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Bola de Nieve (11 September 1911 – 2 October 1971)
Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, nicknamed Bola de Nieve (snowball) - pianist, singer and songwriter - was one of the most charismatic cultural figures of his times. Black and gay, and self-confident with it, he disarmed his…
SNOWBOY AND THE LATIN SECTION: NEW YORK AFTERNOON'. (SNOWBOY RECORDS)
One of the UK leading Conguero Snowboy is back, this time on his own label and delivering his latest Mambo/Salsa album! Snowboy and the Latin Section: New York Afternoon, his very own tribute to the NY
Bridges and Walls
With 1.5 billion YouTube views, a 3x platinum debut album in Mexico and a second album premiering at #1 all over Latin America and several Grammys, what makes Jesse and Joy one of Latin America's biggest emerging acts? As…
Latin Londoners of 2018
As Latin artists are making the mark ever more indelibly in the UK, we celebrate those who stood out this year, earning the support from both the public and the discerning LUKAS judges to win awards for their artistic excellence…
LATIN LONDONER #25 - Jamy - Singer-songwriter
Jamy is a Colombian singer, whose latest critically-acclaimed Tropical album "Cuentos de la Luna" (Moon tales), includnig Bachat and Kizomba - was produced in the Dominican Republic and is available on iTunes, Spotify…
Golden Days
Four-time Latin Grammy winners Aterciopelados defined a new Golden Era of Colombian pop music when it exploded onto the Latin pop scene back in 1993, going on to become one of Colombia’s best known pop bands of the 1990s. With a…
Dominican Shades
Lara Morgenstern reflects on the enviable coolness of Vicente Garcia, when she meets the Dominican singer-songwriter, clad in sunglasses on a cloudy London day.
Woman on the Verge: Ona Mafalda
"I am what I do," is how self-described compulsive composer, inevitable lyricist and optional instrumentalist Ona Mafalda identifies. Her music often leads to comparisons with artists such as Lorde, Mitski, Florence…
True Romantic
We talk to four-time Latin Grammy winner Andrés Cepeda about how girls inspired him to start writing music, his secret shot of aguardiente to calm nerves and love as the engine of life. There's no doubt about it, the much…
Just Another Lonely Latin Hit?
We’ve seen it before, the querky pop tune with a tropical feel that gets under the UK’s skin for a while. Every so often they hit this cold little island, create a Latin craze and then disappear. In the nineties we had ‘Mambo no.…
Reggaeton producer Tainy releases his first EP
Puerto Rican producer Tainy, made an appearance this time as an artist with his debut EP, ‘The Kids Who Grew Up on Reggaeton: Neon Tapes’ , released via his boutique label NEON16 and Roc Nation Records.
It's OK to Love a Love Song…in Spanish
Love e'm or hate 'em, nobody can deny the power of a good love song. Especially when it's in Spanish. No, not even Phil Collins and Bryan Adams can top the Latino crooners. Actually, especially them. A sentimental…
Divine Sensuality
From his lyrics that verge on magical realism, to his intensely sensual melodies, the undecipherable enigma that is Juan Luis Guerra has defined a generation who have danced to his music and dreamed his dreams. Latino Life steals…
Real People Hurt
The female voice of self-assured sensitivity, angst, frustration, betrayal, love, yearning and truth was once a staple of music. But somewhere along the line the frank and authentic female vocalist has been lost. Cue the…
A Fan’s Dream Comes True
What happens when the UK’s most famous music fan and his long time idol, arguably Latin America’s most gifted guitarist, get together? Corina Poore visited Jools Holland and Jose Feliciano to learn about an English presenter’s…
LATIN LONDONER #9 Paco Peña - Flamenco Guitarist
The Spanish Flamenco Maestro who has become living example of an artist that has explored the best of London’s diversity and multiculturalism whilst cherishing his Spanish roots to make simply beautiful music.
Sounds Like London - Part 2
In part 2 of our feature on a new generation Latin musicians in London producing a Spanglish melting pot of unique sounds, we profile more emerging bi-cultural artists.
