Venezuela
Culture Guides
A Timeline of Greatness - Musical Anniversaries to Celebrate in 2024

Here at LatinoLife, whilst nurturing up-and-coming artists, we never forget on whose should we stand and who we have to thank for the rich tapestry of sounds that we’ve inherited. This year in particular we look forward to some…

Obituaries
Remembering Canserbero

We pay tribute to one of Latin America’s most gifted artists, a beautiful lyricist and one of the best rappers to ever to bless the mic, whose life tragically came to an end under very suspicious circumstances on Caracas,…

Interviews
'THE BREATHING ISLAND', Ismael Rodríguez’s first solo show in London

In this multi-media debut show ‘The Breathing Island, Ismael Rodríguez has focussed on life in this world. Expressing a keen awareness of the complexity and diversity of this planet, Ismael Rodríguez’s thought-provoking mixed-…

In-depth Interviews
Hot Steppin’ Chamo

With his latest single ‘Hot Steppa’ breaking records as the fastest-growing UK-produced Latino song ever, clocking over 160k views in YouTube in 4 days, Angelo Flow is on a high. The song, a collaboration with dancehall legend J…

Interviews
The Return of the Venezuelan Funksters

Latin America's most iconic funk band will perform another of their show-stopping gigs on April 2nd at the 26 Leake Street Club, an awesome venue in the London Bridge arches, displaying of some of the best street-art in…

Obituaries
Felipe Pirela 'The Bolerista of the Americas' (1941 - 1972)

Dying tragically at the untimely age of 31, Felipe Pirela was considered one of the most promising and celebrated boleristas of his day and the first Venezuelan to sell over a million records.

Reviews
EL FATHER PLAYS HIMSELF (2020) dramatic documentary directed by Mo Scarpelli

“The root of all shades of machismo is fear, the root of family is love. In ‘EL FATHER PLAYS HIMSELF’ this fear and love collide.”

Features
Latina Homegrown

Sweetness, strength, ambition and beauty are the words that encapsulate this unique group of talent trying to break through the many barriers of London's difficult world of urban music. What’s the biggest challenge; as women…

Top 10s...
Top 10 90s Salsa Hits (part 2)

Last week, as part of our series on salsa hits of the decades, we brought you our selection of the best '90s salsa, with artists like Luis Enrique, Tito Rojas, Victor Manuelle, Jerry Rivera, DLG and Orchestra Guayacan. But…

Features
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…

Top 10s...
Top 10 '90s Salsa Hits (part 1)

In this third episode of our series of Salsa hits from the 70s to the present day, before bachata and reggaeton took hold, this week we bring you our pick of the biggest Latin dancefloor hits of the 1990s. By the '90s salsa…

Reviews
Venezuela: Trochas de la Información

Produced by Circuito Gran Cine, a collective of film makers based in Venezuela, this film is one of a series about the difficulties Venezuelans have faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, ranging from water shortages to the lack of…

Top 10s...
Top 10 Salsa Hits of the 1970s

We got real nostalgic here at LatinoLife over lockdown and started listening to all the great salsa tracks that have been produced over the years, from the '70s when Fania exploded onto the scene, thru the '80s and…

Top 10s...
Top 10 Female Salsa Singers

Salsa music may be known as a tool to seduce women, but the flow swings the other way too. In a male dominated genre, these women held their own as the rare voices of salsa, greatest soneras who bewitched audiences and proved…

In-depth Interviews
Phil Manzanera: Songs That Made Me

After being the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, one of the most iconic British Prog-Rock bands of the 1970s and 80s, led by Brian Ferry and including Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera went on to produce albums for Pink Floyd, David…

Top 10s...
Top 10 Latin American Sportswomen

Forget Guillermo Vilas, Gustavo Kuerten or Juan Martin del Potro, did you know that Latin America’s most successful tennis player - World No. 1,19 Grand Slam titles, including three Wimbledon singles crowns - was a woman? And yet…

In-depth Interviews
Wandering Soul

Caracas born singer-songwriter Laura Guevara was one of Venezuela’s risings stars, winning the Pepsi Awards in 2017, the country's equivalent of the Mercury Prize. Her involvement in the student protests, however, leading…

Things You Should Know About...
Pioneering Black Latina Artists

Recently we published a list of Black Heroines of Latin American History, Afro-Latinas who put their lives at risk, and in some cases gave their lives, in order to shape our history. This week we bring you the brave women who…

