NPR Music - Alt.Latino: Zen and the art of new music

Episode Date: December 3, 2025

Some folks think by December all the releases for the year are complete. Not quite. This week's Alt.Latino episode features a new music show with albums that should be considered along with the year���s best.  We've got pop and alternative from Mexico, funk from Colombia, rock and ambient from New York, and a Tejano master celebrated by his fellow Texans. Plus, Felix brings the zen. Artists and songs featured in this episode: - Diles que no me maten, 'Manos de Piedra - Revisitada'- Dianna Lopez, 'Sun Frequencies (Renewal)'- HUMBE, 'fantasmas'- Rene Lopez, 'Any Chance'- Duplat, 'Vete del País'- Ruben Ramos. 'El Año Viejo (ft. Gaby Moreno)'This podcast was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music 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

Okay, so the Buddhist master went to the hot dog vendor and said, make me one with everything. Get it? No, I don't get it. I just saw that one the other day. It was pretty funny. From MPR Music, this is Alt Latino. I'm Felix Contreras.

And I'm Anna Maria Sayer. Let the cheese mate begin. Okay, so we took last week off. We were very quickly, fastly, super speedily approaching the end of the year, but we're not there yet. And people are still releasing music, Felix. Yeah, we have to squeeze in a little bit more, even though we've already put our end of the year list together, which we will be getting to. But yeah, this week, tons of great music that's still coming out, and you get to go first. I do have a couple things up my sleeve, as per always. Okay, starting us off with a band that I

have never brought in, but is a band that I actually listen to personally a lot, and I follow very closely. They're probably one of Mexico City's most exciting alternative band. They're called Dilech that no me Mattan. They just released a new single that was actually a re-release of a track they put out a long time ago. It's called Manos de Piedra. The camera the most

near the piece of the earth, the habitation color of cobre, here no sale in nobody, at the middle of all. You, sentada, occulting the mirabed behind the right

and reading the front of the cafe like looking a mirror of the books, you, with a point, with the skin castaiseada,

with the labrumas through the eyes, to a real estate, I'm not I'm I'm not too I'm looking, I'm not I'm trying,

I'm using, I'm not I'm I'm looking, I'm you're the view from the faro, the instant that concurre the infinite, the voice of the

assembly, of the voices in the head of my world, you need to you know, because you know, you're trying to be serious, I'm

I like the different rhythm textures in that one. I imagine you playing the drums feel exactly. It's literally what I was envisioning. It is basically an extensive sonic exploration of knowing nothing. It's interesting because they do kind of flip a couple times throughout the song. There's a moment in the song where they really do shift to a different tone, a different texture, a different type of pacing and I think what it really isn't attempt at a representation of the experience of the thing that they're talking about. They mentioned the reason that they re-released and re-recorded

the song as being something that this song has really evolved and changed with them as they've played it, as they've performed it, as they've introduced it to the world over the years. And I always think that's an interesting thing, right? Because it's like, that's something we talk about. You release a song and it takes on all these different lives and forms. And so for a band, and to actually take it back into the studio, revisit it, and come up with something a little bit distinct from what they had before. It's a nice way, I think, to, like, stay in conversation

with the music, with the people listening to it. They recorded it in Santa Maria de la Rivera, which is a neighborhood that is, like, becoming one of the most explosive artist neighborhoods in CEDMX. So it's just a nice track. I loved it. And Felix, with a name like that, Dile's that no

Me Matan Tell them not to kill me What also stands out to me Is the name of the track Manos de Piero Hands of Stone It's also the nickname of a very very famous

Panamanian boxing champion Roberto Duran Manos de Pierda That's the first thing I thought of I was listening For some boxing references In the song I didn't hear it

But you know Maybe it's not in what it says But how it's performed That was Manos de Pierra by Diles that no Me Matan Okay

Felix, what do you get? Oh my gosh. Okay, so this is an artist. I don't know how I found her, honestly. Her name is Diana Lopez. I don't want to say too much right now at the top. She's got a new EP out called Echo. This track is called Sun

