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The Grandfather of Brazilian Hip Hop
When you're talking about Latin Hip Hop, you can't get much bigger than Marcelo D2. A former vocalist of the band Planet Hemp, Marcelo D2 started his solo career in 1998 with the album Eu Tiro É Onda. After many years…
Grupo Niche 35 Aniversario (Codiscos)
This Colombian salsa institution shows no sign of stopping. Even after the death of its founder and musical brain Jairo Varela, this album shows how the Cali group has managed to keep the band going without losing quality or…
THE MARCH REGGAETON RECAP
The five songs below are just as unpredictable as the weather (in the best way possible). Whether you’re feeling like a club anthem or hearing some sounds that transport you back to the 2010’s, the past four weeks of music have…
Afro-Cuba returns to Africa via London
A triumphant reunion for Boncana Maïga’s transatlantic charanga orchestra Las Maravillas De Mali...not so much a reunion as a reformation. Octogenarian master flautist, composer and arranger Boncana Maïga was the only original…
The Resurrection of Fania
Everyone knows the legendary tunes that came out of Fania. Like all empires, Fania’s went into decline after the 1990s. For many years the catalogue of iconic albums that sold millions, made superstars of Latin artists such as…
Lizandro Meza “Salsita Mami” (Disco Fuentes)
Colombia's iconic king of Cumbia, LIzandro Meza, delves into the world of salsa with flavour and passion
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical and Cumbia
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical & Cumbia
THE LONG EXHALE
Not many artists can say their very first release changed the trajectory of their career, but Alvaro Soler certainly can. It’s been a decade since a young Soler burst onto the Latin pop scene with his breakout debut single ‘El…
The Language of No Language
A rising force in the London jazz scene, Allexa Nava is celebrated for her technical brilliance and ability to weave her Peruvian heritage into contemporary improvisation. Having arrived in the UK unable to speak English, to this…
Stand Still and Listen: The Vinyl Museum of Salsoteca
Music fans and dancers unite in their passion for Salsa's vinyl at London's Tate Modern 'Salsoteca' event
THE OCTOBER REGGAETON RECAP
Autumn is here in full force and it brings with it a mixed bag of artists with conflicted opinions. Ana Mena's latest single sees her moving on from her former lover and seeking revenge, o while Tini is craving her past…
Bebel Gilberto'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? This castaway, world renowned and multi-Grammy-nominated Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa nova icon Joao…
THE FEBRUARY REGGAETON RECAP | 2026
It might only be February, but Reggaeton is currently in one of its most successful months so far. Whether it’s Bad Bunny absolutely blowing audiences’ minds at the Super Bowl or the Premio Lo Nuestro Awards, Latin music has been…
MARCOS VALLE- SEMPRE- Far Out (FARO 211 LP)
For several decades, Marcos Valle’s winning formula of well-produced bossa/boogie/beach vibes has been a shoo-in for non-Brazilian MPB fans and Sempre, his 28th album, is no different.
