All Songs Considered / Alt.Latino: What We Missed In 2025

Date: December 17, 2025
Panel: Felix Contreras and Ana Maria Sayer

Overview: Exploring Overlooked Latin Music of 2025

This episode of Alt.Latino is a deep-dive into remarkable Latin music releases of 2025 that somehow slipped past the hosts' (and, perhaps, your) radar. Broadcasting from Mexico City and the NPR Studios, Ana Maria Sayer and Felix Contreras bring heartfelt commentary, personal anecdotes, and rich cultural insights as they revisit the unsung albums and songs that defined the year for them — spanning genres from Afro-Caribbean fusions and Puerto Rican reggae undercurrents to Argentine alt-pop and boundary-pushing classical projects.

The tone is conversational, witty, and passionate, threading historical context, music criticism, and personal reflections.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Thrill (and Challenge) of Music Discovery

• Theme: Both hosts share how exhilarating — and impossible — it is to keep up with all the great music released each year, making end-of-year catch-up sessions both daunting and delightful.
• Quote:
  • “One of my favorite parts of the year is... digging for all the things that I didn’t [catch]. ...It's like a whole new — I get to relive the year again, but with a whole new lens.”
    — Ana Maria Sayer, [01:14]

2. Alex Cuba’s “Índole”: Exploring Afro-Latin Roots

• Album: Índole (11th studio album, Nov 2025)

• Notable Track: “Espiritu Temba” ft. Roberto Vizcaíno Jr.

• Felix’s Insights:

  • Notes a marked turn toward Afro-Latino rhythmic roots, away from Alex Cuba’s typically acoustic/melodic style.
  • Highlights percussion legend Roberto Vizcaíno Jr. and the multi-generational legacy of Cuban percussion as integral to the album’s sound.
    Quote:
    • “He’s one of these musicians who are moving that art and that craft forward into the future, well beyond. He’s an amazing percussionist.”
      — Felix Contreras, [04:11]

• Ana’s Response:

  • Senses the deep Caribbean/Island percussive heritage that forms the backbone of the title track.
    Quote:
    • “It feels so deeply — I mean, the Caribbean part of the Afro-Caribbean is really key. ...it runs a really strong current in this song.”
      — Ana Maria Sayer, [03:44]

3. Enyel Se’s “Nuevo Caribe”: Puerto Rican Reggae-Laced Innovation

• Album: Nuevo Caribe

• Featured Tracks: “Nuevo Caribe” and “Palo Delimon”

• Why It Resonates:

  • Celebrates the often-under-acknowledged reggae and dancehall roots within Caribbean and Puerto Rican music.
  • Emphasizes the “sonically easy,” accessible, but thoughtful way Enyel Se weaves social commentary into compelling, laid-back grooves.
  • Discusses urban gentrification and resistance in Puerto Rico via powerful, tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

• Quote:

  • “If I’m reincarnated, I want to be a shark. To eat a few gringos on the shore of Boquerón.”
    — Ana Maria Sayer, quoting Enyel Se, [10:12]
  • “It’s an easy listening experience, but it’s also, in that same sense, he makes some significant statements too in this very palatable way.”
    — Ana Maria Sayer, [09:43]

• Felix’s Comparison:

  • Draws connections to early ‘90s Mexican bands fusing rock, reggae, and ska sounds.
  • Notes the persistent, cross-national appeal of reggae rhythms in Latin urban contexts.
  • Quote:
  • “There’s a lot of echo and it just sort of floats out there, man. ...I really like this.”
    — Felix Contreras, [07:53]

4. Berta Rojas’ “La Ruta de las Cuerdas”: 500 Years of Strings

• Album/Project: La Ruta de las Cuerdas

• Featured Track: “Sara” (by Ángel Mislan, with Fabiola Mendez)

• Project Scope:

  • A two-year, continent-spanning odyssey through the history of Latin American string instruments.
  • Includes 17 musicians, 10 countries, companion videos, a narrative booklet, and even an interactive AI feature for sonic exploration.
  • Intertwines historical scholarship, cultural pride, and immersive multimedia.

• Felix’s Take:

  • “Just the idea of her taking on this 500 years of history, you know, it’s like you think we have problems trying to remember what came across in the last year. I’m sure she must have had a very difficult time trying to decide which track she was going to include on the record.” [13:55]

• Ana’s Reflection:

  • Ponders the deep emotional, quasi-vocal role that stringed instruments play in Latin American musical storytelling.
  • Quote:
  • “It’s almost the voice, but not quite. ...the second best version of communicating a story, of an emotion, of a history.” [14:48]

5. Cazzu’s “Latinaje”: Argentina’s Urban Queen Goes Folk

• Album: Latinaje

• Featured Track: “Mala Suerte”

• Ana’s Analysis:

