We Out Here Festival Wrap-Up: The Rise of Latin Sound Curation

We Out Here Festival Wrap-Up: The Rise of Latin Sound Curation

Welcome to WOH 2025

We Out Here can only be described as one of the most unique, soul filling festivals to exist. The weekend was met with relentless sun that accompanied the warm and soulful music that brought together over 15,000 music enthusiasts. The yearly jazz festival creates an unwavering community and a complete stillness of time, shutting out the outside world for a glorious four days. Gilles Peterson has coined it as "a village built around music", since this festival does not just consist of incredible live acts but also an excess of activities to fill the soul. From Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts) to laughing yoga, the sanctuary facilitates a more peaceful area to not only rewind from the night before but prepare for the day ahead.

                                         Photo Credit: Amy Fern Photography

Latin sound curation at WOH: From the wax to the stage

As a Latin enthusiast, it was inspiring to witness a lineup that brought a long list of remarkable Latin voices and sounds.  

Photo Credit: @Ellabshoots

 

Coco Maria - For those of you who don't know Coco Maria, she is a curator, DJ and radio host that drops records straight from wax. It was incredible to see her again, twice in one weekend, after first catching her at Band on the wall in Manchester. There’s something so compelling about the way she spins Latin American grooves, and how she manages to catapult you across the globe. I will never miss a chance to get

transported back to Latin America whenever I can.     

Photo Credit: @EllieKoepke

Her Set at the roller rink especially stirred a unique sense of nostalgia in me, evoking a similar feeling of partying in Latin America and transporting me to a local bar where, as always, some of the best sounds play, whether in the background or the foreground. This stage carried an air of mystery, with Coco Maria almost impossible to spot. Instead, the focus shifted entirely to the music, pulling every Latin enthusiast into a fully immersive experience of pure groove.

Dengue Dengue Dengue — This Peruvian electronic duo brought a unique taste of Lima straight to We Out Here festival. Their set was performed at the Carhartt WIP stage and was easily one of the highlights of the festival for me. My friend and co-host actually introduced these guys to my friends and I during our Peru show on Soundscapes Of Latin America for Fuse FM, therefore I was already familiar with their music. However, after this show I felt I had truly underestimated their sound as they wholly won me over as not just a small fan but a huge one at that. They clashed with Coco Maria’s set, who I was adamant I wanted to see, so we split our time between the two as I knew Coco Maria had another set, and I’m so glad we did. A core memory is hearing them drop a remix of DAKITI live, which was definitely not short of screaming from me and my friends.

Photo Credit:  @Ellabshoots                                           

Joe Bataan aka The King of Latin soul - This legend graced the main stage on Saturday afternoon accompanied by his 11-man band. As I initially looked at the lineup for WOH, I scowled for Latin sounds. So, as you could guess, he was one of the acts I was desperate to see. Regrettably, I only managed to catch the end of his set which finished with his hit 'Gypsy Woman'.Although I missed the set, this was enough to satisfy my soul.                 

                                                                                  

                                                       

'Out of the Shadows': Emerging Latin Sounds in Radio

Photo Credit: @Sahilkotwani

We Out Here Fest also set aside a cosy, intimate space dedicated to radio, giving stations, from grassroots to established, the mic for a whole hour. Just to the right of the main stage stood a renovated shipping container, transformed into a radio hub that was brought to life by Sun Palace Sound System’s iconic pink setup. The space became an untouchable zone for exploring multiple interpretations of what bringing voices “Out Of The Shadows” means to different radio heads and music specialists, with broadcasts streamed on the legendary Worldwide FM throughout the whole weekend.

Among the many talented contributors behind the space was Josh Aitman, whose role as We Out Here’s marketing manager was central to bringing this radio stage and concept to life. Alongside his work for the festival, Aitman is also a talented DJ and broadcaster. Reflecting on the festival, he emphasised how special it was to involve Liverpool's Sun Palace Sound System and also student radio, stating:   

    "One of the most special moments was having two student radio stations involved and walking over to see them perform their shows. Student radio is where my love for radio began, and it was an ambition of mine since starting the WOH Radio project to have student radio stations involved, as they are the tip of the iceberg for many."

Photo Credit: @SiennaLorraine

He added that the space was crucial to We Out Here as a reminder of how “fun and important [radio] can be as a hobby, career or source of light and inspiration.” Aitman also emphasised how the dedication of each show and radio host "made it such a hub for knowledge, discovery as well as respite and recharge from a lot of the higher energy stages across the festival." Following Aitman's reflections, it’s worth going into detail on just a few of the voices that brought Latin sounds 'Out of the Shadows'.

Emanuel Pavlova - Emanuel Pavlova is a vinyl collector that curated a set called ‘Echoes of the Revolution: The 70's & 80's Cuban Scene’. He performed b2b with our set on Thursday at the WOH Radio stage, so we managed to catch the start of his set. One of my co-hosts after chatting with him, found out that whilst travelling through Cuba, Emanuel did a deep dive into Cuba’s fresh wax and brought it all the way to Wimborne for this special set. It was so inspiring to see another Latin host b2b with us, who shared the same passion for the stories of resistance that drive musical narratives. 

Dani Roade – Before our slot, WOH Radio featured the brilliant Dani Roade, a Guildford-born DJ with Colombian roots. His show served as a continuation of his show ’Tierra querida’. His curation highlighted political themes, emphasising how they form a pillar for some of the most resilient voices we hear in Latin-American music. His set aired just a couple of hours ahead of ours. However, I regrettably missed seeing him live while we were busy preparing the tent. Listening back to the show on Mixcloud, I was even more disappointed to have missed it in real time. Opening with the soulful groove of Lucila Campos, Roade immediately established a rich, rhythmic tone that reflected both his musical sensibilities and cultural perspective. If you missed Dani at WOH, you’ll have another chance to listen to him since he is a Brixton Radio resident and often performs at London-based Latin events such as Our Latin Thing, Muévete and more.

 Photo Credit: @Sahilkotwani

Soundscapes Of Latin America - Shamelessly, I can't resist sharing a recap of my Latin American set that I co-hosted with 3 of my good friends. This year we made our live performance debut on Thursday evening. The set we curated was deeply meaningful to all four of us, as it felt like not only the culmination of a year’s hard work streaming on Fuse FM, but also a reflection of our shared time living in Uruguay, condensed into one unforgettable hour. Our radio journey spanned over a whole continent picking up rich range of Latin genres including Psychedelic Cumbia, Samba, Merengue, Salsa, Latin rock, Funk tropical disco, Dembow, Candombe, and even some cheeky Reggaeton. We of course aimed to make people perrear, but aside from that we focused on amplifying both legendary sounds and the new visionaries who are redefining what Latin music is today. We approached the set with a storytelling-driven approach transporting our listeners through time, place, and movement. This set felt especially important, as it gave us a chance to share our passion, knowledge and hopefully, turn a few more listeners into enthusiasts.

Darci Puchalski January 2026