Simón Díaz (1928-2020)
When it comes to Venezuelan music, you cannot get any better than Simón “Tío Simon” Díaz. The original creator of Caballo Viejo, the Latin American standard that has been recorded by some many great and was also used as the bases…
Spotlight on... Eladio Carrión
Eladio Carrión has been defined as a trap singer, but he has been seen engaging in R&B, Reggaeton and even Dancehall in “Lluvia”. He has gained great popularity in the industry thanks to his character and explicit lyrics…
Spotlight On... Farina
Colombian singer and songwriter Farina was one of the first artists to do Reggaeton in her country. After Shakira, she was the second Colombian artist signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. Her singles are a melting pot of…
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…
Things you should know about....Argentine Cinema
Get inspired with ten facts about one of the world's most dynamic and creative film nations.
Passage of Time: an Interview with Paco Peña
As guitarist, composer, dramatist, producer and artistic mentor Paco Peña has transformed perceptions of Flamenco since his arrival in the UK in the late 1960s. Fusing his own Andalusian heritage with London influences, there is…
AMAZONAS: The Beauty of Britain's Afro-Indigenous Latinas
Carina Costa Londono brings together some of Britain’s proud Afro-Indigenous to show their natural beauty in a pioneering photo shoot
Clara Nunes, A Guerreira.
Some consider Clara Nunes to be the greatest samba and MPB singer of her generation. She was the first female singer in Brazil to sell over 100,000 copies of a record,with "Tristeza Pé No Chão" and her achievements…
Myth or Reality, and Does it Matter?
Supposedly based on a true story about Basque farm lad, who started to grow uncontrollably to became Europe’s tallest man, reaching a height of 2,42m, Handia swept the boards at the 2018 Goya Awards, winning 10 out of their 13…
Should we Boycott Narcocorridos?
Sarah Quarmby delves into the gory culture that surrounds increasingly popular Mexican drug ballads.
Things You Should Know about...Jazz Greats of Latin America
Recently we produced a list of Latin Jazz greats, but many of the finest Jazz musicians from Latin America use neither la clave, nor the ostinato patterns nor the afro-cuban rythmns that we associate with Latin Jazz. The…
THE GREAT LATINA DIVAS
Nobody does Diva like a Latina, and in a music industry dominated by machismo and male leads, you damn well have to know how to be one, with charm included, to get ahead. Some of our Divas have great voices, others electrifying…
Our Top Ten Favourite Venezuelan Albums
Venezuela is Latin Music's best kept secret. On top its rich tapestry of Afro-Caribbean influences, Venezuela was a mecca to immigrants from all over the world and, as opposed to Cuba, the influence of American pop helped to…
Divine Sensuality: The Genius of Juan Luis Guerra
From his lyrics that verge on magical realism, to his intensely sensual melodies and his relationship with God, we praise the undecipherable enigma that is Juan Luis Guerra, one of Latin America’s most sublime music makers and…
The UK's Top Colombian Movers and Shakers
Take a trip to Elephant and Castle or Seven Sisters’ indoor market and you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d been transported to Colombia. Salsa blaring out of little shops, couples dancing between tables in mid-afternoon,…
Spotlight on... Catalyna
With her distinctive voice, Catalyna is a singer-songwriter from Puerto Rico who has not been on our radar yet until today. the 21-year-old has dropped back-to-back bangers. such as “Alma Desnuda Remix,” featuring Colombian…
10 London Latina DJs to watch out for
In the macho world of Latin DJs, Latina and Latinx talent have had to fight tooth and nail for their rightful place. Here are those who have done so, and whose blood, guts and passion can be heard in their sets that sing with…
Lenny Tavárez
Lenny Tavárez enters the urban genre not only with a great track record but with a distinct motion, expressing the power of youth that characterises him ,his music and a whole generation. After several successful singles and…
El Gran Combo Tracks That Rock the Dance Floor
We pay homage to El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, arguably the world's most popular Latin band ever. Filling dance floors around the globe for almost 60 years, It's is much more than a salsa band, but a cultural…
Latin Apparel
Welcome to the Latino Life Shop! T-shirts come in XS, S,M,L,XL. Caps in One size only. Products are £15 each, 2 for £25 and 3 for £20 plus £3.50 postage. Please submit your order via the images below, specifying the product…
'The Last Days of Gilda' Dir. Gustavo Pizzi
A Mini-series in 4 episodes, this is a lively and entertaining tale about the freedom-loving Gilda, who survives on a diet of love and more love, above all.