Reviews
Latino Short films at BFI FUTURE FILM FESTIVAL

This festival, despite being relatively modest, is sponsored by Netflix and has attracted 45 short films submitted to screen online on BFI Player (UK only). The Festival is highlighting an interesting selection of budding…

Things That Matter To
Things That Matter to...La Chica

Uniting Paris Belleville and Merida, Sophie Fustec was born in Paris to a French father and Venezuelan mother. Between visits to Merida, Sophie studied violin and then piano, for 13 years in the conservatory and then sound…

In-depth Interviews
Apache: HipHop Sin Fronteras

The quality of Venezuelan Hip Hop has always been undeniable amongst fans of Latin HipHop, having produced international talent such as Canserbero, Lil Suppa, McKlopedia, Akapellah, along with the following artist. Larry Rada,…

Things That Matter To
Things That Matter to...Arya

The second profile in our series on Venezuelan Diaspora Music, we are delighted to present a true rising star; Italo-Venezuelan singer/songwriter Arya. Daughter of Orlando Watussi, a well-known Venezuelan salsa singer, Arya grew…

Latin Londoners
Latin Londoner #33: Natalia Luisbassa, Conductor

Coming up through Venezuela's world famous El Sistema, Natalia became the first person to obtain a degree in Orchestral Conducting in Venezuela. She completed her postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in…

Culture Guides
Great Latin American films from 2021

2021 was a difficult year for film, especially cinema releases. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 Academy Awards event took place in April 2021, at the usual event venue, the spectacular Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los…

Spotlight on...
Pao Pestana

Pao Pestana’s feisty cocktail of seductive beats and gritty sensuality packs a contagious punch. The Venezuelan-born, London-based singer-songwriter and Producer self-released ‘Quiero Verte’ in October, attracting the attention…

Features
OUR TIME TO SHINE

Sons and daughters of immigrants, the UK’s first-generation Spanglish-singing Latino-Brits have been busy creating in the shadows of a bustling UK urban music scene. But with music in Spanish now making the global hits, they…

Latin Londoners
Latin Londoner no.31: Angelo Flow, Reggaeton Artist

22-year old Angelo Quesini, known as 'Angelo Flow’, is a reggaetón artist born in Valencia, Venezuela. After living in Italy for three years, he came to London, and decided to stay. And the luck might be ours for the word on…

Things You Should Know About...
Indigenous Heroes and Heroines of Colonial Latin America

In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day, a day which began as a counter-celebration to el Dia de la Raza or 'Columbus Day' (still shamefully celebrated in Spain and the US to celebrate the colonisation and…

Top 10s...
10 Black Heroes of Colonial Latin America

Many of these heroic figures in the building of Latin America were confined to the anals of history. It wasn’t easy to find them, but once we started digging we found so many that we have only been able to mention a few. All…

In-depth Interviews
Grupo Tromboranga: The Art of Re-Invention

The Barcelona-based salsa-dura outfit Tromboranga seemingly came out of nowhere when they first exploded onto the music scene in 2011 with hit singles such as ‘Agua que va caer’. From then onwards the group has become the most…

Top 10s...
Top 10 Revolutionary Latinas

We pay tribute to the Latin American women who throughout history have fought for freedom, peace and justice and continue to do say every day. Women who have fought side by side with men for freedom for their countries, even when…

Obituaries
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…

Obituaries
JORGE SPITERI - Musician (1951 - 2020)

The Venezuelan composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, vocalist and much- loved friend, died on Sunday May 24th 2020, from cancer in North Carolina, USA. Jorge was a pioneer of Latin rock and funk mixed…

Tunes That Rock The Dance Floor
Oscar D'Leon Tracks that Rock the Dance Floor

One of the most important salsa singers ever, the Caracas-born ‘Sonero del Mundo’ has the whole package: as a sonero, he's up there with legends such as Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera or Beny Moré and, just as importantly,…

In-depth Interviews
Putting the Joy back into Christmas

What is Christmas about? Is it about running around town looking for the best Christmas gift? Most would argue that the season is about- and should be about- family and loved ones, but in reality, it seems we have lost sight of…

Latest Content

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jessica
Film & Theatre
Jessica Maria Gilhooley, actor, filmmaker

Since graduating from the prestigious Drama Centre this British-Colombian Actor has appeared in…

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Arts and Culture
CRASHING THE BALL: Gabriela Garcia. Actor. Writer

Born in Mexico, Gabriela García was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as…

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Food
El Cenote: Mexican Food Done Incredibly Well

Calling all Mexican food enthuisaists! Think deliciously fresh guacamole paired perfectly with the…

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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…