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…
Tego Calderón'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 this week is Tego…
Register for Ruby
Recently diagnosed with a complex form of blood cancer, friends of Ruby, a Salvadorian mother of two, have started a campaign to find a bone marrow donor of Salvadorian or Latin American descent to save her life. Elspeth Fuller…
Argentina's Bi-Centenary: Something to Celebrate?
As several South American countries celebrate 200 years of independence, Nick Caistor gives a view from Argentina.
Neruda (2016) Dir. Pablo Larrain
The latest Chilean addition to a great Latin American tradition of highly entertaining political thrillers, or 'Latin Noir' as the genre is now known. Neruda, focuses on the the arrest warrant issued in 1948 for the…
Brazil: indigenous reserves to be opened up to mining
Armed with government permits, mining companies stand poised for the rush to exploit land in previously protected reserves
'Rage of Narcissus' wowed audiences at the Pleasance Theatre
Thrilling, captivating, and unexpectedly horrifying are just a few words that can be used to describe ‘Rage of Narcissus.’ Sam Crane -the solo performer that narrates this ghostly thriller- tells a fictionalized version of the…
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…
How Green Has Brazil's Olympics Been?
Brazil proclaimed that it would be hosting a Green Olympics. Despite some bright spots, the result was disappointing, our Brazil correspondent says.
Belo Horizonte gets a Land Reform Farmers Market
Brazil's Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) opens a rural market in Belo Horizonte city
Ingratos hermosos
Over a career spanning nearly 30 years Mexico City’s Cafe Tacvba have experimented with a sombrero full of musical genres including rock, pop, jazz, tropical, electronica, and traditional Mexican tunes that they have melded into…
Latino Life congratulates The RIO CINEMA on its 50th anniversary of community cinema (1976-2026)!
How is it then, that this grade II- listed Art Deco RIO CINEMA has a history that stretches back over 100 years? The reality today, is that it is now celebrating the 50th anniversary of its latest incarnation, as a community…
Radical Beauty
Every now and then, someone special emerges through the cracks in the music industry monolith to grab listeners’ attention. Marta Gómez is one of those artists. Her authentic sound, her story-telling and meaningful lyrics have…
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…
THE EYES OF THE NIGHT at the Cervantes Theatre.
Directed by the Australian director and movement specialist Simone Coxall, the art production and mise- en- scène on the Cervantes stage of “The Eyes of the Night”, sets the tone of the production at a glance, having it…
Brazil: Lula is Back and Shaking Things Up
The PT leader’s return is transforming politics and the handling of the pandemic
Mangamar: A Family Story Told Through Food
In Salvador de Bahia, one of Brazil's most vibrant cities, on the country's stunning northeastern coast, chefs are choosing to stay – or return – to shape a growing fine-dining scene that draws confidence from regional…
White Flowers - When Santos met London's Colombian Community
For the UK’s Colombian community, one of the world’s largest Colombian diasporas, President Juan Manuel Santos’ state visit was a historic event. Following the international media spotlight on Colombia, the recent rejection of…
The People's Salsero
At first dismissed for his wordy complexity, Rubén Blades - composer, singer, salsero, lyricist, narrator, poet, social conscience and political activist - soon proved to be Fania Record's biggest money spinner and Latin…
Movimientos 10th Birthday Playlist
DJ Cal Jader chooses 10 tracks from the Movimientos crates with some of the tunes that rocked the dance floor at their early nights to three key releases on their record label and a few killer tunes from the last few years.
THE DECEMBER REGGAETON RECAP | 2025
What a year 2025 has been, but don’t wish it away too fast, there’s still a whole month of new music to digest from some of your favourite Latin stars. If you’re after a way to kickstart your new year, how about a brand-new…
MARCH REGGAETON RECAP | 2026
It’s that awkward transition into Spring and the songs in this playlist have varied energies. There’s a storytelling acoustic-turned-banger, an Ivy Queen single which features on an all-female reggaeton compilation as well as a…
Freedom Control
Whilst the dazzling visual impact of muscular control and freedom can be startling and seductive, Tam Davidson peels away the mysticism of Capoeira to reveal its’ development through one people’s struggle against slavery.
Making their Mark - the rise and rise of The Latino-Brits
First generation Latino-Brits are bubbling under the surface and seeping through into mainstream British cultural life.
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…
'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.
Brazil: Why is Michel Temer still in Power?
It is always hard to explain Brazilian politics to foreigners. There is a lot of history and many characters and there are 25 political parties represented in Congress alone. It is even harder to explain how illegitimate…
De Camino Pa La Cima J Alvarez (Reloaded 2.0)
A compilation of his latest releases plus future hits.
Order Within Chaos
Desorden Publico is arguably Venezuela’s most loved band. A kind of Rolling Stones meets Madness with a tropical vibe that has been rocking generations in Latin America. Jose Luis Seijas meets the legendary band in Caracas on…
Chevron, Ecuador and the extractor’s curse – part 1
To avoid paying compensation, the oil company targets the victims' lawyers
World Cup Profile: Fourth time lucky for Messi and Co?
In the sixth of our profiles on the Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese teams who have qualified for this year’s World Cup finals, Lewis Blakeman questions whether this could be the year that Argentina captain Lionel Messi…
‘She’s Not There, You see Another Person’
The Cervantes Theatre has just opened its third Season of New Spanish Playwriting with the inventive and award-winning ‘La Realidad’ (The Reality) by Uruguayan playwright, Denise Despeyroux - the story of two identical twin…
Latin American Selection by George Peguero
Hailed as a child prodigy in Cuba, the UK-based artist takes us through the music of his childhood and gives us his selection of the top Latin American tracks ever (with a few honourary Latinos thrown in!)