Latin Londoner #41: Sonia Bernardo, Singer Songwriter
Sonia is a British-Portuguese singer/songwriter that has been pricking ears with her powerful soulful voice, tinged with a Fado weep, mixed with Bossa-Nova simplicity and jazzy embellishments. Bernardo caught the attention of…
Peru 1982: A Six-month Photo Odyssey in South America
An exhibition at the Peruvian Embassy by photographer Tony Hutchings showcases the country's stunning landscapes and rich cultural diversity, captured during a six-month trip to South America.
LATIN LONDONER #27 - Juanita Euka - Singer-Songwriter
Juanita Euka is a LUKAS award-winning singer-songwriter. Niece of Congolese rumba legend Franco Luambo, she grew up in Buenos Aires before arriving on UK shores. Known for her work with Wara, London Afrobeat Collective and…
Mariza, Interpreter of Life
Born in Mozambique to a Portuguese father and Mozambican mother and brought up in Mouraria, one of the traditional Fado neighbourhoods of Lisbon, Mariza has become one of Portugal’s most charismatic performers and eloquent…
Things You Should Know About...Inspiring US Afro-Latinxs
Changing the world in everything from Poetry to Baseball, from Politics to Hollywood, here, in no particular order, are just some of the US Afro-Latinos who have helped shape the American landscape and who you should definitely…
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…
10 Distinguished Brits You Didn't Know Were Colombian
The UK hosts the world's second largest Colombian diaspora, and has born generations of talent in all fields of life. But with their very British accents, you may not even know who they are. From dancers, painters,…
Quino, creator of "Mafalda" (1932 - 2020)
This week Argentina mourns a great loss. At the age of 88, Argentine cartoonist, Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón (more commonly known as ‘Quino’) passed away on the 30th September in Mendoza, Argentina. Creator and father of…
Bad Bunny surprises fans on Instagram Live
Last Saturday, the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny gave an entertaining mini-concert, where he streamed his entire album and revealed some tracks that had never been published and may not be.
Things That Matter to...Coco Maria
A self-described 'selectora' and the only resident Latin DJ on Gilles Peterson's Worldwide FM radio station, Coco Maria works in a vastly male dominated environment. The Mexican born DJ just DJ'ed for…
‘FOGARÉU’ (2022) directed by Flávia Neves
“When a baby is born it is thrown into the air, if it flies it is a bat, if it falls it is a fool”. ‘Fogaréu,’ is the story of a wealthy Brazilian family that interweaves overt class struggles with intimate family strife in wild…
Celia Cruz Tunes That Rock the Dance Floor
There are so many things to say about Celia Cruz: she was the number 1 Latin-Caribbean singer before, during and after the Salsa boom; she was as good a “sonera” as the greatest “soneros” of her time, her stage precedes was…
Latin Londoner #38: Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis, Dancer, Choreographer and Actor
Raised in East London Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis is a queer dancer, actor, choreographer and proud afro-Latina from Dominican Republic. Starting out as a dancer including on an international tour with artist Wizkid and on the…
The Wonderful World of Tim Maia
Back in the 1970s the deep velvety voice of Tim Maia sparked a revolution in Brazilian mainstream culture that went well beyond music, igniting the rise of the Black Rio movement. His bassy tone, resembling that of his funk and…