Felix Contreras

Music can help us deal and we can help musicians, too. On our weekly playlist, we're spotlighting independent artists and providing links for you to help support their music.

As the world turns, it gathers up some pretty crazy and scary circumstances. This is when music can be a valuable salve.

Cuba's Cimafunk joined Tank and The Bangas and The Soul Rebels to celebrate centuries of musical connections between their hometowns.

As we head into warmer temperatures, we dig into some tunes by Angelica Garcia, Bad Bunny and Residente.

Weir, along with Don Was and Jay Lane, play a set rich in Grateful Dead lore, including an emotional take on the sing-along, "Ripple."

The band from Havana brings its intoxicating mix of Afro-Cuban dance music and 1970s funk-and-soul to the Tiny Desk.

Hear a mélange of sounds and styles from across Latin America and the U.S., centered on the sentiment of loves lost and found in unlikely places.

Dizzying bilingual couplets coalesce with a shoegazey challenge of toxic machismo on this week's Alt.Latino playlist.

For "One-Hit Wonders/Second-Best Songs," Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras recommends "Momotombo" by Malo. The band is known for hit "Suavecito," and often overshadowed by rock peer Santana.

The enigmatic Draco Rosa immediately returns after a Latin Grammy, Lido Pimeinta celebrates the beauty and resilience of Afro-Colombian communities and Orquesta Failde covers a Camila Cabello hit.

X Alfonso comes from a storied musical family in Cuba and continues to make music with an impact. Alt.Latino's Felix Contreras shares a few singles off Alfonso's forthcoming album.

An indomitable musical culture survived the tragedy of the international slave trade. Alt.Latino captured a weeklong celebration featuring artists Trombone Shorty, Tank and the Bangas and Cimafunk.

Bad Bunny's tribute to Kobe Bryant, the Cuban hip-hop pioneers Orishas' uncleared remix and proud Latina joy from Angelica Garcia highlight the playlist this week.

The Austin, Texas band brought old-school R&B horns, bongos and deep grooves to the Tiny Desk.

Here's the first volley in a year-long celebration of Alt.Latino's upcoming ten-year anniversary in June.

Spanglish Fly is one of the pioneers of the boogaloo revival scene happening on the East Coast. For about sixteen minutes, they turned the NPR Music offices into the hottest Latin dance club in D.C.

It's impossible to not be drawn in by the visual specter of Balún as the band mixes traditional instruments and electronics, set against a rich tapestry of voices.

A playlist perfect for holiday parties in your tia's kitchen and with the primos in the basement. Plus, an exclusive video from Ruben Blades.

When Los Lobos gathered behind the Tiny Desk, it felt like they were cramped in the back room of a family Christmas party, calling up tunes from the Latin holiday song book.

We have 2019 picks for standout Latin music.