome pseudo-soundtrack, Latin percussion and woodwinds meet electronica, conventional instruments and other sounds to create a unique mix that explores various moods. In one instance, you have '70s-inspired funk with a salsa-ish backbeat that lends itself to a lot of improvised moments on saxophone and flute. In another, you have a dreamy ambient soundscape that leads you to a completely different place. In between, you have a saxophone freely traveling through a semi-psychedelic background formed by guitar, bass, ...

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Interview

Ocote Soul Sounds Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
December 30, 2009

Ocote Soul Sound is the brainchild of two incredibly accomplished musicians, who continue to operate just under the radar; one more project to occupy the diminishingly available time of guitarist Adrian Quesada and flautist Martin Perna. With roots in the otherworldly grooves of label mates and benefactors Thievery Corporation, Ocote Soul Sounds' Coconut Rock (ESL, 2009), builds on the band's “Chicanos in Outer Space" groove by adding a cinematic quality reminiscent of David Axelrod, Weather Report and other fusion era ...
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205

Recording

Ocote Soul Sounds: The Psychedelic Offspring of Antibalas and Grupo Fantasma

Source: rock paper scissors, inc.
June 3, 2009

The Catalysts of Coconut Rock: Ocote Soul Sounds Creative Mutations and Funky Beats

Just a sliver of the ocote wood starts a blaze. A few pieces of this pine was all Martn Perna needed to get his cooking fires started in a small fishing village in Michoacn, Mexico. It was there that Pernaknown for founding Antibalas, the NYC collective that sparked an Afrobeat revivalfound a new direction.

“For several years, I'd spend time in this little fishing village," Perna recounts, ...
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