Sep 9, 2026 · 31 min
Alt.Latino maps Brazil and Colombia’s restless musical present
Alt.Latino: Brazil and Colombia on our minds
The episode shows how contemporary Latin music carries regional traditions forward through electronic production, jazz, indie rock, and pop.
- 1Brazilian artists draw on Tropicália, 1960s pop, and 1970s funk while keeping their music contemporary.
- 2Colombian artists connect folk traditions with electronic textures, layered percussion, jazz, and the physical logic of dance.
- 3Chilean indie rock and a Spain-based singer-songwriter broaden the episode’s portrait beyond its Brazilian and Colombian center.
Don't miss
Luca de Dios’s “Ausente” becomes the episode’s most revealing bridge between a listener submission and José Lobo’s Venezuelan-Brazilian sound.
The brief
Ana Maria Sayer and Felix Contreras open with El Tiny, Alt.Latino’s Latin Music Month takeover of Tiny Desk, then turn to a wide-ranging set of new discoveries.
Maglor’s “Palestina Nos Seus Olhos” links Beatles-like 1960s pop and Brazilian Tropicália to a later turn toward 1970s funk, making musical inheritance feel active rather than fixed.
Colombia supplies two contrasting paths: Indus layers electronic and Afro-Colombian percussion around repetition, while Araña blends folk traditions, acoustic instruments, jazz, and horns.
Candelabro brings Chilean indie rock into the conversation with soft, unusual horn arrangements and politically engaged themes tied to contemporary Chile.
The standout arrives with Luca de Dios’s “Ausente,” a listener submission whose voice prompts comparisons to Venezuelan-Brazilian singer-songwriter José Lobo.
Lucas Becerra’s debut and the breadth of Brazil’s scene close a set that treats fresh records, regional memory, and experimentation as parts of one continuum.
Books & mentions
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