Frequencies. Check this out. I never know what I'm going to like. I know what you're going to like. Like I said, I don't know where I found her. and I knew nothing about her, so I had to dig around. I see that she's been making music since 2018,

and her early work is more traditional singer-songwriter. Very low-key, very DIY bedroom production stuff. The usual song forms, verse, chorus, bridge, all that stuff. But that voice, that ethereal voice is still there, perfect for her emotional lyrics. In fact, in 2018, our former colleague, Sidney Madden, wrote about her for our website. About 2020, she released something called ShapeShifting,

and it began to have more of an ambient, more sonic landscapes. And last year she released a bunch of singles that were more spiritual in nature, celebrating nature, titles like Redwood Resonance, Earth Rhythms, Deepwood Melodies. And her new EP is just four songs. And it's layered with all these multiple sounds and influences. It's a simple beauty but simple not being derogatory. It's very, very, as you hear, like the rest of the records like this, it impacted me so much. I don't know where I was there in that space and time that I built a whole playlist around it with all these other artists that are well established that feature that same kind of approach to music.

Her music struck me at a time when I wasn't looking for it and it just stayed with me. It really is the voice, though, Felix. Like there's maybe a stylistic shift or what have you as she experienced with. different, you know, melodies and production, whatever it is, but that voice, it's, it's unmistakable. It stays. Yeah. The little info I founded her that she started out. She wanted to be an actress. She's from New York. She lives in the upstate New York. I don't know if she's still there. But she wanted to be an actress and one of her friends was a music major and in management. So they had to put together a showcase and they didn't have anybody to showcase. So they said,

hey, I'll sing some songs. And she had so much fun doing that. She gave up on acting, at least for the time being, and really went into the music. And we all benefit from that. Her name is Deanna Lopez. The track is called Sun Frequencies, and the EP is called Echo.

Okay. So this is an artist. His name is Umbé. He's quite young. He's 25 years old. He's from Mexico. And he's been one of these kind of like, future of pop.

What's it going to sound like? What's it going to look like artists in Mexico, in Latin America, generally. He's releasing this very ambitious album this week. It's 22 tracks. And a lot of these tracks are quite extensive. Like I'm talking like five, six minutes, which is not really the standard right now

in terms of like especially for a young pop artist who's kind of like still building, building, building. He has a pretty solid audience at this point. But definitely not what I would have expected. One of the songs on this album is actually a single that I've been listening to now for quite some time. And so I wanted to take the opportunity to play it today. It's called Fantasmas.

He's got this really lovely distinctive voice, but more than that, what I love about that song in particular is it is, I mean it's a pop melody, it's simple, it's sweet, but it's really, he stays very light touch. He's not heavy-handed about it, but stays very consistent in this vein of bringing where he's from, what he is. I mean, this is not an attempt to replicate American pop by any means. And I think that's what's really key to me here is like this sound, this is from Mexico. This is pop from Mexico very overtly, but not like in a way that feels like that's what he's trying to do. It's just, it's just what it is. In my many hours of watching TikTok videos in my obsession with TikTok.

You've heard him. Oh my God. That song is everywhere. That part where he sings. lyric and then the trumpet comes in. Yeah. It's just, it's everywhere. I'm not on TikTok, so I don't know. Oh, my God. And so many people use it because

the song evokes so many feelings. There's feelings like family reunions. There's feelings of loss. There's feelings of love for parents, love for children. It's just, it's remarkable to me how many different ways that people use that

particular lyric and that song and the feeling to reflect their own lives. I mean, that's I'm so glad you brought it in because I needed to know more about him because that song is just everywhere. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the fact that you are currently teaching me about a TikTok trend. I was like, I don't know. I just heard the song and I liked it. It's so funny that you picked that one. I thought you picked it because of the TikTok trend. No, I had no idea. I told you. I'm not on TikTok, Felix. I don't know what's happening.

So when I says your videos, you'll never see them? Oh, my God. Let's carry on. Let's put a pin in that. Should I say yes? I just want to go back to the striking music that this young man has made. And like I said, the way that so many people interpret it. I can't wait to hear the rest of the record because it sounds amazing because he's put so much time and effort into it. I want to see what more he has to say.

That was Fantasmas by Umbé. And it's time for a break, I think, right? Okay, let's take a break. We'll come back with a lot more new music. right after this. And we're back with more music. Okay, Anna, I got something for you. Yay.

And I may have played this artist before. I'm sure I have. In fact, I know I have. But he's got a new record out. He's a perfect example of more people should know about this musician. His name is Reni Lopez. He's got a connection to the legacy of Fania. Yeah, his music reflects so many different musical influences.

