Felix Contreras
Felix Contreras is co-creator and host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.
In addition to his post behind the mic, Contreras programs music from the Latin diaspora for the acclaimed Tiny Desk concerts and hosts a weekly Instagram Live interview with a wide-ranging roster of guests.
A knowledgeable international ambassador for Latino heritage and arts, "Tio Felix '' travels extensively in search of new talent and new music and captures important legacy performers in jazz and Latin genres. Various national and international publications have quoted his expertise on the contemporary influences of Latin culture, music, and media.
His a recovering TV journalist whose first post at NPR in 2001 was as a Producer/Reporter for the NPR News Arts Desk. He is also NPR's resident Deadhead and performs around the DC area with his Latin music Beatles cover band, Los Day Trippers.
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The band from Havana brings its intoxicating mix of Afro-Cuban dance music and 1970s funk-and-soul to the Tiny Desk.
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Dizzying bilingual couplets coalesce with a shoegazey challenge of toxic machismo on this week's Alt.Latino playlist. -
For "One-Hit Wonders/Second-Best Songs," Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras recommends "Momotombo" by Malo. The band is known for hit "Suavecito," and often overshadowed by rock peer Santana.
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The enigmatic Draco Rosa immediately returns after a Latin Grammy, Lido Pimeinta celebrates the beauty and resilience of Afro-Colombian communities and Orquesta Failde covers a Camila Cabello hit. -
X Alfonso comes from a storied musical family in Cuba and continues to make music with an impact. Alt.Latino's Felix Contreras shares a few singles off Alfonso's forthcoming album. -
An indomitable musical culture survived the tragedy of the international slave trade. Alt.Latino captured a weeklong celebration featuring artists Trombone Shorty, Tank and the Bangas and Cimafunk. -
Here's the first volley in a year-long celebration of Alt.Latino's upcoming ten-year anniversary in June. -
A playlist perfect for holiday parties in your tia's kitchen and with the primos in the basement. Plus, an exclusive video from Ruben Blades. -
When Los Lobos gathered behind the Tiny Desk, it felt like they were cramped in the back room of a family Christmas party, calling up tunes from the Latin holiday song book.
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Irene Diaz, Kali Uchis and Ulises Hadjis have been on the Alt.Latino radar for nearly a decade; their new singles share space with newer names.
