Image
Edwin Sanz ‘Overflow’ (Alex Wilson Records)
Following his great debut San Agustín, Sanz delivers another solid Salsa album. This album is a daring production for Sanz, going into a more mature sound, with three English songs and an array of guests including his producer/…
THE OUTSIDER
Few people thought that Reggaetón - the famous “Dembow” beat with the Latino twist that exploded 15 years ago – would stand the test of time. Yet today almost every big artist, from Shakira and Enrique Iglesias to Drake, Sia and…
Michel Camilo & Tomatito ‘Spain Forever’ (Decca)
Dominican pianist Michel Camilo and Spanish guitarist Tomatito, have become one of the great musical pairings of the century. Back in 2000, after being friends for years, the two maestros recorded the seminal album ‘Spain’, which…
Top Ten Latin Funk Classics
Latin artists from Puerto Rico to Colombia, from East L.A. to Spanish Harlem, were getting groovier and earthier throughout the '60s, and the results were wide-ranging and just as freaky as in the parallel Afro-American funk…
Top Ten Contemporary Reggaetón Tracks
Originally from Panama, Reggaetón’s roots can be traced back to the late 1990s, borrowing elements of reggae, rap, and hip-hop, and initially performed in underground venues. As the indisputably catchy beat and swagga soon spread…
Ten Reasons to Love Juan Gabriel
The songs of Juan Gabriel, one of Latin America’s most important singer-songwriters who died this week, have become anthems, re-recorded by the biggest current and former pop stars, such as Marc Anthony, Rocio Durcal, Juanes and…
Juan Gabriel, Singer-Songwriter (1950-2016)
Juan Gabriel, who has died aged 66, is considered to be one of Latin American greatest singer-songwriters of all time. The Mexican wrote around 1,500 songs, many of which made hits for and brought fame and fortune to countless…
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 '…
Marc Anthony’s Debut Concert in the UK
The biggest selling salsa artist of all time showed he could still be surprised by adoring fans, as he was visibly moved and energised by an 02 full of London's latinos.
Mala ‘Mirrors’ (Brownswood Recordings)
South London producer Mala’s latest production on Brownwood records is every bit as good as his previous album ‘Mala In Cuba’. This time Mala went deeper south and dug into the sounds of Peru: from the Afro sounds of the Cajon to…
Our Latin Thing: An interview with Roberto Pla
Whether as percussionist of choice for the UK’s pop bands (Joe Strummer, The Cure, Kate Bush, Boney M) or bandleader, composer and arranger, timbalero extraordinaire, Roberto Pla, has come to be known as The Godfather of Latin…
New Era Jazz Queen
What is the outstanding quality that westerners find so baffling about Cuba’s bounty of world-class artists? From Carlos Acosta to Chucho Valdez, you’ll find a common combination unique to this idiosyncratic Caribbean island – a…
Carlos Vives @ The Royal Albert Hall
Carlos Vives love bombed a Royal Albert Hall full of Latinos as he indulged his audience in a two hour journey though Colombian nostalgia, alegria and sentimiento.
