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.
-
Inspired by Public Enemy's discography, Brownout's latest batch of Latin funk covers is an instrumental soundtrack that recalls the grooves of late 1970s.
-
The former James Brown drummer was central to some of the singer's most influential recordings. Decades later, the musician's drums have been sampled all throughout hip-hop history.
-
The norteñoband became the first major Latin band to play at Folsom Prison since Johnny Cash did in 1968.
-
The new video from punk band Downtown Boys takes a stand against a Trump administration decree — and includes a glorious food fight.
-
Carlos Santana teamed up with iconic soul and funk band The Isley Brothers for a new album dedicated to peace through music. On this episode, we invite them all to talk about its creation and message.
-
If you've been waiting for just the right musical statement to reflect your mood, hopes and mal humor, Living Colour's crunchy guitars and heavy funk just might be it.
-
As Santana turns 70, he's still spreading the message that music has the power to heal. With The Isley Brothers, he taps into the peaceful spirit of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)."
-
Helado Negro ditches his bank of electronics for alto and tenor saxophones, bringing his utterly unique style to a intense, perfectly balanced Tiny Desk Concert.
-
A partnership between the building's realty trust, reunion outfit Dead & Company and Citi Field had the Empire State Building's lights dancing along with the crowd of thousands.
-
One of the most recognizable voices of his generation, Allman was one of the namesakes of a band that pioneered Southern rock — yet his music was always haunted by a sense of mortality and loss.