Latin Music That Breaks Barriers And Pushes Boundaries

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Singer Sarah Aroeste performs Ladino music — a style created by the Sephardic Jews of the Iberian Peninsula.

Courtesy of the artist

Singer Sarah Aroeste performs Ladino music — a style created by the Sephardic Jews of the Iberian Peninsula.

Courtesy of the artist

From rock musicians in Mexico exploring Balkan oompah sounds (La Internacional Sonora Balkanera) to an Argentine producer who deconstructs his home country's native folk songs (Fer Isella), this week's episode of Alt.Latino focuses on iconoclasts and innovators around the Latin music world.

With the help of Chicago-based guest co-host Catalina Maria Johnson, this week's episode looks at Isella's nuanced explorations of chacarera music — an original, fascinating project that calls to mind the works of Philip Glass. Elsewhere, singer Sarah Aroeste performs Ladino music, a style created by the Sephardic Jews of the Iberian Peninsula. And, among many other surprises, we feature a pair of songs by Brazilian singer Ceu.

It's music from all over the map, united by its commitment to inventiveness and unmistakable soul.