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Remembering Rafael Escalona, composer (1927 - 2009)
Rafael Escalona was one of Colombia's most important musical lyricists and composers, revolutionising Colombia's vallenato tradition, modernizing the music's rough, accordion-based sound via the addition of vividly…
‘El Perro del Hortelano’ (The Dog in the Manger) by Lope de Vega.
Lope Félix de Vega Caprio, (aka the Phoenix of Spain- 1562-1635) was possibly the first, and maybe the finest playwright that helped launch the Golden Age, el Siglo de Oro in a Baroque Spain. A contemporary of William Shakespeare…
Bebel Gilberto: Mother of Bossa Electronica
Being daughter to the legendary Joao Gilberto was quite a shadow to step out of. But over a remarkable 40-year career of her own, the multi-Grammy nominated and winning singer Bebel Gilberto became her own star with compositions…
Latinolife's Baile Funk Playlist
With what has become known simply as Funk (or Funke as they pronounce it in Brazil). the rich tapestry of Brazilian music is nowhere more evident in the world of dance floor bangers Forget James Brown and Sly and the Family…
Should we Boycott Narcocorridos?
Sarah Quarmby delves into the gory culture that surrounds increasingly popular Mexican drug ballads.
Things That Matter to...Chucho Merchán
Colombian born Chucho Merchán is one of British rock’s most successful bass guitarists. After studying at Cambridge University, he spent two decades playing and touring with The Eurythmics, The Pretenders, George Harrison, Pete…
Top 10 Central American Pop and Rock and Bands
Have you ever heard of the phrase by famous Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío, "Si la patria es pequeña, uno grande la sueña." This describes the beauty and the talent of the Central America region. A region that may be small…
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…
Strawberry and Chocolate (Fresas y chocolate- Cuba 1993)
Strawberry and Chocolate is a delightful 1993 film by Cuban directors Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio. It is being screened as part of the CASA FESTIVAL 2021 which will run throughout September 2021. The festival…
Frankie Ruiz Tunes that Rock the Dancefloor
Making this list we couldn’t stop saying…. ‘this music is SO f#@•ing good!” We can truly say that Frankie Ruiz is one of our all time favourites…few vocalists can boast the level of success of "El Papá de la Salsa.” One of…
Roberto Gómez Bolaños, Comedian (1929-2014)
Estimated by Forbes magazine to have produced billions for Mexico's main television station Televisa, Roberto Gómez Bolaños aka Chespirito (a parody of his namesake Shakespeare) was one of Latin America's most loved…
Congaheads: Martin Cohen and Salsa's Jewish Connection
Like with Jazz, American Jews have had an almost century-long love affair with Latin music, dating as far back as the 1940s when immigrants arrived simultaneously from post-war Europe and the Latin Caribbean, sharing a common…
'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.
Bárbara Colen: Brazilian Screen Star Shines Bright.
Bárbara Colen is a rising star in Brazilian cinema. At the 2019 BFI London Film Festival, Colen starred in not one, but two of the most interesting films on offer from Brazil. Corina J Poore met up with her while she was in…
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…
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…
La Noche (Dir. Edgardo Castro)
Corina J Poore talks to the director of Argentina’s latest film to wow global audiences, a ferociously honest film that explores the drug-fuelled debauchery of Buenos Aires’ underworld sexual, and ye whose power lies in its…
Jhay Cortez
Topping the charts now under his name, this 27-year-old went from being a songwriter and headlining artist for J Balvin at his Vibras Tour (2018), to then featuring with him on bangers like Medusa (also ft. Anuel AA) and No Me…
Joe Arroyo Tunes That Rock the Dancefloor
One of the most important male vocalist of Colombian music, from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Joe Arroyo was a real Titan of Salsa. He brought the flavour of Africa to the forefront in Colombian music; a showman and sonero,…
OUR TIME (Dir. Carlos Reygadas)
‘Our Time’ (Nuestro Tiempo) 2018 challenges our ideas of man’s condition in life. Juan Díaz and his beautiful wife Esther run a ranch in Mexico rearing fighting bulls. They have a perfect relationship in an open marriage, or so…
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…
Salsa Hits of the 1960s
As we gear up for LatinoLife in the Park 2025 where we'll be celebrating one of Latin music's greatest contributions to the world, we bring you the story of Salsa through the years in our special ‘Salsa is Back’ series…
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,…
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…
Luisa Santiago, Singer-Song Writer
Luisa Santiago is a Colombian-born, London-bred singer pianist who calls on the best of both worlds: her roots in Salsa and Latin music and a love of UK Soul and R&B. Luisa’s songwriting, piano playing and sweet vocals, honed…
In Praise of The Bandeja Paisa
Latinolife’s Latina Cook basks in the glory of a full Colombian Breakfast
Sopa Negra
I love Sopa Negra, it’s a soup originally from Costa Rica but you see variants of it all over Latin America. It is possibly the healthiest, yummiest and easiest recipe you can make for yourself.
Madame Satã - A Gem from the Archives
The debut feature of celebrated Brazilian writer/director Karim Aïnouz, ‘Madame Satã’ was selected from the BFI archives for the 2022 BFI Flare Film Festival. Based on real events, this film reveals the unusual and dramatic life…
Diaspora Music: Venezuela
In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk of the global domination of Latin Music. A big contributor to this phenomenon has been the Latin diaspora - artists making music outside their countries. In this first feature of our…
Spotlight on...Mariah Angeliq
The talented Dominican and Puerto Rican rapper and singer has been climbing up the Latin music scene as are her songs in the charts!
Sarmiento: Argentine National Hero or Ideologue of White Settler Racism?
2011's Latin American bi-centenaries saw governments celebrating their national heroes again. In Argentina, a broader process of revising its recent 'Dirty War' history has made many eager to revisit their more…
Latin American Liberation Theologists
Liberation theology is a brand of Catholicism that prioritises the helping of the poor by actively seeking social change, and came to prominence in Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. Many priests who took this position were…
The Girl Who Stole the Show
EIZA GONZALEZ REYNA in ‘Baby Driver (2017)’ won us over completely, says Latinolife film critic Corina Poore who was impressed by the rising Mexican star at the end of the summer's Pop up screens.
UK Colombian Music Artists to be Proud Of
We’re Celebrating Colombian Independence by shining a light on the amazing Colombian talent here in the UK. First off music..from salsa, vallenato and gaita to urban, hip hop and folk here are artists who have brought not only…
Pixinguinha: The Demiurge of Brazilian Music
‘If you have 15 volumes to talk about all of Brazilian popular music, rest assured it’s too little. But if you only have the space for a word, you are saved. Write quickly: Pixinguinha.’ Though this quotation by Ary Vasconcelos,…
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Film & Theatre
NO SALGAS (Don’t Come Out- 2026) by Victoria Linares Villegas from the…
Victoria Linares Villegas talks to Corina J Poore about her debut fiction feature film, ‘NO SALGAS…
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MARCH REGGAETON RECAP | 2026
It’s that awkward transition into Spring and the songs in this playlist have varied energies. There…
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Mexican-born Hortencia Celis has been a central figure to London’s Latin American arts for over…
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As one of the biggest football teams in South America and the world, the Argentine Football…
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Globally, Mexico is known as a boxing powerhouse, boasting some of the greatest champions in the…
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Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…
