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Alt.Latino

Alt.Latino

NPR 150 Episodes Jul 1, 2026

Alt.Latino is a podcast from NPR Music that celebrates the evolving Latinx community through music. Hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre interview living legends and rising stars, discussing Latinx culture, heritage, and shared experiences. The show offers a mix of music and conversation, with sponsorship-free episodes available through Alt.Latino+.

Episodes

Mon Laferte's captivating coda Jul 1, 2026 1740 On this week’s Alt.Latino, Anamaria and I both gush about 'Femme Fatale Vol. 2,' the new album from Chilean-Mexican singer Mon Laferte, who is on one of the more amazing creative streaks I've witnessed in a while. Also, Ana and I sometimes unintentionally align when picking new music for the show, and that took place this week with a couple of Brazilian highlights: I chose an artist who records as
They opened for Miles Davis and Sly Stone, then disappeared Jun 24, 2026 1469 This week's episode is a musical time machine. In the late 1960s, the band Zapata sprang out of a street gang in northwest Washington, D.C., with a sound that combined a variety of contemporary styles: Afro-Caribbean rhythms, soul jazz and the golden era of American R&B. The mixture worked. For a few years, Zapata opened for an astonishing number of A-list acts passing through the city, like Miles
The sounds of Cuban resilience Jun 17, 2026 1290 We're living in a moment when the geopolitical intersects with the personal in a profound way. The relationship between the United States and Cuba is once again in the news, and it happens at a time when there are a handful of new releases from Cuban artists on the island and around the world. The sounds of the albums are vastly different, but they all draw from the same deep well of inspiration t
A Tejano masterclass with El Gato Negro, Ruben Ramos Jun 10, 2026 1619 Ruben Ramos' life story mirrors the history of what we now know as Tejano music. His family's musical roots in Texas go back to 1918, and as a boy he was brought into the family bands, first as a drummer and then as a vocalist. He's been playing big band-inflected Tejano music now for more than six decades, and just released a tribute album tracing that musical lineage, called 'Los Días de Calor.'
The Vaqueros of Hawaii May 27, 2026 2034 We don’t often get to discuss the ways that Latin American music made its way west across the Pacific Ocean. But this week we have two incredible projects that celebrate that journey. First, a Japanese band that fuses traditional minyo folk sounds with cumbia and other Latin rhythms. Then, a project that unearths a forgotten history of the 19th century Mexican cowboys who went to Hawaii to help ma
Gipsy Kings are back, Julieta Venegas' norteña roots and more May 20, 2026 2165 Two different pioneers - from two different continents - are at the heart of this episode of new music. Since the late 1980s, Gipsy Kings have been infusing Catalan rumba flamenca with a pop sensibility that defies the purists. Their new single "Historia," from an upcoming album of the same name, shows they've still got that punchy danceability forty years on. And across the pond, Mexican rocker a
Our favorite Latin Tiny Desk Contest entries May 13, 2026 1862 Since 2014, we've been hitting bands up to send in their videos for the opportunity to win the Tiny Desk Contest. And almost from the beginning, Alt.Latino has been pulling aside the bands and artists that play Latin music. It’s always been a highlight to see the incredible talent that's out there night after night in bars, clubs, community centers, street parties and backyards, finding new ways t
El futuro es Milo J May 6, 2026 1844 I've been dying to interview Argentine artist Milo J ever since he came to NPR earlier this year to perform at the Tiny Desk. The 19-year-old started his career as a trap artist, but his latest album, 'La Vida Era Más Corta,' mines Argentine folklore to present a bold vision of his country that resonates deeply with younger generations. That Tiny Desk was just released -- and became one of our fas
Flamenco meets Música Mexicana Apr 29, 2026 1678 Fusion is at the heart of so much of the music we cover - especially on this week's episode. Flamenco producers descend on Hermosillo to experiment with regional Mexican music. Young Argentine artists blend trap with folk and rock en Español. A sunny Rio sound is born in Spain. Plus, a New Mexican string band, an Afro-Brazilian collective and an exploration of Latin roots from Cypress Hill.  Artis
Argentine indie, Venezuelan reggaeton and punk from San Antonio Apr 22, 2026 1761 This week's new music show spans the breadth of Latin America. Argentine indie artist Paula Prieto goes experimental. Venezuelan reggaeton pioneers Chino y Nacho return to the limelight. Brazilian singer Marina B reminds Felix of The Beatles. Guatemala's Doctor Nativo pays homage to the "caminantes" heading north to find a better life. Plus, Latin punk from San Antonio, and a celebration of Afro-C
Jorge Drexler returns home Apr 15, 2026 1879 Jorge Drexler is one of the most decorated singer-songwriters in Latin America. His albums are always high profile events, and his latest record merits the attention. It's called Taracá, and to make it he returned home to his native Uruguay - after living in Spain for 30 years - to explore the roots of an Afro-Uruguayan tradition known as candombe. On this week's episode we chat with Drexler about
Sonic Bloom: Fresh, funky new tracks from Rio, Granada and more Apr 8, 2026 1891 Listen to this episode out in the springtime air. It starts with a bucolic jaunt through Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento's latest orchestral project, then finds La Plazuela's fresh Spanish funk and Macha's irreverent side project. Other sounds along the way: Caribbean pop from Venezuela, feel-your-feels indie from northern Mexico and an electronic spin on the indigenous Náhuatl language.

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