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Lenacay: A New Chapter
Ramón Giménez El Brujo talks to Latino Life about the transition from Ojos de Brujo to Lenacay.
The New Latin Hit-Makers
The last article in our series on Latin Hit-making, Jose Luis Seijas spots the emerging talent from Latin America who, with luck on their side, will be the Latin hit-makers of the next few years. These are the names to look out…
Re-Birth of the Cool
For a long time, salsa music was the music of the street and, when we think of the ‘Golden Age the Salsa’ of the ‘70s and ‘80s, we think of cool. The ascendance of bachata and reggaetón seemed to mark the end of salsa’s reign…
The Midas Touch
While the whole world (yes even Simon Cowell) seems to have caught the Reggaetón bug and new talents (and not-so talented) are battling for no.1 hits on a weekly basis, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has been riding on a high…
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 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…
La Casa del Ritmo: A film about ‘Los Amigos Invisibles’- a biopic by Javier Andrade.
This documentary has the story of the band woven into a key live performance shot at the Highline Ballroom in New York City in March 2011, created with the backing of the group’s own label, Gozadera Records. The film screens on…
LEON KING
For a country that has given Latin America its most phenomenal and popular male vocalists (and songwriters), it is no surprise that Mexico has also produced some of the world's greatest operatic tenors, such as Ramón Vargas…
In Defiance for Art
In 2016, the world said goodbye to the Buena Vista Social Club in a farewell ‘Adios’ tour that included shows in the White House, where they performed for President Barack Obama. Or so the world thought. Defined as 'the…
Guatemalan Fire
Gaby Moreno, this Guatemalan Latin Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, has left an indelible mark in the collaborations she has partaken in, making her a true inspiration for all Latinos, let alone the small central American…
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…
THE MAY REGGAETON RECAP
This current heatwave is throwing off my natural calendar, from taking one glance outside you might think this was ‘The August Reggaeton Recap’ but instead it’s May’s – I promise. Unlike the weather, a lot of these newly…
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical and Cumbia
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical & Cumbia
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…
Woman on the Verge: MAVICA
Originally from Cartagena in south-eastern Spain, London-based Marta Casanova blends folk, indie, pop and electronic sounds. In September, Mavica’s debut album 'Sometimes a Person Never Comes Back (but that’s okay)',…
De Camino Pa La Cima J Alvarez (Reloaded 2.0)
A compilation of his latest releases plus future hits.
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…
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…
Lizandro Meza “Salsita Mami” (Disco Fuentes)
Colombia's iconic king of Cumbia, LIzandro Meza, delves into the world of salsa with flavour and passion
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…
Sabrina Malheiros ‘Clareia’
The most up-lifting and danceable album to date, from the queen of Nu Bossa Nova
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…
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…
Arturo O'Farril's Fantasy Island Tracks
As son of the late Cuban composer, arranger, conductor, Chico O’Farril, and growing up among the greats of New York’s Jazz scene, we reckoned ARTURO O’FARRIL pianist, composer, and educator extraordinaire, must have had some…
When Fado met Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Beyond
Ana Moura first burst onto the international scene in 2011, when she was hailed by the media as a ‘prodegée’ of Prince and Mick Jagger. But beyond this rather colonialist view (the Portuguese singer was a fully-fledged artist…
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 '…
Classic Latin Albums produced in the UK
Artists from all over the world come to record in London, and Latin Americans are no exception, from Soda Stereo to Buena Vista. But we are not interested in these 'parachute recordings', only the Latin artists who…
The Greatest Sonero Ever?
Well that’s a debate that will never end. In this interview with Oscar D’Leon, we explain why he has proved, atleast, to be the most important singer to salsa music, ever. And at his age, JOSE LUIS SEIJAS found him as we expected…
Ground Control to Major Juan
Elizabeth Mistry hears how the Colombian super-bard has put aside his Camisa Negra for a spaceman's helmet.
Issac Delgao Tunes That Rock the Dancefloor
El Chevere de la Salsa (The Cool Dude of Salsa) Issac Delgado is one of Cuba’s top salsa singers and has been at the top of his game since the ’80s with NG La Banda. He has become a reference for Cuban Salsa and has managed to…
'Salvavidas de Hielo' Jorge Drexler
Blasting away all things vacuous and inane in this world, the Uruguayan singer-songwriter delivers another sublime work of unique musicality and profound lyricism.
Brown Girls in the Ring Make Argentina Sing…
How Cumbia conquered Argentina. The Cumbia invasion rides on populist political culture, but has urban snobs singing a different tune.
Percussion Prince
Venezuela is known for producing outstanding percussionists, who are scouted by the world’s biggest artists, from jazz to pop. Headed by the famous Quinteros family, Venezuela’s percussion royalty has planted its roots firmly…
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.........
BUIKA THERAPY
Born of immigrants from Equatorial Guinea and growing up among Romani gypsies in Mallorca, Concha Buika has emerged to become Spain’s most unlikely Flamenco star. Yet her haunting, velvety voice, her sentimiento and chiselled…
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Paraguay – piercing the silence with a documentary film
In Europe, Paraguay is a little-known country: it isn’t on the tourist route, unless you are…
Music
A BODY IN THE WORLD
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As one of the biggest football teams in South America and the world, the Argentine Football…
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Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…