We might be exaggerating a little bit, but we are running ragged from traveling, so this week we’re just haciendo lo que nos da la gana (thanks Bad Bunny!). We brought whatever songs we wanted to with no theme to unify them, and it’s a pretty great mix if we do say so ourselves. Show notes: bit.ly/3TorfDW Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
Esta semana it’s all about y’all: we asked for your picks, and you sent them! We love it when y’all put us on, and send us stuff that are outside of our purview or what we generally tend to seek - and y’all delivered. Featuring music by Tachi Waves, Mazzy Star, Laguna Pai, La Dame Blanche, Maria Gadu, and La Doña. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3T2MqLH Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
From good musiquita for the cooler months to fun collaborations, accessible pop, and explorations of love, this week we’ve got some cute new releases for your fall playlists. Featuring music by La Santa Cecilia, Dueto Dos Rosas, Daniela Lalita, Wisin y Yandel, Prince Royce, Lyanno, Young Miko, Kany Garcia, Christian Nodal, Anaís Azul, Bacilos, Chacin & RaiNao. Show notes: bit.ly/3SNeeUi Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
Each year, hurricane season gets more intense and more disastrous, particularly for folks in the Caribbean. As Puerto Rico is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Fiona, people in Cuba and Florida are now dealing with Hurricane Ian’s destructive impact. In this episode we explore the ways our changing climate is disproportionately impacting our gente in the global south, including places to which we owe so much musically and culturally. The ways colonialism is inherently tied up in ext...
A deep abiding sadness. Existential dread. How would you describe melancholy? In this week’s episode we dive into the expressions of melancholy in Latine music. Unsurprisingly, hay mucho que escoger. Get ready to romanticize your melancholic solitude. Featuring music by Los Diablitos, La India, Goyo, Twin Shadow, Antony Santos, La Lupe, Sonora Siguaray, Carlos y Alejandra. Show notes: bit.ly/3S5zXpw Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
Vero took on the wild adventure of cooking a whole goat in a highly regional preparation that’s been passed down through family, so we obviously took this chance to talk about it and the GOATs of some of our fave Caribbean genres: Bachata, Salsa, Reggaeton, and Merengue. Shoutout our editor (and ghost producer apparently lol) Myte from Cabronas y Chingonas for the theme idea. Content warning: we definitely talk extensively about the preparation of a whole animal. If you’re squeamish about meat, ...
It’s time for some new musiquita again! And in the meantime we catch up on current chisme - besos escandalosos, posthumous Selenas y más. Featuring music by Natti Natasha, Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, Villano Antillano, Ptazeta, Selena, Beyonce, Ivy Queen, Tonga Conga, Mabiland, Los Rakas, and MULA. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3RwjyKs Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
We talk a lot about the influence of African people, instruments, and rhythms on Latinx music. But we know that indigenous peoples and musical traditions have also had an impact. This week we take a deep dive into one of the most iconic examples from Los Kjarkas, an Andean folk group from Bolivia, whose iconic song Llorando Se Fue (aka La Lambada) inspired many covers and samples, from the 80s until today. Featuring music by Los Kjarkas, Kaoma, Wisin y Yandel, Don Omar, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull a...
Coco. In the Heights. Encanto. Despite a very white dominated media, a few Latinx musicals, both film and theatre, have managed to find significant success. In this episode we take a journey through some of the biggest Latinx musicals to grace our stages and our screens. Featuring music by Mambo All Stars, Chita Rivera, Natalia LaFourcade, Miguel, and music from the cast of Coco, West Side Story, Encanto and In The Heights. Show notes: bit.ly/3PEKdTX Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.c...
Juan Luis Guerra’s “Bachata Rosa” is an iconic album credited with bringing Dominican genres to the rest of the world. Over thirty years after its release, the album’s status as a classic is undeniable. But bachata and merengue both had long histories before Juan Luis Guerra, and bachata specifically - previously seen as a low-class and vulgar style - came to be seen in a whole new light after the album’s release, paving the way for many to come after. But what does it mean when a historically B...
You know those famous reggaetoneros who find Jesus and reject their music careers? Farruko might be the latest to publicly and dramatically announce a turn to religion (during Pepas no less!), but he is not the first to decide God is more important than music. Listen in as we mourn the music greats who have turned away from the music we love and turned toward el Señor. Featuring music by Hector El Father, Lary Over, Julio Voltio, Farruko, El General, Juan Luis Guerra and Vico C. Show notes: bit....
