Alt.Latino Folgen

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 MOMO., while Ana brought in music from São Paulo-based artist Tijolo. Also this week, Chicago-based artist Sparklmami and an EP from Texan-Mexican singer Iveth Luna that got me thinking about the world of Spanish-language Christian music. —Felix ContrerasArtists & albums featured in this episode:(01:31) Sparklmami, 'in this body'(06:36) The Animeros, '¡Qué Bárbaro!'(09:51) Mon Laferte, 'Femme Fatale Vol. 2'(16:47) Iveth Luna, 'Making Ways'(21:34) Tijolo, 'Y'(25:37) MOMO., 'Tum Tum Tum'This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Otis Hart. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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 Davis, Sly and the Family Stone, Herbie Hancock and The Isley Brothers. But the band would break up in 1974, and for years their recorded material was believed to be lost. Now, surviving member Pepe Gonzalez has restored a cassette tape of Zapata's music from 1971, and is releasing it for the first time. In this episode, Felix chats with Gonzalez about the origins of the band, and how they tried to unify the Black and Hispanic musical scenes in the city at the time.The podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Otis Hart. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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 that has always fueled Cuban music: a deep love for the intersection of cultures. The music we share this week is a reminder of the very real lives of the people caught in the middle of a situation with an uncertain outcome. It is joyous, contemplative, rhythmically sophisticated and lyrically profound. Just like all Cuban music.Artists & songs featured in this episode:(00:52) OKAN, "Ajé (Owo Nla Nla)"(03:30) Ibeyo, "Aset"(06:45) Orquesta Akokán, "No Me Voy" (11:50) Cimafunk, "Cocinarte"(15:47) X Alfonso, "Unicornio"This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy