Alt.Latino: Bad Bunny residency prep, new guitar tracks and Latin genre benders

Summary

All Songs Considered: Alt.Latino Episode Summary
Released on July 23, 2025

Hosts: Felix Contreras & Ana Maria Sayer
Program: NPR's All Songs Considered
Episode Title: Alt.Latino: Bad Bunny residency prep, new guitar tracks and Latin genre benders

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1. Bad Bunny's Puerto Rico Residency

Ana Maria Sayer kicks off the episode with exciting news about her upcoming trip to Puerto Rico to attend Bad Bunny's 30-show residency. This event is not just a series of concerts but a multifaceted cultural, economic, and political phenomenon.

• Cultural Impact: Sayer emphasizes the residency as a monumental event for Puerto Rico, stating, “[Bad Bunny] He's playing a 30 show residency. 30 shows, Felix, on the island all summer long” (00:35).

• Economic and Political Layers: The collaboration between Bad Bunny and the Puerto Rican government highlights a unique dynamic where the artist’s oppositional agenda intersects with state-sponsored live music. As Sayer explains, “...because Bad Bunny is bringing in so much money, he's bringing in so many people. It's a huge event for the entire island. The government is at this moment having to collaborate and work with Bad Bunny when really he's the type of artist with an oppositional agenda” (01:24).

Felix Contreras adds, “[Bad Bunny’s residency] is turned into a cultural event, definitely. Certainly a history making event for the island” (01:18). The hosts hint at a deeper exploration of these themes in future segments, promising listeners an in-depth analysis post-discussion.

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2. Spotlight on New Guitar Tracks

The episode features a curated selection of new guitar-centric music, highlighting diverse Latin artists pushing genre boundaries.

a. Los Hermanos Gutierrez feat. Leon Bridges – "Elegantly Wasted"

Felix introduces Los Hermanos Gutierrez’s latest single, which pairs their signature guitar work with Leon Bridges' soulful vocals.

• Felix Contreras: “'él Elegantly Wasted, featuring Leon Bridges. That's a big step for them to do their guitar thing with a vocalist expressing the emotions that they normally do through their guitars” (03:05).

• Ana Maria Sayer expresses her excitement about the collaboration, noting, “...they’re just perfect. I could listen to them forever” (05:20).

The song showcases a seamless blend of genres, demonstrating the duo’s versatility and the universal appeal of their music.

b. Bebo Dumont – "O"

Ana Maria Sayer introduces Bebo Dumont, a Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist known for merging Afrobeats with Latin rhythms.

• Sayer: “...this is a lot more natural to me, and it's really cool to hear” (06:22).

She highlights Bebo’s commitment to authentic Afro-Puerto Rican sounds, making his upcoming release highly anticipated.

c. El Houti – "Karma"

Felix shares his admiration for El Houti’s single "Karma" from her upcoming album "A Si Es el Mundo."

• Felix Contreras: “Her chorus is the Soul is Not for Sale. ...she creates beautiful art in place of that” (13:26).

El Houti’s music embodies positivity and intricate guitar work, reflecting her activism and diverse heritage.

d. Yamil Querezer Artista – "Bandido" & "Gatito"

Ana Maria Sayer introduces Yamil Querezer, a Peruvian artist celebrated for his genre-defying music.

• Sayer: “...this man does not believe in genre or even staying consistent on a rhythm or a singular beat or whatever” (17:02).

The tracks "Bandido" and "Gatito" demonstrate Yamil's innovative approach, blending multiple genres and showcasing his experimental artistry.

e. Yaser Tejeda – "Una cascada de Miel"

Felix plays Yaser Tejeda from the Dominican Republic, highlighting his ability to authentically blend various Latin genres.

• Felix Contreras: “This track says everything about who he is... it's part of his vocabulary” (24:22).

Yaser’s music is a true reflection of his cultural and musical roots, making his new release a must-listen.

f. Yerai Kortz featuring Judah Line – "Un Puente por la Bajilla, La Cruz del Campo"

Ana Maria showcases Yerai Kortz, a Spanish flamenco guitarist known for his deep connection to traditional flamenco.

• Sayer: “It's heartbeat music... it's the heartbeat music, right?” (28:30).

The collaboration with Judah Line infuses modern elements while staying true to flamenco’s rich emotional tapestry.

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3. Authenticity and Genre Blending in Latin Music

Throughout the episode, Felix and Ana Maria delve into the importance of authenticity when blending genres. They discuss how artists like Bebo Dumont and Yaser Tejeda seamlessly incorporate elements from different musical traditions without appearing insincere or appropriative.

• Felix Contreras: “It's approachable in so many different ways, and it's distinct. It has their stamp on it. It can't go wrong” (05:57).

• Ana Maria Sayer: “...the way that man plays and the way... it's the heartbeat music, right?” (28:30).

The hosts emphasize that true genre fusion stems from genuine cultural roots and personal musical journeys, allowing artists to create innovative and heartfelt music.

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4. Challenges for Female Instrumentalists

The conversation touches on the experiences of female instrumentalists in a predominantly male industry, referencing El Houti’s stories about being underestimated or not taken seriously.

• Ana Maria Sayer: “She specifically talked about her experiences with showing up and no one taking her as legitimate” (13:26).

Felix adds, “And none of that anger, animosity, frustration, whatever is ever reflected in her music, because it's always so full of life and so full of positivity” (13:48).

This segment highlights the resilience and strength of women in music, inspiring a new generation of female artists.

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5. Conclusion and Future Episodes

Felix and Ana Maria wrap up the episode by reiterating their enthusiasm for the featured artists and their innovative sounds. They tease future discussions that will delve deeper into the multifaceted impact of Bad Bunny’s residency and continue exploring groundbreaking Latin music.

• Felix Contreras: “I can't wait to hear more. The track is called Una cascada de Miel Yaser Tejeda” (25:20).

The hosts encourage listeners to explore the rich tapestry of Latin music and stay tuned for more insightful conversations on All Songs Considered.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ana Maria Sayer: “It's heartbeat music... it's the heartbeat music, right?” (28:30)

• Felix Contreras: “It's approachable in so many different ways, and it's distinct. It has their stamp on it. It can't go wrong” (05:57)

• Ana Maria Sayer: “She could listen to them forever” (05:20)

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This episode of All Songs Considered offers a vibrant exploration of contemporary Latin music, spotlighting artists who are redefining genres and making significant cultural impacts. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the scene, Felix and Ana Maria provide insightful commentary and introduce listeners to some of the most exciting talents in the Latin music landscape.

Transcript

[Sponsor]

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[Felix Contreras]

From NPR Music, this is Alt Latino. I'm Felix Contreras.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

And I'm Ana Maria Sayer. Let the chisme begin. Felix?

[Felix Contreras]

Yes.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I'm going to Puerto Rico.

[Felix Contreras]

Okay, that's what I was gonna say. I'm in Washington, you're in New York. You're about to go to Puerto Rico. Okay, tell us, what are you doing?

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I think this deserves a drum roll, Felix. Honestly, I'm that level of excited.

[Felix Contreras]

I know, I know. Okay, drum roll.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I'm going to see Bad Bunny because I have to. I'm going to see Bad Bunny. He's playing a 30 show residency. 30 shows, Felix, on the island all summer long. He just kicked it off and I'm going to be at one of the earlier shows, one of the Puerto Rico only shows, which is also very exciting. And I've been seeing a lot of stuff about it. I've been actually trying to avoid it a little bit, Felix, to get my own. I don't want to spoil it for myself, but I'm very, very excited to see what he's doing.

[Felix Contreras]

It is turned into a cultural event, definitely. Certainly a history making event for the island.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

It's a cultural event, an economic event, a political event even. I mean, there's just a lot of things that I'm really interested to understand how they're working. Is it supporting local economy, supporting local cultural initiatives, disrupting those things? There's also a really interesting element of it, Felix, that I was thinking about last night, because as we know, the Puerto Rican government is very much involved in a lot of the live music that happens on the island. It's a very specific and weird thing that a lot of live music on the island is actually state sponsored, which we've established earlier and we talked to PJ Consuela and at other moments that that actually means that they get a say oftentimes in who plays and more specifically in who plays with what agenda. And so what's happening right now with the residency, Felix, is that because Bad Bunny is bringing in so much money, he's bringing in so many people. It's a huge event for the entire island. The government is at this moment having to collaborate and work with and work around Bad Bunny when really he's the type of artist with an oppositional agenda. That they wouldn't necessarily normally be trying to promote and support.

[Felix Contreras]

So there are many layers to this. And in fact, here on the All Latino podcast, we decided to dig a little deeper into that after you come back. So soon after you come back, we're going to sit down and have some other people come in and talk about all the multi layers, plus the talk about the music.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I know you're dying to hear about it, Felix.

[Felix Contreras]

I am, actually.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I'll FaceTime you into the show.

[Felix Contreras]

And in the meantime, while you're still here, before you jet off, let's talk about some new music.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Let's do it. You start.

[Felix Contreras]

Okay. I was looking through my stuff and it just so happens that I have a guitar player theme this week.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay.

[Felix Contreras]

And we're starting with Los Hermanos Gutierrez. They have a new single out called Elegantly Wasted, and it features the vocalist Leon Bridges. So it's a big step for them to do their guitar thing with a vocalist expressing the emotions that they normally do through their guitars. And they're sort of feeling the background and with a whole band. They've got a drummer, they've got percussionist, got the whole thing. This is a song called Elegantly Wasted Hermanos Gutierrez featuring Leon Bridges. Sometimes I get to lose and all the way you play with my head all the way to my soul.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Feel.

[Felix Contreras]

Like I'm a loser's ball show me.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

How to taste it.

[Felix Contreras]

Never give me.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Wasted.

[Felix Contreras]

Girl we gotta place it.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I'm exploding so we had a little side conversation about this song because it was like, obviously there's a new Hermanos Gutierrez song. We're both going to want to talk about it. I am actually very glad that you brought it and not me because I just heard that for the first time. That's one of those collaborations that it's like in my head, I would have dreamed it and hoped that it could happen and thought it never would. And then it did, and here it is. And like to have heard them most recently collaborating with Natalia La Forcade and now they're doing a Leon Bridges collaboration is like so many iterations and versions of what they could be that work so perfectly. It's like what they told us with the whole. I'll never forget this, that the guitar weeps and that guitar weeps in different languages with different artists. I love it. It's amazing.

[Felix Contreras]

That's so funny because I was thinking the same thing when I heard this because I love the, you know, the R B soul approach that he has that Leon Bridges has. But then I was Thinking, you know, if you dropped in a soulful singer singing in Portuguese from Brazil, it would work totally. You know, you mentioned the Natalia La Forcade collaboration. Somebody singing in Spanish, really, in any language, and even, like a jazz saxophonist. Right. You know, the universality of their music is just. It's approachable in so many different ways, and it's distinct. It has their stamp on it. It's their sound can't go wrong.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

There's honestly nothing left to say because they're just perfect. I could listen to them forever.

[Felix Contreras]

It's called Elegantly Wasted, featuring Leon Bridges. That is my first guitar track for today from Los Hermanos Gutierrez.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay. I don't want to spoil the end, but I also brought literally, almost a full guitar track, and I'm just. Of course.

[Felix Contreras]

This is getting ridiculous, but for now.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

But to begin before that, to prepare myself for Puerto Rico, I am bringing Puerto Rican artist Bebo Dumont. Now, Bebo's really amazing. He's already quite prolific. He's been in a lot of different places. He has a Grammy, actually, off of the work that he did on the Rana album. He works with them a ton. If you listen to this, you're going to hear a lot of Ra all over it. And I want to play you what is a preview of a song that actually comes out tomorrow. Very exciting. This is called O. Okay. So I wanted to bring Bebo for a few different reasons. One, I love what he's doing. I love his project. I think he's a brilliant songwriter, producer. And now to have him really moving forward in this direction is wonderful. But I'm really interested in what is happening, like this continually growing, expanding Afrobeats meets Latin music experience. And I've talked to you about this a little bit, Felix. This idea that, like, instead of having two really popular genres that are meeting in their popularity, what I think works best when you see these two things together is when they actually dip deeper into both of the genres, which are both African beats. Derivative. Right. Like, when you see an artist like Bebo, because we're seeing, like, Belle, for example, who's really exploding in Colombia, and a lot of these kind of, like, capo kind of these bigger artists that are doing more of a pop sound, and they're really, really just, like, reaching all parts of Latin America as well as beyond. But to me, an artist like Bego, who is very much from an Afro, Puerto Rican tradition, he grew up, obviously, listening to Bombay Plana and a lot of these very, like, deeply rooted African sounds to then come in and do a Sound like this is a lot more natural to me, and it's really cool to hear. And I love what he's doing. And I've loved the other single that he released. He's going to be releasing an album soon. But just to me, to return back to those roots and those really actually Caribbean sounds, independent of the island, but like the unified Caribbean sound and to then really pronounce the African rhythm there is really cool to me.

[Felix Contreras]

I'm with you. I love the fact that there's. The technology allows so many people from so many different places to reach into whatever country or culture they want to get into and listen to music and then incorporate into their own sound. And it's especially meaningful for me whenever the artist has roots in that country. And all the stuff that comes out of the America's has some roots in Africa, and if it's mixed with a lot of different things, but there are roots there. And it's just fascinating to me how it's manifested.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Right. And beyond the technology piece of it, Felix. I mean, if you're on the island and you go to a bomba night or a bomba circle or whatever, like, it's. It's existent, it's alive, it's there, it's never left, like, in its original, condensed, unfiltered, uninfluenced form. And so obviously, like, to grow up around that experience that. And then to be able to hear what is happening and in Nigeria and in London and take those sounds and meld it together, I mean, that's really special.

[Felix Contreras]

Yeah. The way people lean into Puerto Rican folklore these days is like, yes, I'm there for it. How do you do it? You snap your finger up and down, whatever. Right?

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Like this?

[Felix Contreras]

Yeah, like that. Like. It's. Because it wasn't always the case. It was like, from people from my generation, it was like a. Like a sidebar thing. It was like something your grandparents did or your uncles, and maybe you learned a little bit of it. But it's so firmly embraced now by the young folks there that it's just. It's having ramifications now, musical ramifications down the line. It's just blowing my mind every time I hear something like that.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

That was the new single Oy by Bebo Dumont, which comes out tomorrow. Felix, your turn.

[Felix Contreras]

Okay. I'm gonna play a track from an artist that I've been a big fan of for a long time. In fact, I had her on the show years ago. Her name is El Houti. She is a vocalist and a guitarist. Lead guitarist. She's been making music for quite. I'm a big fan, like I said. She has a single out right now called Karma. She has an album coming out in August. Let's hear the single. This is Karma from El Hoodie. Her name is Cecilia Viar Eludi. She has roots in Ecuador. Her heritage is Spanish and Lebanese. So she's got this very eclectic mix. And it's always been reflected in her music a lot of different things. She's also an activist. She's very, very socially active in trying to battle social wrongs. And of course, she's pretty busy right now. This particular song, the chorus is the Soul is Not for Sale. So it's. It's dealing with these people who are like, maybe giving up a little bit of their soul for a particular purpose or reason. That's just part of who she is. You know, I've had her on the show. Like I said, I think it was 2016 where she was on the show. And we talked at length. We talked about guitar players, of course, because she's. In addition to. You hear the great interplay of rhythmic guitar parts on this track, she's also an amazing lead guitarist. And she said something interesting to me back then that resonated with another band that I had on years ago, the punk band Girl in a Coma. Like, they both had these instances where they show up to a gig or a venue or something, and whoever the sound guys are in the room, and they're almost always the guys, they think that she's an assistant or, you know, whatever the girlfriend.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

She said, I remember I was gonna tell this story. She told us that she's been on the show multiple times because she told us that we specifically exploring the challenges of being a woman, an instrumentalist in this industry. And she specifically talked about her experiences with showing up and no one taking her as legitimate. Absolutely. So she definitely has that spirit to her.

[Felix Contreras]

And none of that anger, animosity, frustration, whatever is ever reflected in her music, because it's always so full of life and so full of positivity. And I think that that's an interesting way that some of these musicians, they channel that. And then, like, you know what? Even some of the stories that I remember hearing about jazz musicians who grew up in the south in the 30s and the 40s, they put that stuff into place and then they create this beautiful art in place of that. So I always think of El Hori as being one of those people that just makes great music, great guitarist. And I'm always excited to hear when she has new music out. It's coming out August 22nd. The album's gonna be called A Si Es el Mundo. That's the way the world is, right? The track is called Karma and we're going to work on our own Karma. Breathe deeply as we take a break.

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[Mariel Segarra]

Might not be the show for you. But if you're a human with hopes, dreams and bills to pay, the Life Kit podcast might be just what you need. Three times a week, Life Kit brings you a fresh set of solutions to help you tackle topics big and small, from how to save money on groceries to how to bring the house down at karaoke. You know, human stuff. Listen to the Life Kit podcast from npr. Presentado por me Mariel Segarra.

[Felix Contreras]

And we're back after working on our karma. Let me just say, for the record, for the people out there listening, you know, we use this, this document, the shared document, Google Docs of like put our songs and stuff. This week. Neither one of us put any notes in. So this, we're flying blind. We have no idea what it sounds like.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Oh, but I got. I got notes, Felix.

[Felix Contreras]

But you didn't. Okay, all right.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I just didn't share them with you.

[Felix Contreras]

Okay, carry on.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I am so excited about this. Okay. This is an artist that I don't even know how I found him. He's Peruvian. He really doesn't have much of a following And I swear he's like a genius. So his name is Yamil Querezer Artista.

[Felix Contreras]

Translate that.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Jamil wants to be an artist. I'm just going to play the beginning of this first song. It's called Bandido.

[Felix Contreras]

Okay, you got my attention on this one, man.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay, this is like, I don't even know what to say about this because you have to listen to the whole album. The album is huge. It's like, I don't know, it has to be at least 15 or 20 tracks and every single song has like five different crazy, like, beat change ups and genre. I don't even know what you would call this. Like, he literally. This man does not believe in genre or even staying consistent on a rhythm or a singular beat or whatever. I have to play you another song. It's called Gatito. Meow meow meow.

[Felix Contreras]

Can I just say, I don't know the guy. I've just heard him, just met him through his music. There's got to be the greatest party ever going on in his head, right? You know?

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Thousand percent. A thousand percent. I need you to hear the end of the song. Like the last 15, 10 seconds.

[Felix Contreras]

Love all of this. Go ahead.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay. This is the end of the song. He goes. Hi, my friends, this is Yamile Sheikh. Thank you for putting this song at the top of the charts all over the world. So I was invited to analyze this song that says, let me be your kitty. Meow meow meow. What do I mean by that? Well, I consider myself to be a cat. Meow meow. Okay, but really, like, musically, he's so impressive. There is a song that I wanted to play that I honestly, it's too sultry. I can't play it. And it's like there's nothing explicitly so crazy sexy about it. Like, but somehow it's more sensual than your dirtiest. Because he manipulates his voice and then he mixes the percussion so low. It's tripping me out. Like, it's the least Latin thing ever to like mix your pocket percussion that small. But it's almost like percussion asmr and then that paired with his vocals, it creates this vibe. I can't explain it and I literally, I can't play it. I feel like it's too much. But he is just like this incredible, weird. He manipulates his voice to be all these different things and he plays with 5,000 different sounds. I am so obsessed with this man, Felix. Like, I swear he's the next. I don't know what.

[Felix Contreras]

Okay, say the name again?

[Ana Maria Sayer]

The name is Yamil Querezer Artista. And the song that I won't play is Tanwapa.

[Felix Contreras]

I am so there for that.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

But Tanwapa, one word. T, A, N, W A, P, A. Oh, my God.

[Felix Contreras]

And that's, like, right up my alley. You know, when. Sometimes when I listen to stuff like that, I get envious. It's like, why didn't I think of that? Because it's so creative and it's so avant garde. It's so all over the place. It's rooted in something. I can't wait to hear the rest of this record.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Felix. This dude has 2000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

[Felix Contreras]

Like, nah, he deserves to be heard. What a creative mind. I want to be in that party in his head, man, that was a swinging party.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

That was a couple of songs from the album Bandido El Tiempo Seacaba by the artist Yanmil Querezer Artista.

[Felix Contreras]

Okay. Part of my guitar trend. This week I got a new track from one of my faves, Yaser Tejeda from the Dominican Republic. He has a track called Una cascada de Miel. You know, let's just listen and just dig the goodness and yumminess of this track and of this artist.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

That is one of my favorite Yaser songs I've ever heard. Yeah, yeah.

[Felix Contreras]

It's just. It's just getting better and better and. And you know what I wanted to say about this track? Just because I just want to let it play and so everybody can absorb the. The different stylistic changes. It's like sometimes when musicians play a genre that they're not known for, right. It can be insincere. It's like, oh, well, let's do this. Like, let's do this, let's do this. This is one of those instances where this particular musician, Yasser Tejeda, he grew up with all this stuff, so it's part of his vocabulary. Reggae, bachata, bolero, all of it. He doesn't have to visit it. It's part of his essence. It's who he is. And there are so many musicians like that. We do that every week. They cross genre. They mix things up. It's because of who they are, and it's not like they're dipping or visiting or appropriating. This track says everything about who he is. I don't know if he even realized that when he did it, when he put it out, but that's my interpretation because I listen to his music a lot, you know that. And it's like, you know what? This is one of the purest explanations, examples of who he is culturally, musically, intellectually, everything.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

This is weirdly reminding me of the conversation we had around the Carol G record. Super distinct. But, like, what I said with that record is, forget the concept. Like, okay, whatever. There's the questions of appropriation. Ino seque. Forget that it's about authenticity in service to the art, right? And it's like, is this music that comes, that lives within my body right now that if I decided in this moment, even if I've never made it before, that I could sakar that sound and it would sound authentic and natural and blend in the way that it needs to blend with my story and my lyrics and my whatever. Like, that's the question.

[Felix Contreras]

And.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

And that is. This is, to me, that perfect example of, like, this is not what Yasser does, but it's what he is, you know?

[Felix Contreras]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I love it. That was I. So many layers of beautiful to that one. I loved that.

[Felix Contreras]

I can't wait to hear more. The track is called Una cascada de Miel Yaser Teja. Keep bringing it, bro. You're killing it. You're killing it.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay, here comes my guitar. Okay. He's a Spanish flamenco guitarist. If you talk to anyone about Spanish flamenco, I cannot tell you how many people have referred me back to him. They're like, if you want to know Spanish flamenco, yerai is your guy. Whatever. This is the person you need to be talking to. He released an album at the end of 2024 that I somehow missed. Luckily, I was with him in Guadalajara at the Guadalajara Film Fest, because he was there debuting his documentary. He was the subject of Said Tangana's documentary about flamenco, and it was centered around his life and his experiences and a lot of his story and as it relates to his, you know, Roma origins, his life in the south, how he came to this music. All to say, he released a new single that I'm absolutely obsessed with, but I wanted to play you a song off of that album first to give you a sense of what he sounds like. So this song is called Sonar Porn.

[Felix Contreras]

You know, we recently did a show on the accordion. We've done something on cumbia. I think someday we have to do something on flamenco. There's so much to take in, and I think, like, we hear it and we're almost overwhelmed with the rhythms, the singing, you know, the clapping, the dancing, the amazing guitar work. But I think we need to, like, slow it down, blow it up because there's so much there. And this man, I'm so impressed by this one.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I. I can't even put into words the way that flamenco makes me feel. It feels very similar to me to be sitting in a circle with people who are playing like a 12 string guitar in a very, like, traditional corrido type of way. Like I was sitting there backstage at the film fest. Yerai is just strumming his guitar, setting on, is singing and his girlfriend Latanya is singing. The three of them, they're just like jamming together, riffing, whatever. To be in the presence of specifically that guitar and the way that man plays and the way, like, I cannot. It's connected. It's like, it's. It's heartbeat. It's. It's the heartbeat music, right? Like, when you talk about, like, oh, you know, you learn song and sound and that's how we connect to people. You learn it from a mother's heartbeat like that. To me, like flamenco or corridos like these very deeply, just like the stylings of it at all. It's heartbeat music. It's amazing.

[Felix Contreras]

And it's so old, I didn't even.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Get to my song.

[Felix Contreras]

Okay, that's just to tell us. Give us an idea of who he is.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay, Just to give you an idea. You should listen to this whole album, though, that he released in December 2024. This new song is a single that he released with Judah Line. It's called Un Puente por la Bajilla, La Cruz del Campo.

[Felix Contreras]

The beauty's in the elegance and the simplicity, man.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

I think with the really, like, the softer flamenco, just like very simple guitar stylings. Beautiful, beautiful voice. It's always a beautiful voice. It's like those. It's those minor chords. It's like the way that they hit the emotionality. And I'll never forget, Felix, when we talked, I think I brought this up recently again, but when we talked to that professor in Spain and she told us, like, flamenco is derivative of this, like, happy, joyful, pastoral music that then they infused it with sadness and it became flamenco. And that, like, that's. You can't have flamenco without saudaje, without melancholy, without whatever. And this vocalist specifically, this is Judah Line, who is like, speaking about your playlist, your mix of Spanish singers last week, she is one of those, like, she's doing the really cool, experimental thing. Her album was very, like, cool, fun, experimental. But her origins are southern Spain. She talks a lot about having Arabic influences, flamenco influences. And she has that she has the she has the soul of it. So it's really cool to hear her slow down and be soft like this. Those were some songs from flamenco guitarist Gerai Kortz.

[Felix Contreras]

You have been listening to Alt Latino from NPR Music. Our audio editor is Noah Caldwell.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

The executive producer of NPR Music is Saraya Mohamed.

[Felix Contreras]

I'm Felix Contreras.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

And I'm Ana Maria Sayer.

[Felix Contreras]

Thank you for listening.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Foreign.

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