This is his 11th album, if you can believe it. His new album is called A New York Lie. The track is called Any Chance. Okay, I mentioned that he has 11 albums, and to me that's an example. of his resilience and his creativity. I'm a big fan. I found him, God, years ago, almost a dozen years ago,

when he was doing this series on YouTube called Songs from the Stoop, and he references that in this track where he was just on his stoop playing his own music. His kids would come out and join them. They're like obviously 10, 15 years older now. But they were little kids.

They would come out and join them. Neighbors would come by. You know, his, Dad was also named Reni Lopez, and he was a trumpet player, and he played with Ray Barreto and Typica 73, like very, very hardcore salsa, so he grew up with that in his household. But then he was also a child of his time, right? So there was Prince, there was funk, there was disco, there was all that stuff. He was in New York, and he absorbed all these things.

And if you follow the trajectory of his music, you can hear all of that in different aspects. And it's not like he went through phases. they were actually part of his growth and development. So as a musician, as he grew and as a songwriter, all of these elements came through. He self-describes his music as a mix of Latin rhythms, rock and roll, outlaw country, Americana, and truth and myth. On this album, he's really leaning into the country Americana thing because they're still guitars, very confessional songwriting. The album's called A New York Lie. it's a deep personal reflection on his life, but also in New York City because the whole city is like a character or a mood or a sensibility in each track.

You know, he has that very distinctive voice. There's some uptempo stuff. There's some downtempo stuff. It's just another example of why I'm such a big fan of this guy. And again, more people should know about him. The artist's name Reni Lopez. The album's called A New York Lie and the track is called Any Chance. Okay, Felix.

Last thing I have for you today is from a Colombian artist named Duplat. This is a song called Vete del Pais. Wow, a lot of hack of that one. Yeah, seriously. I mean, this is an artist who has been releasing album since 2019, but really is not Felix actually all that widely known. There's something really beautiful to me about his sound that actually reminds me a lot of like,

earlier Rawayana, actually. Like, this kind of interesting mix of, like, um, rocky, reggae, funky type of, he has on certain points at his record. It's a jazzier kind of breakdown that he'll do. But it really is to me that communication of that part of the world and kind of like the, the, a little more alternative band sound,

even though he is just a solo artist, that I've been hearing more and more in recent years. I just love what he's doing, Felix, it's fun, it's fresh, the horns, the bass, like all of it just feels really nice and right to me. What do you mean by fresh? Oh my God, I knew you were going to say that. Because we know it's cyclical, Felix.

We've been through this 20,000 times. I get it. It's not fresh for you. It's fresh for me. But in it's not freshness for you, that's what makes it fresh for me. You know what I mean? I never know until I think about what you say, like, days later. later.

Because that's like it sounds, it's very 70s funk. Totally. Very 70s. I wasn't alive then. But yes. But yes. Got a Nile Rogers feel. You know, Nile Rogers from Sheik and all the record producing.

It's a very 70s feel. But talk about the lyrics. What are they talking about? Is it a love story? Is he? Because consider like, are they based in Columbia? Because consider what's going on in the area right now. Yeah.

And singing a song, get out of my country. I don't know. I don't know. I wonder about that. He's saying, get out of the country and don't tell me. Like, don't even tell me you left. Just leave. I don't know what that is.

Is that love? Is that a response to something? A feeling, a sentiment that that's in Colombia right now? I don't know. We don't know, right? But the possibility is, like, it's another example of people making political statements without making political statements. It's the classic romantic conceit for expressing a thing, for sure.

Yeah. It's possible. Yeah. There's certainly a lot of stuff going on there in that part of the world. That track was called Veta del Pais, and it's off of Duplat's new album, Dulce and Amarga. Okay. I'm going to close out this show where in December, we're starting the holidays a little early, okay, because I have a Christmas track for you. Is it early?

We're in December. I guess, yeah, it's after Thanksgiving. It works. I see Christmas tree lights up, so we can start playing the music. Although it's not really Christmas until I play the Charlie Brown Christmas record, but that's another story. But I will instead play this track. This is from a guy named Ruben Ramos, El Gato Negro, he calls himself. This is called El Anio Viejo.

It features Gabi Moreno. He's a Texas music legend. But his music is also expanded way beyond Texas. He has a new tribute album coming out in February, but they're releasing this one early. Again, this is called El Anio Vuejo, featuring Gabi Moreno. Right? Mm-hmm.

