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

Episode Date: July 23, 2025

Before Ana heads off to see Bad Bunny's unprecedented residency in Puerto Rico, we chat a little about why the celebration is significant to the island and Latin music in general.We also dig deep into new releases that include four different approaches to the guitar and a musician from Peru who defies genre to create his own musical language.Music heard in this episode:• Hermanos Gutiérrez, "Elegantly Wasted (ft. Leon Bridges)"• Bebo Dumont, "Hoy" • Eljuri, "Karma"• Yamil Quiere Ser Artista & Oliver Berg, "Bandido," "Gatito Miau Miau Miau" • Yasser Tejeda, "Una Cascada de Miel" • Yerai Cortés, "Sonar por Bulerías," • Judeline & Yerai Cortés, "Un puente por la Bahía, la Cruz del Campo"Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Noah Caldwell. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

From NPR music, this is Alt Latino. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Anna Maria Sayer. Let the Chisme begin. Felix. Yes. I'm going to Puerto Rico. Okay, so I was going to 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?

I think this deserves a drum roll, Felix, honestly. I'm that level of excited. I know, I know. Okay, drum roll. 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 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. It is turned into a cultural event. Definitely. Certainly a history-making event for the island. It's a cultural event in 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 the lot of the live music. 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 when we talked to PJsensuela 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. So there are many layers to this. And in fact, here on the Alt 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 to talk about the I know you're dying to hear about it, Felix. I am, actually.

I'll FaceTime you into the show. And in the meantime, while you're still here, before you jet off, let's talk about some new music. Let's do it. You start. Okay. I was looking through my stuff, and it just so happens that I have a guitar player theme this week. Okay. And we're starting with Los Armas 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 in 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, Hermannos Gutierrez, featuring Leon Bridges. 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 Lafourcade

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.

That's so funny, because I was thinking the same thing when I heard this, because I love the R&B soul approach that he has, that Liam 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 mentioned the Natalia La Forca de 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 on so many different ways, and it's distinct. It has their stamp on it. It's their sound. Can't go wrong. There's honestly nothing. left to say because they're just perfect. I could listen to them forever. It's called Elegantly Wasted featuring Leon Bridges. That is my first guitar track for today from Los Ehrmanos Gutierras.

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. Oh my God. This is getting ridiculous. But for now, but to begin, before that, to prepare myself for Puerto Rico, I am bringing Puerto Rico. African artist Bebo Dumat. 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 Rawayana album. He works with them a ton. If you listen to this, you're going to hear a lot Rawayana 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 Oi.

Okay, so I want to bring Bebo for a few different And so I wanted to bring Bebel 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, you see, see an artist like Bebo, because we're seeing like BLE, 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 Bebo, who is very much from an Afro-Poter-Purterican tradition,

he grew up obviously listening to Bombay Plena 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. 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 Americas 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. 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 Bombo circle or whatever, like 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 in Nigeria and in London and take those sounds and meld it together, I mean, that's really special. 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 slap your finger up and down, whatever, right? Like this?

Yeah, I like that. Like it's, because it wasn't always the case. It was like people from my generation, it was 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 is just blowing my mind every time I hear something like that. That was the new single, Oi, by Bebel Dumont, which comes out tomorrow. Felix, your turn.

Okay. I'm going to 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 Judi. She is a vocalist and a guitarist, lead guitarist. She's been making music for quite a while. 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 Jhudi. Her name is Cecilia Bial El Judi. 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, is pretty busy right now. This particular song, the chorus is the soul is not for sale. So it's dealing with these people

who are like maybe giving up a little bit of their soul for a particular purpose or a 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, she said, I remember I was going to tell this story. She told us that she's been on the show multiple times because she told us that we were 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. And none of that anger, animosity, frustration, whatever, has 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, 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 in a place, and then they create this beautiful. beautiful art in place of that. So I always think of El Houdi as being one of those people. It 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 going to be called, Asi Is 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. 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 document, this shared document, Google Doc, to, 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. Oh, but I got, I got notes, Felix.

