Adrian Quesada Boleros Psicodelicos LP (Red Vinyl)

It all began with the psychedelic weirdness of Los Pasteles Verdes.

About 20 years ago, guitarist, producer and Black Pumas co-founder Adrian Quesada was driving in his home base of Austin, Texas when the 1975 balada classic "Esclavo y Amo" by Peruvian band Los Pasteles Verdes played on a local AM station. Quesada was mesmerized by the song's dark, baroque melodrama.

"I swear to God, I had to pull over because I had never heard anything like it," he recalls with a laugh. "I was like, what the hell is this? Sounds like a romantic breakup on LSD. It completely, literally blew my mind. I then went to a record store that sold mostly Regional Mexican, got a Greatest Hits compilation and listened to it for many nights in a row. The music was sinister, so overly dramatic in a super funky way that sounded like a hip-hop sample. I almost expected Wu-Tang Clan to come on and start rapping."

What Quesada had discovered was the sophisticated - and slightly delirious - cultural movement of balada music that blossomed throughout Latin America between the late '60s and early '70s. A refined collision of bossa nova smoothness, Beatlesque psychedelia and torrid boleropathos, balada used art-pop instrumentation (mostly strings and harpsichords) and the warmth of analogue recording to maximum effect. It employed songs about heartbreak and longing as a means to transport the listener to an opulent, cinematic fantasy world.

Now, Quesada has penned a love letter to that golden era through Boleros Psicodélicos, a stunning album that lovingly recreates the specificity of the balada sound, adding a stellar list of guest vocalists and intriguing contemporary touches. The album features vocals from Puerto Rican icon, GRAMMY-winner and former Calle 13 member iLe, Colombian-American visionary Gabriel Garzón-Montano and Mexican R&B star Girl Ultra, as well as Angelica Garcia and Gaby Moreno, with contributions from living legends such as Marc Ribot and Beastie Boys musician Money Mark.

Boleros Psicodélicos consists primarily of original Adrian Quesada compositions, as well as covers of La Lupe's "Puedes Decir De Mi?," Jeanette's "El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes" and other balada classics. All twelve tracks were produced, engineered, mixed and largely performed by Adrian Quesada, honoring and extending the influence of a personal obsession that he has cultivated over the past 20 years.

Psychedelic boleros are just one of the many genres that Quesada has touched during an incredibly prolific career. He has collaborated with the likes of Prince, Los Lobos and Wu-Tang Clan's GZA, and has been a member of such eclectic bands as Grupo Fantasma, Brownout and Ocote Soul Sounds. Black Pumas, the duo he formed in 2018 with singer/songwriter Eric Burton, has been nominated for 5 GRAMMYs.