Features
Interviews
A Nahomy at O2 Academy2 Islington
Headline Show by A Nahomy, the rising sensation in the UK's Latin music scene, on November 26th featuring an exceptional lineup of emerging Latino artists from the UK.
Susana Baca's Fantasy Island Tracks
If you were stranded on a desert island, which tracks would you absolutely need to get you through those times of despair? Our castaway this month is Susana Baca, the greatest international exponent of Afro-Peruvian music, having contributed so much to its worldwide popularity. Known around the globe for her barefoot performances, flowing shawls and divine aura, Baca’s music is characterised by traditional Afro-Peruvian instruments cajón, udu, quijada, aswell as cheko, previously unknown by mainstream audiences. "There are a lot of songs that have inspired me during my life, these that I’m about to describe, touched me so much in a particular moment that they marked my life forever," says Susana Baca.
Renaissance Man
Doctor, poet and musician, Jorge Drexler has taken the long and winding road to global success. Winning an Oscar at 41 – the first ever for a song not sung in English – was just the beginning. Now recognised as one of the finest singer-songwriters of his generation, the Uruguayan’s career is blooming. Amaranta Wright talks to the man in his musical prime, ahead of his show in London.
Ismael Miranda Tunes That Rock the Dance Floor
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in NY, Ismael Miranda was part as of the original “Fania All Stars” line up, as well as being the lead voice for Joey Pastrana and Larry Harlow’s band and then leading his very own crew, with a career spanning over 50 years of music. His music is still played in Latin clubs all over the world - a favourite for salsa dancers - and his discography is one of the most completes all of salsa singers in history, with more than 50 albums under his name.
The LatinoLife Incubator 2024
The LatinoLife Incubators are UK industry events for all those with a professional interest in the creation, promotion and distribution of Latin Music. It is a chance for artists, promoters, venue managers, festival curators, labels, distributors and media to rub shoulders with key figures in the music industry, get inspired, share ideas and experiences and make big plans. This Edition focuses on Managers and Producers. In two panel discussions, leading figures will share their knowledge and experience of how their industry works.
Spotlight on...L-Gante
Ahead of his debut London appearance this Friday we profile the pioneer of 'RKT' - a musical genre that stems from mixing reggaetón beats and cumbia villera sounds, a style very particular to Argentina, with heavy tones from the Buenos Aires villa (slums). For Argentines who had always been used to the white middle class looking music stars like Fito Paez, Spinetta, Charly Garcia, L-Gante was different...the musical ambassador of the villa, which has proved massively popular. He is currently one of Argentina's biggest artists with 5 million IG followers and over a billion streams.
By Genre
Reclaiming The Streets
Ryan Castro is the latest in a string of Medellin music sensations to reach global fame, with hits such as Jordan, Wasa Wasa, Malory and Mujeriego. Just as Colombia’s ‘City of Eternal Spring’ has come to be known as the new capital of Latin Music, 'El Cantante Del Ghetto’ as he is known, marks a new turn for reggaetón. Where Maluma is the glamour king, Castro is the self-made boy next door, fresh out of the slums; while Medellin’s pretty boy is waxing about luxury holidays in Hawaii, this Paisa talks about flexing his Jor-dans at the local parche. LatinoLife meets reggaetón’s new parsero to find a special appeal.
The Juanes Mash Up
The Colombian music landscape has transformed dramatically over the last 10 years, with reggaetón becoming the new pop, but one Medellín rockero has transcended all trends and remains as relevant today doing the music he loves. Soon to play in London with his ‘Origen’ tour, which goes back to his musical roots and inspirations, we go down memory lane with Juanes and the music that touched us all growing up.
Smoulder Smoulder: My Secret Love of Luis Miguel
If you’ve never heard of Luis Miguel, you’ve been living an empty life. The Netflix series on the Mexican crooner, who is widely regarded as the most successful artist in Latin American history, literally bigger than Jesus, reignites powerful memories for LatinoLife’s editor. After watching the traumatic and tragic incidents in Luis Miguel's life, which even Mexico’s most extreme telenovela couldn’t make up, Amaranta Wright revisits a weird encounter with Latin America's biggest star in Buenos Aires back in 1996.
Hector Lavoe Tunes That Rock the Dancefloor
And we come to the man simply named 'La Voz' (The Voice). Considered by many as the greatest salsa singer ever, Hector Lavoe was a legend in Latin America, both in life and in death. His voice, charisma, stage presence and personality cemented him as the symbol and sound of New York's golden era of salsa and made him an icon. His collaborations with Willie Colon are all classics and his own albums are some of the best Salsa albums of his era. We could write a whole essay on his music! It was hard to choose only 10 songs, his repertoire is so complete and he pretty much delivered every time he did a recording! So we pay homage to "the Singer of Singers" and some of his most danceable songs!!
The Wonderful World of Tim Maia
Back in the 1970s the deep velvety voice of Tim Maia sparked a revolution in Brazilian mainstream culture that went well beyond music, igniting the rise of the Black Rio movement. His bassy tone, resembling that of his funk and soul brothers in the US, expressed his desire to give black people in Brazil a voice. Sung about by contemporaries such as Jorge Ben and talked about by soul greats such as James Brown and Stevie Wonder, Tim Maia’s influence went beyond Brazil, and reverberated around the world. Here we celebrate that larger than life Brazilian singer still remembered and loved today
THE POWER OF NOW: An Interview with Cultura Profética
Cultura Profética is one of Puerto Rico's most influential bands. Formed in 1996, the group came to encapsulate what it is to be Latin Caribbean with its unique fusion of Caribbean reggae and Latin genres such as bossa nova, tango, jazz and salsa. Their polemical lyrics never shy from addressing socio-political and ecological issues, including Latin American identity and environmental concerns, as well as interpersonal relationships and love. As it celebrates its 25th anniversary with a world tour, we talk about music and politics with Puerto Rico’s most unique musical export ahead of its performance in London.
Odd One Out
Hailed as one of the most promising jazz musicians of her generation, Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana is somewhat of an anomoly. Amaranta Wright meets Blue Note’s latest signing and discovers an incredible journey from a country with little jazz tradition to being the talk of the jazz world.
Camarón de la Isla, Spanish Flamenco Singer (1950-1992)
Camarón de la Isla was considered by many as the gipsy god of flamenco. Today we remember his legacy and his legendary trajectory that left a mark in Spanish music history, leaving his memory to be respected with great zeal.