[dropcap size=big]R[/dropcap]adio Pulgarcito is a radio show created by three Salvadoran artists in Los Angeles who combined their love for vinyl and Salvadoran music together. Linda Tovar, Gabriel Vidal, and Oscar Santos met through mutual friends in L.A.’s music scene. “Oscar told me ‘Oh, you know who else is Salvadoran and has vinyl from El Salvador?' and that’s what pretty much ties us together — the music from El Salvador on vinyl.”
They were all individually collecting vinyl at the time and began sharing their collection with each other. While sharing, there were many instances when they simultaneously discovered new music and Salvadoran musicians. The discovering lead to researching, and the researching lead to wanting to share it with the world. They decided to combine their collection to create something that honors their Salvadoran culture. And it’s not just your typical Central American cumbias that you’ll hear, but an assortment of genres that most wouldn’t classify or even know that Salvadoran musicians produced.
I sat down with the three to talk about the importance of creating Radio Pulgarcito, and how it’s connecting them — and listeners — to Salvadoran culture and identity.
How was Radio Pulgarcito created?