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6 Young Music Producers Who Shape Latino Identity With Sound

Young Martino.
Courtesy of the artist
Young Martino.

Too often, when we see performers, we don't see the small army of folks behind their careers and successes.

For almost as long as there have been performers, there have also been producers: the people behind the scenes who can help artists realize their vision. Over time, that role has evolved and changed, but it can still be a crucial name on the album credits.

This week, Alt.Latino introduces you to six young producers from around Latin America who are not only helping artists make great records, but also influencing music and musicians around the world.

Case in point, the young Uruguayan producer Steve Lean, whom we feature in a track by Spanish rapper Mala Rodriguez. Think about Uruguay's place on the map, then consider the fact that Lean's touch with trap music is so hot that a massively successful crew of producers from Atlanta asked him to be part of their production posse. From all the way down in Uruguay!

How do we know all of this? Because of Alt.Latino's new collaboration with the popular Latin-themed cultural website Remezcla. Music editor Isabelia Herrera brought in a sample she'd culled from a much longer list of Producers You Should Know that she's posting on Remezcla's website. She conducted interviews with them, so you can read their thoughts and comments after listening to their music on this week's show.

We're excited to share our space with the dedicated experts at Remezcla, and even more excited to introduce you to some of the names behind the sounds that are defining Latino identity around the world. Enjoy!

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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