But you didn't, okay, all right. I just didn't share them with you. Okay, carry on. 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 Kere Ser Artista. Translate that. Jamil wants to be an artist. I'm just going to play the beginning of this first song. It's called Bandido. So I want to be with you. And if you know, I'm a fine of a week.

I'm retiro of bandido. I'm retiro of bandido. I know that I'm for you. Okay, you got my name is my Okay, you got my attention on this one, man. It's to buyla with me. I know that you think's mal of me Like to change your chin.

Okay, you got my attention on this one, man. 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 in 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, Miao, Miao. I'm a catita and I want to chapar with my garrettes, I'm going to wrunear, with my colita, I'm gonna bea meaer

can't be can I just say I don't know the guy I'm gonna with my collar with my colita to bea meh meo

meh can be let me say I don't know the guy I've just heard him I just met him through his music there's got to be the greatest party

ever going on in his head right you know a thousand percent a thousand percent I need you to hear the end of the song, like the last 15, 10 seconds. I love all of this. Go ahead. Hello, my papus, here Jamil Shake,

thank you for putting this theme in the first places of absolutely in all the world. So, no, me invited to analyze this song that says, Let me ask me, meow, meow. What I mean to say with this? Well, I consider that

I'm a cat. The end of the song, he goes, Hi, my friends, this is Yomil 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 essential than your dirtiest berreo 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 percussion that small but it's almost like percussion a smr 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. Okay, say the name again. The name is Jamil Kere Ser Artista. And the song that I won't play is Tan Wapa. I am so there for that. But Tan Wapa, one word. One word.

T-A-N-W-A-A. Oh, my God. And that's right up my alley. You know, 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. Felix, this dude has 2,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Like, nah. Oh, 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. That was a couple of songs from the album Bandido.

The Tiempo Se Accava by the artist Jan Miel Kere Ser Artista. Okay, part of my guitar trend this week. I got a new track from one of my faves, Yasser 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. You're the light that illuminates my Camino You're the sugar that endulsa my cafe

You're the flower that alibi my destiny A song that harmonizes my soul Seamene the heart of care It's my life, cascada of my Ducce, a smile that alumbra my soul It is one of my favorite yasser's one of my favorite yasser songs I've ever heard. Yeah.

Yeah. It's just getting better and better. And, you know, what I wanted to say about this track is because I just want to let it play and so everybody can absorb 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, is 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. 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 a and I don't see what. 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 suck 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. 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? Yeah, absolutely. I love it. That was, so many layers of beautiful to that one. I loved that. I can't wait to hear more. The track is called Una Cascada de Miel. Yacertéidae.

Keep bringing it, bro. You're killing it. You're killing it. Okay, here comes my guitar. Okay. Yerai Cortz. 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 Guaralajara at the Guadalajara Film Fest because he was there debuting his documentary. He was the subject of Setengana'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 for Bularias. You know, we recently did a show on the accordion and we've done something on Cumbia. I think someday we have to do something on flamenco. Yes, yes. Because there's so much to take in. And I think, like, we hear it and we're almost overwhelmed with the rhythms, the singing, the clapping, the dancing, the amazing guitar work.

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. 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, settengan 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 in the way that man plays and the way, like I cannot, it's connected. It's like it's heartbeat. 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, Corridos, like these very deeply, just like the stylings of it at all, it's, it's heartbeat music. It's amazing. And it's so old. I didn't even get to my song. Okay. Oh, that's just to tell us, give us an idea of who he is. I was 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 Judaline. It's called Un Puente for La Vagia, La Cruz, Del, Delitz, Campo. The beauty's in the softer, just like a beautiful voice. It's always a beautiful voice. It's always a beautiful voice. It's like 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 saudeges, without melancholy, without whatever. And this vocalist, specifically, this is Judaline, who is, like, speaking about your playlist,

your mix of Spanish singers last week, she is one of those, like, Amaria Jose Jergo, like, she's doing the really cool experimental thing, Her album was very like, cool, fun, 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 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, Gerae, Courts. You have been listening to Alt Latino from NPR Music. Our audio editor is Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of Ampure Music is Siraya Mohamed. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Anna Maria Sayer.

Thank you for listening.