Simón Mejía of Bomba Estereo joins Vero to talk en español about their new documentary project, El Duende. It explores Marimba, a Afro-Colombian musical tradition from the Pacific coast of the country, an area that because of it’s isolation has created a unique and distinctive sound. Featuring music by Bomba Estereo and Bad Bunny. Show notes: bit.ly/3OCJ2El Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
Had a lil COVID spell last week, peeeeero we’re back and stronger than ever, ready to give you alguito nuevo pa sus playlists. We give you a little on Biza’s unusal path to producer stardom, a pop girlie moment, y mucho caribe, cuz you know. Us. Featuring music by Villano Antillano, Biza, J Balvin, Ryan Castro, Empress Of, Jessi Uribe, Xiomara Fortuna, Skilteck, Los Rakas, Nohemy, Mediopicky, and Gilberto Santa Rosa. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3yZmWWu Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter....
Hace calorrrrrr, so we got your pool pari playlist started! We have all the vibes - LA pool party, fun in the sun, hopping into the pool at the house party with your clothes on y más. Featuring music by Puerto Rican Power, Speak, Proyecto Uno, Banda MS, Snoop Dogg, Ms. Nina, Mediopicky, Diego Raposo, Sólo Fernandez, Mario Castellanos, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3c1906Q Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
We’re here, we’re queer and we’re mad AF. We had other plans, pero we dropped them to do this episode inspired by our anger at the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade and all of the ways our rights are being compromised. Listen in for songs that connect us to our rage, our grief and our joy amidst what feels like constant disaster. Featuring music by La India, Kelis, Sergio George’s Salsa Giants, Mediopicky, Don Omar, La Lupe and Daddy Yankee. Show notes: bit.ly/3NAzhWo Follow us: instag...
Thirty years ago in the hilly barrios of Caracas, an electronic music genre began to emerge away from the gaze of Venezuela’s elite. Today, after millions of Venezuelans have dispersed throughout the globe in a massive displacement crisis, Changa Tuki is quietly making moves. Featuring music by DJ Baba, DJ Yirvin, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and Arca. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3NdWKwN Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
It’s pride month! Did you know that heterosexuality can be cured? Despite all of the heavy shit going on, we’re taking a moment to celebrate all the beautiful and complicado dimensions of being LGBTQA+++. We’ve got queer artists, straight allies and even some gay rage para ti. Featuring music by Johnny Sky, Omar Apollo, Reyna Tropical, Rita Indiana, Los Tigres del Norte, Liniker e os Caramelows and Lido Pimienta. Show notes: bit.ly/3xz6EnY Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMen...
We’re back beibiisss! Some things have happened while we’ve been plugging away at a little side project — not least of which was another Bad Bunny surprise album. We’ve got some thoughts about it all, naturally, pero les tenemos otras cositas tambien. We’re glad to be back - thanks for hanging with us amores! Featuring music by Los Cojolites, Natalia Lafourcade, Bad Bunny, Buscabulla, and Ala Jaza. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3zg704e Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tiny...
What is more dramatic than color bursting from the ground and trees? This week we’ve got a primavera playlist for you. Songs about spring, about drama, about this season of rebirth and renewed romantic possibility. Featuring music by Vicente Fernandez, iLe, Adrian Quesada, Los inquietos de vallenato, Oksana Linde, Yuri, Yahritza y Su Esencia, and Hector Acosta El Torito. Show notes: bit.ly/3DP6WZk Become a Radio Menea member: bit.ly/2s2RQhS Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMe...
What was once an almost entirely Cuban-dominated Latin music scene in Miami, the 90s finally bring the beginning of a more pan-Latin sound from this south Florida city. In our final installment of a two-part series on the music of Miami, we get into the multitude of artists that the 305 has produced from the 90s until today. Featuring music by Albita, Bacilos, Pitbull, Kat Dahlia, Leslie Grace, Amara La Negra, and Jon Secada. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3uJXVwC Become a Radio Menea member: bit.ly...
