The capital’s Latin
American immigrant communities are growing, and with them comes a new hybrid
music – but will it be silenced by gentrification and narrow-mindedness?
In the UK, Spanish-language pop generally equates to exoticised summer smashes like Livin’ La Vida Loca and Mambo No 5. Hits such as Despacito and Mi Gente may have crossed into the
UK charts relatively recently, and numerous homegrown songs – such as Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You – have taken influence from reggaeton, but there are still plenty of gross stereotypes in
British minds: flamenco dancers with roses in their teeth, slick-haired crooners and a lot of acoustic guitars.
Sheltering from November clouds in a pre-lockdown east
London studio, the city’s brightest young Latin musicians want to change all that, drawing equally from the grimy, drizzly moods of London and their vibrant Latin heritage. A carnival atmosphere pervades as Spanish blends with English, and a myriad of sounds from salsa to cumbia to reggaeton buzz around the room. Sachellys, Desta French, Amber Donoso, Daniela Brooker, Dukus, Angelo Flow, Anansi and Guala, all born or brought up in the UK but with roots firmly in Latin America, are keenly aware that the sounds they grew up with have become wildly successful outside the UK: Latin artists such as Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Maluma are among the most streamed in the world. But now, for the first time ever according to London reggaeton DJ and promoter Jose Luis Seijas, “we are seeing the development of a UK urban Latin sound that is characterised by its authenticity”.