Alt.Latino's New Music Discoveries At SXSW 2019

The musical leg of SXSW 2019 has taken over Austin, Texas, once again and Alt.Latino's Felix Contreras has been standing amidst the food stands, venues and musical equipment cases to check out all the best Latin talent making noise.

"South by Southwest is becoming more important for Latin music every year," Contreras says. "More and more bands from Latin America, Spain and the U.S are coming here. I've been coming for 10 years and I used to be able to see most of the bands I needed. Now, its impossible."

Every year, Contreras splits his trip between checking in with Latin talent he's been following and making new musical discoveries. This time, Contreras caught up with Silvina Moreno, an Argentinian singer with a "smart, witty, complete engaging pop sound" who accompanies herself on a decked-out washboard in concert, Spanish guitarist Twanguero and flamenco artist Diego Guerrero, who marries the genre with folk and electronic. "The way he is opening up the tradition to other influences without losing its authenticity is amazing," Contreras says of Guerrero.

After seeing her live, Contreras says Cuban standout Eme Alfonso's show is "deeply influenced by Santería, but performed with a funk R&B and jazz fusion edge," while the band Cimafunk is "a perfect mash up of Cuban music and James Brown with a big dose of Parliament Funkadelic."

Listen to the entire interview at the audio link. [Copyright 2019 NPR]