Santa Leticia‘s world quite literally revolves around music. From teenage club nights dancing to music on vinyl, to taking up DJing, record collecting and radio broadcasting from her home in Newcastle, she has built a life around seeking out great music and passing it on.
A DJ, curator, translator and Worldwide FM host, Leticia’s selections travel through jazz, soul, funk, disco, Brazilian, African and Caribbean sounds, not to mention endless new music discoveries. We caught up to talk vinyl’s tactile appeal, the people and places that have resonated with her, her weekly radio rituals, and the joy of keeping a dancefloor moving.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Leticia, originally from Andalucía in southern Spain and now based in Newcastle, UK. I’m a DJ, music curator, translator and radio host on Worldwide FM.
I originally DJed under the name Little Sister. I’m the oldest of three sisters, and there was always a connection to the name. There are also so many great songs called Little Sister. When I started taking DJing more seriously, I wanted something that felt more connected to where I’m from, rather than feeling like I needed to anglicise my name.
Santa means saint in Spanish, and Leticia comes from the Latin word laetitia, meaning joy. I liked the idea of Santa Leticia, almost like Saint Joy. I’ve always liked names such as Santa Monica and Santa Cruz, as well as Latin artists like Santa Cecilia, so it felt like a natural fit.
Music has always been a huge part of my life. Choosing music, buying music magazines, going to record shops and gigs, and sharing music with people have always come naturally to me. My mum actually told me the other day that my first gig was seeing Ray Charles at the Vitoria Jazz Festival in the late 90s, when I was still a toddler. So I suppose it started pretty early!
Even in high school, I was always encouraging friends who were in bands or making music, helping promote their gigs and getting people to listen to what they were doing. I’ve always loved promoting music and helping other people shine. That’s still a big part of what I do today.
What sparked your interest in collecting records?
I’ve been collecting records since 2009, although I was collecting music long before that. I had cassettes, CDs and an iPod packed with music, and I was always the one choosing the tunes at house parties in Spain.
My taste has always been pretty broad. Growing up in Granada (Spain), I listened to hip hop, then got into reggae, alongside bands like The Mars Volta, Sonic Youth and The Velvet Underground, as well as indie and electronic music.
When I was in high school in Granada, I used to go to a club called Afrodisia. The DJs were much older than me, and I was probably far too young to be going clubbing, but there you go! They put on hip hop gigs followed by vinyl DJs playing funk, soul, jazz and Afrobeat. I also spent loads of time dancing at Booga Club during my A levels, where the DJs played vinyl too.
I think being around that whole world of hip hop shops, clothes shops selling records, graffiti artists and other creative people sparked my curiosity as well. Music was never just about listening to tracks for me. It was about the people and the places around it too.
When I moved to England in 2009, I met some older music heads and collectors in Leicester who became important musical mentors to me. They opened up a whole world of records and helped me discover music I might never have come across otherwise, from funk, soul, jazz and rare groove to psych, punk, post punk, new wave, synth, folk, Brazilian and Latin music, African music, Caribbean sounds, dub and all sorts of obscure labels.
I’ve never really been someone who sticks to one genre. I’m always curious about what else is out there, and I think that’s what keeps me collecting.
What is it about vinyl that you love most?
I love the whole thing, from the artwork and the physical feel of a record to the smell of an old sleeve. I love knowing the story behind how a record was made, who played on it, which label released it and how it ended up in my collection.
I’m a big fan of back sleeves too. I can put a record on, sit down and spend ages reading all the details while listening to the music. It makes you pay attention in a different way.
There’s also so much music that was released on vinyl and never properly made it onto digital platforms. I love coming across something that isn’t easy to find elsewhere.
And I suppose I like having something physical in a world where we spend so much time looking at screens. You can hold a record, look through it, read about it and actually spend time with it. I find that really satisfying. That’s probably why I DJ with vinyl too. I spend enough time looking at screens as it is, haha!
When did you start DJing, and what got you behind the decks?
I got my first proper DJ gig in 2018, although I’d been choosing music for friends and DJing privately at friends’ house parties for years before that.
At the time, I was singing with La Sonora Boreal, a Latin band in Newcastle that’s still going. We had a gig at Bar Loco, next to St James’ Park, and they needed someone to warm up the room before the band and play afterwards. Because I had a record collection, they asked me.
I said yes even though I’d never officially DJed in a venue before. My friend Paolo, who played bass in the band and was also a vinyl DJ, brought his decks and set everything up. We played the warm up together, and then I took over for the after party. I absolutely loved it. Everyone was already dancing and the energy was there from the band, so I got to keep that going through the records. It happened quite naturally, but that gig made me realise I wanted to do more of it. I’ve heard Bar Loco has changed owners since then, so I imagine the vibe is different now, but I have really fond memories of those nights.
You have a residency on Worldwide FM. What can listeners expect from one of your shows?