Bad Gyal at The 02 Forum
The rising Catalan pop star made a return to London at the 02 Forum as part of her debut album tour ‘La Joia - 24 karats’ - a performance of hard-hitting club anthems, electric energy and irresistible dancing, dampened at times…
An interview with Quimantu
Sarah Quarmby talks Latin rhythms, left-wing politics and educational duties with Mauricio Venegas-Astorga and Rachel Pantin from Quimantu. Photo credit: Harriet Armstrong
Típica 73 Tunes That Rock the Dance Floor
When it comes to NY salsa, rare were the bands that could compete with Típica 73 in their heyday. One of the most progressive, experimental but also heartfelt bands from the scene they had some of the most acclaimed singers of…
We haven’t killed Salsa! Part 1
Earlier this year we published a piece 'Did Salsa Dancers Kill Salsa Music?' which generated much controversy. In a passionate response, Kerry Ribchester argues that we haven't killed Salsa, we are more in love…
It Takes Three to Tango
Plaza Francia is changing perceptions in the tango world. Consisting of ex-Gotan Project’s Christoph Müller and Eduardo Kakaroff and solo singer Catherine Ringer, the Paris-based group is propelling tango music into mainstream…
Sounds Like London
A new generation of Latin musicians in London are creating entirely new genres as they draw on and fuse the sounds of urban London and British pop with tropical beats and melodies to produce a Spanglish melting pot of unique…
TAMBOLERO by Totó la Momposina y Sus Tambores (Real World)
A wonderfully ambitious remixing and remastering of her classic album La Candela Viva.
Woman on the Verge: Lala Hayden
Having gained notoriety and popularity fronting indie outfit Anteros, Catalan-British singer-songwriter Laura 'LALA' Hayden is now diving deep into her solo project under the guise of Lala Hayden. Empowering, powerful…
WOMAN IN THE VERGE: Sila Lua
Born in Galicia, Sila Lua started her musical career while studying music production in London and released two EPs ('The Black Door' and 'Vía') before 'ROMPE', her sea-culture inspired debut album.…
LINA TUR BONET & MUSICA ALCHEMICA bring new shine to ‘Il Grosso Mogul’ of Vivaldi
LINA TUR BONET & MUSICA ALCHEMICA have recently released a superb new recording of ‘Il Grosso Mogul’. The CD “Antonio Vivaldi Il Grosso Mogul, Violin Concertos & Sonatas” includes some of the lesser known music of Vivaldi…
The Gentleman with the Bad Ass Voice
Gilberto Santa Rosa shows no sign of slowing down. Jose Luis Seijas caught up with the Puerto Rican icon to discover that the rumours were true: he really is ‘The Gentleman of Salsa,’ as often referred to - the nice guy of Latin…
Eliades Ochoa's Fantasy Island Discs
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 Eliades Ochoa, known as Mr Chan Chan in his hometown of Santiago de Cuba, from…
THE AUGUST REGGAETON RECAP
August is in-your-face with many artists on this list capitalising not only their songs but their names too. This month is also a final opportunity to soak up the sun and digest August’s hottest hits. One song features a well-…
The Salsa Group that IS Cali - an interview wth Grupo Niche
It has been said that 'Grupo Niche IS Cali and Cali IS Niche', indeed Niche is the most significant band to come out of the Colombian cIty that is known as the 'Capital of Salsa' more, and arguably out of…
Trovador Extraordinaire
In an era where bland music and meaningless lyrics pollute the airwaves, singer-songwriters such as Pablo Milanes, the legendary Cuban icon and one of the founders of Nueva Trova, are revered more than ever. His songs about the…
THE LUKAS MUSIC WINNERS 2019
Undoubtedly the best ever year in terms of the range and quality of nominations, we proudly present this year’s LUKAS winners 2019 for Outstanding Contribution to Music
We Love Sergio Mendes
Sergio Mendes may not have been the main originator of bossa nova - one of the most innovative musical movement of the 20th Century - he may not have been the most talented musician to come out of Brazil, but he became the most…
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APRIL REGGAETON RECAP
Latin women are dominating the documentary industry in the past four weeks. Whether it was Anitta…
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Before Palermo became Palermo Soho, full of boutique hotels, over-priced restaurants and…
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Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…
