Founded as a stylistically wide-ranging Latin-themed side project of Martín Perna of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Ocote Soul Sounds often incorporates Adrian Quesada of Grupo Fantasma and is affiliated with Eighteenth Street Lounge Music, the label of Thievery Corporation. Perna made his debut as Ocote Soul Sounds in 2003, and a year later he released El Niño y el Sol (2004), a full-length collaboration with Quesada. Critics took notice of the album's wide range of styles (i.e., Afro-beat, salsa, jazz, funk, hip-hop, downtempo, lounge). By the time of 2008's The Alchemist Manifesto, Ocote Soul Sounds had evolved beyond a studio project, also functioning as a dynamic live band. ~ Jason Birchmeier