VIDEO PREMIERE: Orquestra Pacifico Tropical Gallop Forward with Frenetic & Lively Psychedelic Cumbia on “Entre La Montaña”

There’s a certain electricity that follows Orquestra Pacifico Tropical—a sense that what started as a local experiment has grown into something far more communal, far more alive. Formed in 2012 by Portland scene mainstays David “Papi” Fimbres and Carlos Segovia, the group emerged from the same creative spark that fueled their Latinx dance night, Double Latinum Platinum, at the now-shuttered Tiga. What began as a shared love for classic Peruvian and Colombian cumbia quickly evolved into a full-fledged band with a reputation for turning any room into a swirling, sweat-soaked celebration.

Pulling from a rotating cast of friends and collaborators, Orquestra Pacifico Tropical has, over the years, taken on the shape of a true collective. Nearly 20 musicians have passed through its ranks, each bringing their own history from across Portland’s fertile indie and experimental scenes. That fluidity has only sharpened the band’s identity, resulting in a sound that feels both rooted and constantly in motion—psychedelic cumbia delivered with urgency, looseness, and a deep respect for tradition.

The band’s evolution comes into full view on their third album El Poder (due out June 19th), a record born from a stormy weekend retreat on the Oregon coast. Holed up in a beachside cabin, the band tapped into the moody atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, sketching out ideas in an intimate, free-flowing setting that prized spontaneity over perfection. Those early sessions laid the groundwork for an album that expands beyond cumbia’s traditional borders, weaving in touches of salsa and hazy, regionally inspired psychedelia.

The result is a band operating at full tilt—deeply collaborative, sonically adventurous, and still anchored by the rhythms that brought them together in the first place. With El Poder, Orquestra Pacifico Tropical doesn’t just refine its sound—it stretches it, offering a vibrant, lived-in vision of modern Latin music that feels as communal as it does forward-thinking.

Today, Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the standout track “Entre La Montaña” along with its accompanying music video. While the song is clearly rooted in frenetic cumbia and explosive brass-band energy, the band also incorporates elements of psych rock and even subtle notes of klezmer into the bubbling cauldron of intensity. Indeed, the song gallops along with unpredictable abandon as the band layers in sharpened guitar shredding, roiling percussion, and otherworldly vocals that sound like they are being projected from atop a mountain and distorted through a wild acid trip. It’s this dynamic that has always made them such an impressive live act, and this tune begs to be experienced in that setting.

The band describes the inspiration and process behind the song and the video:

This track was written with the intention of bringing the listener closer to their ancestry & understanding where we all come from. The title translates to “Enter The Mountain,” and the lyrics touch on the subject by exclaiming, “We enter the mountain, where our ancestors dwell. There, we speak to them and talk about the past, present & future and what that means to us as a society.” As humanity is dealing with and understanding new concepts & perspectives of life, we turn to our ancestors for knowledge of empathy, compassion, love & patience for all humankind.

The video features members of OPT walking into the mountains of NW Portland to an iconic & classic location called The Witch Castle. We thought it was not only appropriate and fitting for the second single, but also a really cool spot that reflects the song’s urgency and gives a nod to our beloved city.

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