Felix Contreras Felix Contreras is co-creator and co-host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.
Felix Contreras.
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Felix Contreras

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Felix Contreras.
Mike Morgan/NPR

Felix Contreras

Host, Alt.Latino

Felix Contreras is co-creator and co-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 appears regularly on NPR's award-winning newsmagazines, All Things Considered and Morning Edition.

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.

He's 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.

Story Archive

Wednesday

Mexican vocalist and composer Silvana Estrada at the Tiny Desk Maansi Srivastava/NPR hide caption

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Alt.Latino: Silvana Estrada's stunning sophomore album

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Mexican vocalist and composer Silvana Estrada at the Tiny Desk Maansi Srivastava/NPR hide caption

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Silvana Estrada's stunning sophomore album

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Wednesday

Gloria Estefan at the Tiny Desk Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR hide caption

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Gloria Estefan at the Tiny Desk Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR hide caption

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Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR

Thursday

Bad Bunny attends the 2025 Met Gala at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images hide caption

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

World Cafe: Summer of Bad Bunny

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Wednesday

Colombian singer Carlos Vives at the Tiny Desk for the El Tiny takeover NPR hide caption

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Colombian singer Carlos Vives at the Tiny Desk for the El Tiny takeover NPR hide caption

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Tuesday

Wednesday

Monday

Friday

Wednesday

Bad Bunny Closes Out His Residency

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Alt.Latino: Bad Bunny Closes Out His Residency

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Sunday

Wednesday

Wednesday

Alt.Latino: Tim Bernardes, Mabe Fratti, more

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Felix's healing soundtrack and new love songs

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Sunday

Books We Love: NPR staff recommends their favorite non-fiction books of 2025

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Wednesday

Flaco Jimenez performs onstage at the 13th annual Americana Music Association Honors and Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium on September 17, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. Rick Diamond/Getty Images hide caption

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Flaco Jimenez and Eddie Palmieri: Why Their Music Mattered

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Flaco Jimenez performs onstage at the 13th annual Americana Music Association Honors and Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium on September 17, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. Rick Diamond/Getty Images hide caption

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Flaco Jimenez and Eddie Palmieri: Why Their Music Mattered

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Thursday

An appreciation of Eddie Palmieri, a guiding light of Latin music

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Wednesday

Natanael Cano. Alexi Pavlov/Warner Music Latina hide caption

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Alexi Pavlov/Warner Music Latina