So this is an example of musicians taking care of their own. Ruben Ramos was, he started making music back in the late 60s with a band called the Mexican Revolution, which was part of the whole Chicano movement thing. He's been making this music for so long. It was well before the industry started calling it Tejano, and then everybody else started picking up on Tejano. Back then it was a mixture of a bunch of different things. You can hear, cumbias, Corridos, all that stuff, but with a distinct Texas flair, and Ruben Ramos has been singing that since then.

He never stopped performing. He's been doing all this stuff. And our friend Carrie Rodriguez has taken on this project to basically pay tribute to Ruben. She's performed with him a bunch of times there in Austin. And they've got this tribute coming out. He's got all these great Austin musicians. I just love the idea of giving a musician like Ruben Ramos his Jew

while they're still alive. And recognizing that while he may not be a big influence outside of Texas, like maybe people know, I've heard his name forever, but maybe people who are, you know, Dominicans in New York or, you know, wherever, like Latino communities from other parts of the country may not know his name, but he's a pillar. He's foundational. He's part of that whole sound that has gone on to influence things like some of the Mexican regional artists

from Texas that we've played on the show. So I'm excited. I can't wait to hear the rest of the record. It's called Los Dias de Calor. It doesn't come out until late February, early March. And there is a cool tribute concert plan for him sometime in February in Austin that I hope to be able to get to and maybe even be part of. I was going to say, Felix, isn't this the project that you yourself might be making a guest appearance on?

I have been fortunate that Carrie has been invited me to perform these performances that she calls Labortarios, where she brings in different types of vocalists, singers, performers from different genres. She's been doing this for a couple of years. She's really done on a remarkable job. She's established a nonprofit. She's been able to bring in all these people. Killer house band. Killer house band.

I love playing with. And I've been fortunate to be part of that. And she's been working on this project for a while in the album. Again, that whole Texas scene, man, whether even like from that, just, generation. Even the younger musicians, some of the people that we've featured on the show, it's like a little family, right, whether they're even know each other, but it still has a feeling of family when you talk about musicians from Texas. It is interesting to me, though, Felix, that you do pull that thread of what this project is and the Tejano, the

Kumbia, the Texas of it all, and compare it to the burgeoning regional Mexican scene that yes, does have its footprint in Texas. I think a good example of that is group of Frontera, for example, one of the biggest groups in that genre right now who did come from Southern Texas. But the origins of those sounds, to me, are quite distinct and they're on distinct trajectories. Like a revisiting or reimagining or a revitalization of Techano is actually, to me, quite independent.

I mean, what is so distinct about Tejano is that it is markedly not redeveloped. Mexican music. It's not Nortenio music, which is what Grupa Frontera is doing. They are Mexican Americans who are doing a sound that is from the north of Mexico versus Mexicans Americans who are doing a sound that is literally of Texas, which is, yes, those both exist in Texas, were born in Texas, are continuing to be made in Texas, but they're very, to me, they live in different worlds. They live in different worlds, but I think that one influences the other. Sure. You know? And it's just really just a lot of fun to listen to and a lot of, and to think about, like, just big giant musical country that is Texas.

Well, and also, like, for me, Tejano, I feel like it doesn't exist without being very directly linked to some of its earlier sounds. Versus Norteño feels like there's been a lot more phases of Norteno to me. Tejano is more, it sounds more like a specific moment to me. Sounds like maybe we need to do another themed show. I know. We really, we haven't visited it in a while. About, you know, because seriously, about how those worlds either coexist or don't coexist or semi-exist, you know, where's that Venn diagram? Where's that mark where they coexist together, you know? Right. Well, and if you ask anyone in Mexico making

Nortenio or any varietal, right, we're talking about one also that it gets confusing when we talk about regional Mexican versus specifically I'm talking about Nortenio right now. They're all going to tell you that no Tijuana, probably. Doesn't have anything to do with. Yeah. The album's called Los Deges del Calor.

It's not going to come out until, like I said, late February, early March. The track is called El Anio Viejo. It's a Christmas-themed holiday-themed track. That is the great Ruben Ramos, El Gato Negro, also featuring the great Gabby Moreno on that track as well. You have been listening to Alt Latino from NPR Music. Our audio editor is Noah Caldwell. Sarah Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.

The executive director of NPR music is Senali META. I'm Felix Contreras. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Ana Maria Sayer. Thank you for that. listening.