My show is every second Wednesday from 12 to 2pm, live from my home studio. I play all sorts of things, from jazz, soul, funk, disco and rare groove to Brazilian, African and Caribbean sounds. I love finding deep cuts and older records people might not have heard before, but I also really enjoy highlighting new artists.
I get sent lots of music every day by artists and DJs, on vinyl and digitally. I make a point of listening to it all, then put together a small selection for the show alongside the records I’ve been digging for myself. I love discovering new music, supporting people doing interesting things and introducing listeners to artists they might not know yet.
I also have a segment called Wax Wisdom, where I chat to people from the music world, including DJs, collectors, labels and party promoters, and ask them to share their knowledge and experiences. Then there’s my Dub Siren answer machine, where people can leave song requests, messages, stories or birthday shout outs. Because the show is live, I also love giving shout outs in real time and interacting with the lovely people in the chat. One really big pinch me moment was getting a voice note from the one and only Susan Cadogan, sending me a song and singing on the show too. I’m a massive fan of hers, so it meant a lot to me. I’ve even turned her voice note into a jingle for the show, where she says, “You’re listening to Santa Leticia on Worldwide FM.”
Radio goes back to when I was in high school in Spain. Some friends and I had a little pirate radio show after school, taking requests, giving shout outs and promoting gigs and breakdance events. Later, when I was living in London in 2013, I did special shows for Código DF, a cultural radio station run by the Mexico City government, where I interviewed jazz artists in London, which was a brilliant experience. After that, I focused on my degree and MA, and radio took a back seat for a while. In 2021, I returned to radio with Slack’s Radio in Newcastle, followed by Radio Alhara, before joining Worldwide FM, which had always been a dream of mine.
What advice would you give someone wanting to try vinyl DJing?
I don’t think there’s a magic formula, and I’m still learning myself. For me, the main thing is having a genuine passion for music, not just for playing it. Be curious about music history, artists, labels and scenes. I go down rabbit holes all the time, and that curiosity is what keeps me discovering new things.
Get out there, support bands and other DJs, go to gigs, meet people and learn from them. Being around people who are just as passionate about music can teach you so much, both musically and technically. I used to buy hip hop magazines every week, go to gigs and get involved in the scene. Music has always been my life; I just didn’t realise it could become a job one day.
If you’re playing vinyl in venues, preparation is really important. Make sure you have a clear tech rider and communicate with the engineers well in advance. Turn up early for soundcheck, understand the setup and acoustics of the room, and bring spare needles, weight stabilisers and anything else you might need. If possible, get your records professionally cleaned, and bring cleaning products and a brush to clear fluff and dust from the stylus. You don’t want to discover a problem with the setup just as you’re about to play.
And remember why you started. My father in law once told me that one way to find happiness and fulfilment is to keep doing the things you loved as a child. That really stuck with me. Music, radio, dancing and discovering things were all part of my childhood, and it’s lovely that they’ve become such a big part of my life and work. One piece of advice from Mr Scruff has stuck with me too: if someone takes advantage of you, don’t work with them again. Enjoy the process and know your worth.
What’s your most prized record in your collection?
I’m going to be a bit cheeky here and choose one of my favourite records from the last ten years rather than necessarily the rarest or most expensive one. It’s Have You Been Good to Yourself by Johnnie Frierson. It’s such a beautiful, raw and deeply moving record.
The story behind it is really interesting. These were home recordings Johnnie made directly onto cassette in Memphis in the 1990s. The tapes were discovered in a thrift store in 2012 by record collector Jameson Sweiger, and the album was eventually remastered and released on vinyl by Light in the Attic in 2016.
I love the fact that these recordings were made years ago and eventually found their way onto a record. It makes you wonder how many other gems are still out there.
What’s your go to crate digging spot?
In Newcastle, I love digging at RPM Records and 586 Record Store. In London, I’ve been really enjoying Jelly Records recently, alongside favourites like Sounds of the Universe, Flashback Records, Eldica, Atlantis Records and Honest Jon’s.
But one of my favourite places will always be Amigos del Disco in Córdoba, in southern Spain, where my family moved when I was in high school. I spent a big chunk of my life there. It was such a hidden gem, run by Bartolo, whose full name was Bartolomé Jaén. He spent decades collecting records and built up an incredible collection.
He ran the shop for 26 years, specialising in original pressings rather than reissues, particularly records from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
You could find all sorts in there, from jazz, funk, soul and fusion to Latin and Afro sounds. I used to spend so much time there, and Bartolo was always so kind and helpful. Whenever I went back to Spain, he would have a stack of records ready for me to go through. He really knew his music, and you could tell how much he loved collecting and sharing it with people.
The shop closed in 2020, which was such a shame. I have really fond memories of that place and of Bartolo.
Follow Leticia on Instagram and tune into her Worldwide FM show every second Wednesday 12-2pm.