TOP 10 BANDAS DE ROCK EN ESPANOL
Latin American rock is not only a musical genre, it is a language that we used to speak about social realities, cultural revolutions, and shared feelings in all the continent. From the melancholy in the south to the rhythm…
VAN VAN Tracks That Rock the Dancefloor
Call it Salsa or Songo, Los Van Van is the most iconic post-revolution Cuban band. They combine that high-octane, adrenaline-fuelling energy driven by their salsa cum funk rythmns, and the sweetness of their melodies provided by…
Juan Formell (1942-2014)
Simplemente...without Juan Formell Cuban music wouldn’t be the same. Those of you who ever couldn’t stop humming Abre que voy, Me Pone la Cabeza Mala, or Me Mantego after an amazing party know very well what we mean…
Ibero-African Tragi-harmony
Paco Peña, arguably the best-known flamenco guitarist and composer outside Spain, talks about the musical harmony and human tragedy of Africa’s relationship with Spain. In his upcoming dance show at Sadler's Well's…
Latin Pop's Feminine Side
Bomba Estéreo has paid its ‘derecho de piso’ and proved that it’s not just another ‘alternative’ Latin band adding funk beats to folklore. With a 20 year trajectory writing and producing innovative songs, founder and bassist of…
Things That Matter to…Carlos Paul
Carlos Paul is an award-winning singer songwriter, guitarist, producer and composer. Born in Quito- Ecuador, Carlos has been recording and performing and winning awards since 2000 including Best Latin Album and Male Vocalist,…
David Bisbal's Fantasy Island Tracks
If you were stranded on a desert Island, which tracks would you absolutely need to have to get you through those times of loneliness and despair? Man cannot live on sun and fish alone right? Our castaway, Spain's biggest…
LATIN LONDONER #3 LAMAR - Vocalist, Composer, Producer
Born in Barcelona in 1979, Javier Moreno got his Flamenco influence from his Andalucian dad. He grew up in a little Catalunyan village, playing in the streets and 'with a great sense of freedom' Moreno before emigrating…
Ground Control to Major Juan
Elizabeth Mistry hears how the Colombian super-bard has put aside his Camisa Negra for a spaceman's helmet.
El Emigrante: Javier Moreno on his Lukas nomination and life in the UK…
Javier Moreno currently resides in London, when I spoke to him on a lovely sunny morning he was off to work on his side project: a Catalan inspired café! Born in Barcelona from a Catalan mother and Andalusian father, Javier has…
Michael Pipoquinha @ Ronnie Scott's
Michael Pipoquinha has been taking the international jazz scene by storm. According to Victor Wooten, one of the most important bass players of all time, the young Brazilian “is taking the bass to the next evolution. He is at the…
Buika: 'La Noche Mas Larga' (2012)
A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Concha Buika. Charming, clever, talented beyond words and with a unique a yet universally appealing personal history: the daughter of African immigrants who grew up in Spain…
Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo Vice Versa
” Viajando Com o Som” (The Lost ’76 Vice-Versa Studio Sessions)
Sabrina Malheiros ‘Clareia’
The most up-lifting and danceable album to date, from the queen of Nu Bossa Nova
“Fenix” Nicky Jam (Sony Music)
Reggaetón pioneer who sprung to global fame with his first album “Diferente a Los Demás” and consolidated his success in 2015 with “El Perdón” ("Forgiveness"), delivers another classic.
The TransAtlantic Family
Family Atlantica are just that: a family. The band consists of British born Jack Yglesias, a producer and multi-instrumentalist, his wife Luzmira Zerpa, a Venezuelan traditional musician, singer and poet who has received…
Things That Matter to...Al Roc
Al Roc (pictured left) is a member of Asilo 38, one of the biggest names on the burgeoning Colombian hip-hop scene, featured in the soundtrack to the film ‘Maria Full of Grace’. They come from "Aguas Blancas", one of…
Gilberto Gil: “I’ve always felt I was in the best place I could be”
Thirty years after first seeing him in concert at the age of eight, Amaranta Wright comes face to face with the Brazilian music legend Gilberto Gil on his recent visit to London, and gets an insight into the man that inspired her…
Voltio and the Salseros of the Carcel
Voltio's visit to London this week somehow got us walking down the nostalgia path of Latino music 'en la carcel'. It's a weird and wonderful journey behind the musical bars.........
From Opening for Bad Bunny to Conquering the World: the Costa Rican twins at the heart of reggaetón
Ana and Lucía Barrantes fell in love with reggaetón through their Panamanian lodger, before noticing something was missing from the club scene: women. Now as DJ In Betwin, the siblings are among Latin America’s most recognisable…
Sao Paulo Symphony and Venezuelan Pianist Gabriela Montero delight a packed Royal Albert Hall at The BBC Proms
The 2016 season of BBC Proms has featured an unusual programme of high profile musicians from Latin America, starting with the brilliant young Argentine Sol Gabetta, soloist in an outstanding performance of Elgar's '…
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