How did a small South Florida city become such a Latinx metropolis? Starting with the massive migration of Cubans after the revolution, Miami has become a cultural center for Latinx entertainment, including music. In Part 1 of a two-part series we talk about the origins and evolution of Miami’s Latin music scene, from very local Cuban rock bands to national crossover hits. Featuring music by Brillo Frometá, Coke, Conjunto Impacto, Hansel y Raúl, Miami Sound Machine and Willy Chirino. Show notes:...
Some dreamy R&B, una bachatica nueva, an interesting cover, and old faves make comebacks. Lo nuevo pa sus playlists - whether you’re wanting something upbeat for warmer times or taking your time and moving slow. Featuring music by Kiko el Crazy, Wisin y Yandel, Kaina, Flor de Toloache, Ibeyi, Romeo Santos, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Don Omar. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3N0FrA3 Become a Radio Menea member: bit.ly/2s2RQhS Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter...
It’s 1999. Ricky Martin is about to take the gringo Grammy’s stage with a historic performance. The beginning of what became known as the “Latin Explosion,” it ushered in a new Latin Boom moment. Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and the rise of commercial reggaeton shortly would follow. The moment passes, and then in 2017: Despacito. Is anything different? In part two of our Latin Boom series, we detail the rise of Latin artists to the American mainstream from the new millennium to the current moment. F...
Every so often, Latin rhythms - read, Afro-Latino rhythms - make it to the U.S. mainstream. And yet, with few exceptions, these “Latin booms” present something very particular: a whitewashed yet racialized exotic designed for white consumption. In our two-part series on Latin Booms, we explore the booms and the busts, the times in between, and whether we see a different future ahead for Latin music. This week, the 1950s mambo craze and the weird era - between the mambo craze’s death post-Cuban r...
Ready for an antidote to Valentine’s Day propaganda??? Ok, we love love, but this week it’s about the dark side: more often than not, relationships lead to breakups….and heartbreak. These are the songs for your broken heart - songs you can relate to, songs you sing really loud and on repeat. Get your tissues and let’s have a good cry amores!!! You’ll feel better in no time. Featuring music by Angel y Khriz, Doris Anahí, Pepé Aguilar, La Marisoul, Melissa, Ángela Aguilar, Karol G, Becky G, Fanny ...
It has been so! Long! Since we did a new music episode! So we dig back to cover a few things that maybe aren’t theeee newest but didn’t wanna miss, and also some good new new. Just covering our bases amores, and we promise to keep more new música coming. Featuring music by Combo Chimbita, Son by Four, Estación Cero, Brray, Joyce Santana, Andre Veloz, Amaarae, Moliy, Kali Uchis, and Yandar y Yostin. Show notes: https://bit.ly/34KDqqe Become a Radio Menea member: bit.ly/2s2RQhS Follow us: instagra...
It’s the 1990s in NYC. The mix of people, social and political conditions, and money from the music industry collide to make the beginnings of genres that are staples of Latinx popular music today. This week, on part two of our two-part series on Nueva York’s influence on Latinx music, we take you from the ‘90s to the early 2000s: merenhouse, global pop bachata, and reggaeton. Featuring music by Proyecto Uno, Aventura, Judy Santos and Tego Calderon. Show notes: bit.ly/3HrszQl Become a Radio Mene...
New York City has been a critical geography in the U.S. Latine diaspora, and a longtime home for displaced peoples from all over the world. It has led to the creation of globally influential culture, and music is no exception. In part one of a two-part series on Nueva York, we explore the ways that the social and political conditions that created mass movements of people landing in this singular city have shaped the sound of Latine music over the last fifty years. This week: boogaloo, salsa, and...
Think: songs your favorite Latina drag queens love to perform. Songs that might not be explicitly gay, but get the queers going. You know the ones. These are the gay anthems. Featuring music by Selena, Ana Gabriel, Gloria Trevi, Thalia and Celia Cruz. Show notes: bit.ly/3qPc233 Become a Radio Menea member: bit.ly/2s2RQhS Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
Celebrity deaths! Pandemic panic! Winter chill! What a moment. We’re back for our first episode of 2022 trying to process this moment - all the weird and concerning and sad things, but also managing to stay ok and slowing down. Featuring Vicente Fernandez, Kelman Duran, Thalía, Romeo Santos, Ana Macho, Leiva, Natalia Lafourcade, Tei Shi. Show notes: https://bit.ly/3qpcNiP Follow us: instagram.com/RadioMenea twitter.com/RadioMenea tinyletter.com/RadioMenea
