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.
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Alt.Latino has a new story in its series, Songs That Move You. Listener Drisana Rosales talks about an old mixtape, with a Chicano anthem, that transports her back in time.
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Our friends at Alt.Latino feature a listener's recollection of how Linda Ronstadt's song "La Calandria" moved her grandfather to tears.
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Latin music is very often expressive and raw. The hosts of Alt.Latino, tell the story of listener Alejandra Marquez Janse, and a song that makes her cry.
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The Mexican band brings its signature 'Boleroglam' to the Tiny Desk. -
NPR's Alt.Latino takes over the Tiny Desk concerts for the next four weeks in celebration of Latino Heritage Month.
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Over the past month thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets to protest the disputed election of president Nicolás Maduro, while Venezuelan artists like Danny Ocean use music to reflect on this political moment. But Ocean's work is just one data point in a long history of music from Venezuela that embodies the political opinions and emotions of those within the country and the diaspora. On this week's episode, Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre are joined by producer Isabella Gomez Sarmiento to walk through crucial moments in Venezuela's political history over the last 30 years, and the music that soundtracked it. Songs featured in this episode: •Yordano, "Por estas calles" •Carlos Baute, "Yo me quedo en Venezuela" •Canserbero, "Es Épico" •Danny Ocean, "Me Rehúso" •Apache, "Rompiendo el Hielo" Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Taylor Haney, with editorial support from Hazel Cills, Zach Thompson, Tony Cavin and Didi Schanche. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins. -
The NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest got nearly 7,000 entries this year. Here are some of the notable jazz entries.
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NPR Music's Felix Contreras wraps up the best Latin music entries in this year's Tiny Desk Contest.
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Llergo's performance brings the spirit of a Spanish music scene built on tradition but exploding with new energy to the Tiny Desk.
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Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras speaks with All Things Considered host Scott Detrow about the TV host who helped Tex-Mex music transcend borders.
