Betto Arcos

Systema Solar at BOmm

Young musicians in Colombia talk about the prospects for peace

This Sunday, Colombians will vote on the peace agreement signed by the government and the FARC guerrillas, ending 50 years of war. At the annual music industry festival known as Bogota Music Market, young musicians there were eager to talk about the prospect of peace.

Young musicians in Colombia talk about the prospects for peace
Juan Gabriel

Remembering the king of Latin pop — Mexico's Juan Gabriel

Remembering the king of Latin pop — Mexico's Juan Gabriel
Street concert in Havana with Silvio Rodriguez on stage

Silvio Rodríguez has been playing secret free concerts in poor Cuban neighborhoods for years

Silvio Rodríguez has been playing secret free concerts in poor Cuban neighborhoods for years
A Parranda with Gabriel García Márquez

The Colombian folk songs that influenced Gabriel García Márquez's 'magical realism'

The Colombian folk songs that influenced Gabriel García Márquez's 'magical realism'
Mateo Kingman

Mateo Kingman makes hip-hop from his roots in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Mateo Kingman makes hip-hop from his roots in the Ecuadorian Amazon
Nicaragua's La Cuneta Son Machín

This Grammy-nominated band from Nicaragua is keeping it in the family

La Cuneta Son Machín is a band from Nicaragua composed of young musicians whose older family members were musical superstars during the Sandinista regime. They didn't want to sound old, but they wanted to use the same record producer, which has resulted in a Grammy nomination.

This Grammy-nominated band from Nicaragua is keeping it in the family
Vahagni

Flamenco was the soundtrack in this Armenian family

We have a story of a Flamenco musician in Los Angeles. But he's not Spanish ... he's Armenian. Vahagni's family left Armenia in September 1991, just a few weeks before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Flamenco was the soundtrack in this Armenian family
An advertisement for "Los Otros Mexicanos" featuring Betto Arcos is plastered on a bus.

A Mexican series finds overlooked stories of immigrants in America — including one from The World

Radio producer Betto Arcos isn't used to being on the other side of the microphone. But when a Mexican filmmaker chose Arcos to be a subject in a documentary on successful Mexicans in the United States, how could he refuse?

A Mexican series finds overlooked stories of immigrants in America — including one from The World
The World

An opera tries to explore and debunk a popular Mexican border myth

Camelia La Texana is a tragic, mythical figure made famous by a smash hit song from the 1970s. But many Mexicans, aided by the media, still believe that Camelia and her story are real. Gabriela Ortiz tried to find out why — by writing an opera.

An opera tries to explore and debunk a popular Mexican border myth
Los Aguas Aguas hail from Xalapa, the capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz.

How one band from Mexico addresses the violence in its hometown

Betto Arcos is from Xalapa, the capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz. It's a place where drug-related violence has taken hold. Arcos has the story of a music group from his hometown that's been transformed by the fear on the streets.

How one band from Mexico addresses the violence in its hometown
The World

We remember Peret, whose musical genius gave us the musical style Rumba Catalana

Peret, one of the most popular music figures in Spain, died on Wednesday. He was 79.

We remember Peret, whose musical genius gave us the musical style Rumba Catalana
The World

Music heard on the air for August 11, 2014

These are the tunes played between segments on The World for Monday, August 11, 2014

Music heard on the air for August 11, 2014
The Mexican Balkan music band, Polka Madre

Why music from the Balkans is booming in Mexico

Ten years ago, the band Polka Madre helped launch a Balkan music scene in Mexico. Today, there are numerous Mexican bands who play Balkan music and even a Balkan music festival in Mexico's capital.

Why music from the Balkans is booming in Mexico
Pasatono Orquesta in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico

The circus music of Oaxaca's Pasatono Orquesta is magical

The music of Pasatono Orquesta is inspired by a traveling circus from the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico.

The circus music of Oaxaca's Pasatono Orquesta is magical
The World

Music heard on the air for June 26, 2014

These are the songs played on The World for Thursday, June 26, 2014

Music heard on the air for June 26, 2014