DJ ANGEL FIGUEROA

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Encanto Tropical 49: Instrumental Salsa Songs

anfijpn
Mar 18
4 min read

Updated: Apr 4

This episode contains 30 tracks (2:04:41). Replay near the bottom of this page.

Love them or hate them, salsa songs without a vocal segment have become increasingly popular. This might be partly due to the relative ease of production compared with decades before. Technology nowadays allows a sole producer equipped with a computer and specialized software to make a song with a batch of prerecorded musical sounds. Individually-recorded music from instruments can also be added for a more unique touch.

This technology is more accessible than ever, and its growing influence appears across most music genres. Within the salsa world, three talented composers and producers come to mind: Jan Reijnders, DJ Henrix, and DJ Ricky Campanelli. All three have a widely appreciated song repertoire, with the latter well-known for his collaboration with musicians (among them, vocalists). There are other DJs who are also busy making material without vocals, with a significant number in Italy alone -- including Francisco Rojos, Fabrizio Zoro, and Alexio Papo Grossi, to name a few.

I imagine such composers and producers find it much easier to forego vocals when producing a song because of the enormous effort required just to add lyrics and a singer. Hence the rise in recent years of this kind of salsa song which has made a huge impact in some dance scenes.

Songs lacking vocals were certainly around before the advent of powerful computers and software, but it seems clear that since singers have the primary --if not the most important-- role in delivering the appeal of a given song, any piece of music that relied solely on instrumentation was rather unique. Some exceptions are obvious, such as Afro-Cuban Jazz.

DEfinition & Context

An "instrumental" is thus defined here as a song that excludes any vocals and where lead instruments assume primary roles in both melody and rhythm.

Narrowing down to the Latin music sphere for an example, a descarga, or jam session, typically lacks vocals. This fosters opportunity for each or most of the individual instruments to shine in a solo. Key traits of a descarga are its spontaneity (or lack of much advance planning) and improvisation, adding to the vocalist's irrelevance although it is also true that the best singers, or soneros, could in theory chime in and participate on the spot.

Salsa DJs and instrumental songs

For salsa DJs, an instrumental song can be a difficult beast. Firstly, salsa is very much about the lyrics. Whether they are deep or superficial in meaning, their sound are core elements of a song. Secondly, dancers thus expect to hear vocals, and when a DJ plays an instrumental song, it can dramatically change the atmosphere of the dance floor. Thirdly, it is for this reason that some dancers (and DJs) are not very fond of instrumental songs. Finally, because of these factors, instrumentals are best played sparingly, and it seems a general rule that they should not be played back to back.

I have a certain interest in instrumental songs. As a salsa DJ, I regard them as a way to add flavour within a given set; however, I strive to play them selectively, certainly not one after another. However, at recent gig in Tokyo, I accidentally played two in a row, a mistake that resulted from cueing up a song that I did not intend to and bothering not to pre-listen to it.

I cringed when, after pressed the play button, I realized that not only had I selected the wrong song, but it was an instrumental, and the song prior had been an instrumental, too. I had just broken a cardinal rule.

Why the theme?

Embarrassed by my mistake, I also got to thinking about this concept of rules. Rule-breaking can be fun, no? And how about the adage along the lines that true artistry comes from breaking rules? This is how the thematic show* of Episode 49 came to me: to focus on only instrumental salsa tracks. Risky? Yes! But surely, there was potential?

*NOTE: A thematic show is the template for Encanto Tropical, i.e., where all songs share a common motif. This is in deliberate contrast to a session of just randomly chosen songs.

The result is a 2-hour selection of 30 salsa instrumentals -- some familiar and some not well-known -- with a bit of Afro-Cuban Jazz. The episode broadcast on March 13, 2025 via World Salsa Radio.

In sum, Episode 49 is an experiment of sorts, and the question posed is whether two hours of salsa that lacks any vocals is remotely bearable. It is a deep dive, but I am satisfied and keen to make a Part 2. Listeners are invited to judge for for themselves.

CAUTION

I hope it goes without saying that the medium of radio allows for some freedom to explore such a theme as this. Do not -- I repeat, do not -- attempt this as a DJ at a salsa event.

Feedback

Comments are always welcome -- from whichever perspective, whether a casual or serious listener, dancer, or DJ. Please let me know your thoughts by contacting me.