TOP TEN Marc Anthony Salsa Hits
The king of modern Salsa, who is so big in Latin America that US pop stars line up to duet with him to capture the Latino market. One ambitious lady called J-Lo went further and married the guy, and another presidential hopeful…
Agente Rex ‘La Tregua’
From Venezuela arrives Agente Rex, a new rock band formed by heavyweights of the Caracas music scene. Venezuela has never been short of musical talent and this band showcase how far the rock genre has come since the 60s. A mature…
Brazilian Virtuoso - an interview with Diego Figueiredo
At the young age of 35, Latino guitar sensation Diego Figueiredo has already recorded 23 albums and played in 60 countries around the world. Hailed by George Benson as “one of the greatest guitarists I’ve seen in my whole life”,…
LOVIN’ LATIN LONDON - The Musicians
London’s Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese communities are well into their second and third generations. Some came here decades ago, as political refugees or economic migrants, and those born and bred here form part of the…
Gerardo Nuñez and Ulf Wakenius ‘Logos’ (Act Music)
Gerardo Nunez is considerd a master of New Flamenco, and this time he partners up with Swedish jazz guitarist Ulf Wakenius in a unique meeting of virtuosos. Much more than just a Flamenco album, Logos is the musical dialogue…
THE ONLY WAY IS UP
It has been a rollercoaster few years for the Grammy award-winning singer, but now Lila Downs is appreciating life more than ever, she tells Elizabeth Mistry
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
VARIOUS ARTISTS "ALGO SALVAJE Vol 2” (Munster Records)
‘Something Wild’ is the translation of this title, the second volume of Munster Records project compiling Spanish rock, indi, pop and other underground music from the 60s. Living under the Franco’s regime, Spanish music of the…
The Modern Face of Fado
With a recent sold out performance at Cadogan Hall and fans including Mick Jagger and Caetano Veloso, public demand has already booked Ana Moura's return to the Barbican in September. Latinolife talks to Portugal's new…
TOP 10 DISCOS FUENTES VINYLS
When it comes to Colombian Music, Discos Fuentes is the daddy. Since 1934 this seminal label has been home to some of Colombia’s biggest commercial artists, yet it was never afraid of the experimental and the weird. When it came…
Folkoric Child
Mariana Yegros made her name as ‘La Yegros’, the Argentine artist who mixes the country's forgotten folklore and its passion for cumbia with electronic sounds. Recently at Rich Mix, her magnetic performance clearly showed…
Ana Moura at the Cadogan Hall
Ana Moura’s last week’s show in London sold out weeks in advance. Yet the selection of the Cadogan Hall in the heart of Chelsea – home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) – seemed a good choice. The venue provides the…
La Yegros at Rich Mix
La Yegros is so cool. Self-aware and on top of everything that goes on during the show, she comes to stage in high platform shoes, short skirts, afro hair up, really up, and full of colour. Tones of green, pink, blue, yellow, and…
The Accidental Hero
Once a struggling rock star in Bogotá, Carlos Vives became a national symbol almost overnight by fusing Colombia’s traditional vallenato rythmns with modern rock and pop. As if to represent the unity of a country in conflict, the…
The UK's Top Colombian Creatives
The contribution of Colombian immigration to UK culture is impossible to ignore. As far back as 1975, Guardian writer Richard Williams described the Monday night when salsa king Héctor Lavoe took to the stage in a grotty London…
Goodbye to the Buena Vista Era
Sequel to the album, the movie and the shows that took the world by storm in the late 1990s, and tribute to both the musicians who have passed away and those alive and kicking, the Buena Vista show at London’s The O2 likely…
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…
Various Artists Cuba y Puerto Rico Son…
It’s not the first time that an all-star team from these twin Caribbean islands have collaborated to record songs from each other’s countries, but when you get Havana D' Primera, Cultura Profética, Charlie Aponte, Isaac…
TOP 10 Latin Hip Hop Artists
Dominated by Caribbean talent - from Venezuela and Puerto Rico to Cuba and the Dominican Republic – Latin America has produced some of the most exciting Hip Hop artists of the last decades. Ticking the boxes of commercial…
Telajeta Musica de Venezuela in London (White Label)
A daring new take on Venezuelan music by a collective of London-based musicians including Caracas-born Ernesto Marichales on drums and percussion. Re-arranged and ‘jazzified’ by the whole band, Musica de Venezuela brings classics…
Nicolá Cruz Prende el Alma (ZZK Records)
French/Ecuadorian producer Nicolá Cruz’ first full-length album is a masterpiece of experimental electronic music fused with folk sounds. No fillers but a great amalgam of folk percussion, Andean flutes with synths, and…
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…
Latest Content
Food
Alcoholic drinks from Maté tea? Is this possible or too far-fetched?
A fine liqueur ‘YERBA SPIRIT, and a smooth ‘LONDON MATE DRY GIN’, both made with Maté tea, have…
Film & Theatre
FORASTERA (2025), Catalan writer/ director Lucía Aleñar Iglesias’ debut…
Developed into a full- length feature film from her successful multi-nominated short of the same…
Music
THE AUGUST REGGAETON RECAP
As we enjoy the last few days of sunshine and blue skies, artists have been dropping some upbeat…
Most Viewed
Top 10 Argentine Footballers
As one of the biggest football teams in South America and the world, the Argentine Football…
Top 10 Mexican Boxers
Globally, Mexico is known as a boxing powerhouse, boasting some of the greatest champions in the…
Ballads and Boleros
LatinoLife's Favourite Mexican Male Singers of all Time
Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…