  • Details how Cazzu, typically a powerhouse rapper, pivots into cumbia, pop, funk, and even corridos tumbados on this album.
  • Attributes the experimental spirit to Argentina’s open, tradition-incorporative pop scene in 2025.
  • Notes the influence of high-profile personal drama in the album’s reception, while focusing on her sonic exploration.
  • Quote:
  • “There was a lot of attention on this record because ...people were really looking towards this record to get some of the details on that relationship, which yes, she did talk pretty personally ...but really my focus is just her exploration of the different sounds.” [19:53]

• Felix’s Musical Breakdown:

  • Highlights the adaptability of Afro-Caribbean rhythms within pop/urban forms, drawing historic parallels with earlier genre-fusing records.
  • Quote:
  • “It fits so perfectly ...you don’t even have to change it. ...It just superimposes over this stuff.” [21:49]

6. Conrad Herwig & Eddie Palmieri’s “Reflections Facing South”: An Emotional Farewell

• Album: Reflections Facing South

• Personnel: Conrad Herwig (trombone), Lucas Curtis (bass), Eddie Palmieri (piano, shortly before his passing in August 2025)

• Felix’s Tribute:

  • Shares a highly emotional anecdote about Palmieri’s passing before a DC Jazz Fest performance — and the subsequent tribute.
  • Reflects on the depth of Palmieri’s influence and the palpable grief within his band and the community.
  • “Throughout his career, we’ve run out of ways to talk about just how important Eddie Palmieri was to Afro-Caribbean music...” [22:43]
  • “Listening to this record is kind of hard, but it’s also, you know, this is what we need after losing him this year.” [25:44]

7. Juana Molina’s “Doga”: The Alt-Argentine Icon Returns

• Album: Doga

• Notable Tracks: “La Paradoja,” “Siestas A”

• Why She Matters:

  • Her first album of original material in 8 years, Molina is lauded as a pioneer of Argentina’s experimental, alternative scene — a scene that directly influences younger artists today.
  • Both hosts express deep chagrin at having missed the release.
  • Ana situates Molina’s legacy: from comedian to internationally recognized avant-pop musician, impactful at home and abroad.
  • Quote:
  • “How do you even describe her? ...Always pushing the edge, the boundary, doing the new thing, doing a different thing, exploring her own kind of space and sound.” [27:34]
  • “If it weren’t for artists like Juana Molina, ...the new young wave of artists could not exist in the way that they do today.” [30:44]

• Felix’s Anecdote:

  • Recalls hosting Juana Molina on the show in 2011 and at Tiny Desk in 2014, crediting her with opening up “a completely new sonic world.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “It feels so deeply — I mean, the Caribbean part of the Afro-Caribbean is really key.”
  — Ana Maria Sayer on Alex Cuba, [03:44]

• “If I’m reincarnated, I want to be a shark. To eat a few gringos on the shore of Boquerón.”
  — Quoting Enyel Se’s “Palo Delimon,” [10:12]

• “It’s almost the voice, but not quite. ...the second best version of communicating a story, of an emotion, of a history.”
  — Ana Maria Sayer on strings in Latin America, [14:48]

• “It fits so perfectly ...you don’t even have to change it.”
  — Felix Contreras, explaining crossover beats in Cazzu’s music, [21:49]

• “Listening to this record is kind of hard, but ...this is what we need after losing him [Eddie Palmieri] this year.”
  — Felix Contreras, [25:44]

• "How do you even describe her? ...exploring her own kind of space and sound."
  — Ana Maria Sayer on Juana Molina, [27:34]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:14] – Ana describes the thrill of rediscovering missed music
• [03:44] – Discussion of Afro-Caribbean percussion in Alex Cuba’s album
• [05:43] – Introduction of Enyel Se’s “Nuevo Caribe”
• [10:12] – Lyrical deep-dive into Enyel Se’s “Palo Delimon”
• [13:55] – Berta Rojas’ epic project on stringed instrument history
• [19:53] – Cazzu’s transition into folk and cumbia, and her personal subject matter
• [21:49] – Underlying Afro-Caribbean beat in Cazzu’s track analyzed
• [22:43] – Emotional tribute to Eddie Palmieri and his legacy
• [27:34] – Closing segment discussing Juana Molina’s artistic evolution and new album
• [30:44] – Ana situates Juana Molina’s legacy in Argentine alternative music
• [31:25] – Felix recounts past encounters with Juana Molina

Conclusion / Wrap-Up

The episode closes with Ana and Felix reflecting on the year’s bounty and their gratitude for a vinyl-deep dive into both iconoclasts and new innovators. Both confess to missing gems despite their efforts, affirming that discovery and rediscovery are a perpetual joy in the world of music. The episode is a testament to Alt.Latino’s ongoing mission: surfacing essential sounds from across Latin America, and sharing the passion and stories behind them.

End-of-year sign-off:
“It was action packed. There was a lot of amazing, amazing music. ...I’m glad we were able to catch up to it this week.” — Felix Contreras, [32:24]

For listeners: This episode is essential if you want to keep your musical horizons wide open and discover some of the most vital, genre-defying artists and albums from Latin America that you may have missed in 2025—each introduced with infectious enthusiasm, deep cultural understanding, and loving candor.