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ABOUT

Encanto Tropical is a two-hour radio show dedicated to salsa music with four unique spotlights. Hosted by Japan-based DJ Angel Figueroa, it is one of several programs offered by World Salsa Radio, an internet radio station for Latin music enthusiasts. Encanto Tropical broadcasts every 2nd and 4th Thursday, 05:00 Pacific Time (21:00 JST). 

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"Encanto Tropical" alternates between a 'spotlight' format (2nd Thursday) and a 'party' format (4th Thursday).

2nd Thursdays:

Either a full-length spotlight on a certain theme or four spotlights of 3 songs each on 1) newly-unreleased salsa, 2) Latin music by Japanese artists, 3) covers of Cuban classics and 4) a guest interview and their song selection. These are preceded by an introductory mix.

  • Example shows are Episodes 9, 16, and 18 for thematic shows, and 1-8, 10-15, and 17 for guest shows. See Archives below.

4th Thursdays:

A salsa party mix with commentary featuring the best of contemporary and classic salsa.

  • This is a new format starting from March 23, 2023.

All episodes are available for replay. See the Archives section for details (below) or the Replay page.

Encanto Tropical

DJ Angel Figueroa

Every 2nd & 4th Thursday

 

21:00~23:00 Japan Time

www.worldsalsaradio.com

05:00 PT / 08:00 ET / 12:00 UTC / 13:00 CET

(Standard Time)

How to listen

To tune in live, go to the link above. Then click the play button. Wait a few seconds for the show to load. Enjoy!

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Chat Room

To participate in the live chat, first create a username in the white ChatRoom box (below the yellow player). Be sure to say "hi!"

 

Previous Shows

To discover older episodes, see Latest Episode or Archives below. To listen to any past episode, go to Replays.

Latest Episode

Latest

19

March Mix

March 23 2023

A highlight of this episode is the world radio debut of "Baile de los difuntos" an instrumental by award-winning bassist, composer, and band-leader Rubim de Toledo from Edmonton, Canada. 

Also in the lineup are new releases by Joseph Torres and 5ta en Clave as well as rereleased oldies from Ray Perez and Belisario Lopez. And there's a special one by Enrique Chia in tribute to my parents, RIP.

(2:04:50 / 25 tracks)

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Next Episode

Next
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20

guest feature

April 13 2023

Details TBA

ARCHIVES

Encanto Tropical is available for replay. Click "Read More" to see each show's highlights and a replay link.

 

To list all episodes for replay, click the button below.

Archive

01

Guest: DJ El Chino

Apr 14 2022

DJ El Chino (Solar Latin Club) is an internationally recognized deejay based in Cali, Colombia. His main focus is the promotion of contemporary salsa and Latin Jazz artists.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 1 are Yeziel Lazo & Lazos D'Cuba, Ayumi Suzuki, and Enrique Chia.

(2:07:20, 24 tracks)

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World Salsa Radio - Encanto Tropical 02 (DJ Angel Figueroa) with guest: DJ Gia Fu

02

Guest: DJ Gia FU

Apr 28 2022

DJ Gia Fu is not only a talented DJ but also an accomplished co-producer, as she took the salsa world by storm in 2021 with the release of Angel Melendez's Big Band Maquina.

Episode 2 features an artist spotlight on Dorance Lorza. Other featured artists include Pete Perignon, Dairo Todd, and Charly Hernandez.

(2:11:16, 26 tracks)

03

Guest: Manny Martinez

May 12 2022

Singer/songwriter Manny Martinez released the acclaimed Azabache album in 2000. The New York native resides in San Francisco where he performs with his band La Rebeldia.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 3 are Sr Ortegon, La Maxima 79, and Orquesta del Sol.

(2:20:06, 24 tracks)

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04

Guest: STEVE Guasch

May 26 2022

A Puerto Rican native and resident of Seattle, Steve Guasch talks about his roles as a musician, band promoter, and manager of Salsaneo Records.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 4 are Kuare, Adjazzantes, and Orchestra Fuego.

(2:19:58, 27 tracks)

05

Guest: Giany Despointes

June 9 2022

Giany Despointes is a trombone player based in Montreal, Canada, where he founded and directs Lengaïa Salsa Brava orchestra.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 5 are Zontabogo Salsa Na Ma, and Ricky Campanelli, and Ken Morimura.

(2:17:17, 25 tracks)

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06

Guest: G-Ya

June 23 2022

G-ya is a dancer, instructor, choreographer, and performer from the Republic of Korea. He answered several questions shortly after returning home from a salsa event in New York.

Among the spotlighted artists on Episode 6 are Tony Ávila, Buena Vibra Sextet, and Yacel Sagarra.

(2:02:17, 21 tracks)

07

Guest: Ryoko OHARA

July 14 2022

Ryoko Ohara is a pioneering instructor, performer, and choreographer, as well as the director of Eleggua Entertainment, based in Tokyo, Japan.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 7 are Aya Nakano, Fabio Gianni & DJ Max Cuba, and Nati y Su Charanga.

(2:01:37, 22 tracks)

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08

Guest: Jan reijnders

July 28 2022

The musician, composer, and producer Jan Reijnders has released several unique salsa tracks that have become very popular among DJs and dancers alike.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 8 are Mixael Cabrera, Copa Salvo, and Ecos del Tivolí feat. Gilberto Santa Rosa.

(2:06:25, 23 tracks)

09

Mix Edition (EP. 1-4)

Aug 11 2022

This session is a departure from the usual format, with no spotlights, commentary, or guest. Instead, it is a straight-up mix with tracks selected from Episodes 1 to 4, rearranged according to key.

Among the featured artists are Jimmy Saa, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Orquesta Yare, La Maxima 79, Angel Melendez & Big Band Maquina, and Buena Vibra Sextet.

(3:07:37, 41 tracks)

Encanto Tropical 09 (DJ Angel Figueroa) Mix Session (Ep. 1-4)
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10

Guest: DJ Nik

Aug 25 2022

Dubbed “Mr UnShazammable”, DJ Nik achieved recognition on CoBeatParty (a Facebook group)  by live streaming unique DJ sets with rare tracks that went unrecognized by song-identifying apps such as Shazam.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 10 are Son de Kafe, Sabor Y Control, and La Excelencia.

(25 tracks, 2:07:56)

11

GuestS: Frankie Martinez & Lia Robertson

Sept 8 2022

Frankie Martinez is a leading salsa choreographer and dance educator while Lia Robertson is a dancer and dance coach. Both are based in New York City.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 11 are Fresto Music, Steven Brezet, and Jimmy Sabater.

(2:18:56, 26 tracks)

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12

Guest: Sr Ortegon

Sept 22 2022

Sr Ortegon is a DJ, musician, composer, and producer based in Cali, Colombia. The Latin Grammy Award-nominee provides Latin-themed sound and music for film, TV, and commercials.

Among the spotlighted artists in Episode 12 are DJ Fabrizio & Dani De Santis, Alexander Guerra & D'Nuevo Son, Hisayo Yamada, and Nacho Sanabria.

(2:05:57, 25 tracks)

13

Guest: Felipe Martinez 

Oct 13 2022

DJ Felipe Martinez, aka EldelaClaveSF, is an active member of the San Francisco Bay area salsa scene but also deejays internationally. In addition to being a salsa dance instructor, he is also the founder and CEO of World Salsa Radio, with his own show every Sunday.

Featured artists include Rico Walker, Jesus Pagán y Su Orquesta, and Manyoma Brothers.

(2:13:17, 26 tracks)

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14

Guest: Fabrizio Zoro 

Oct 27 2022

The celebrated Italian DJ Fabrizio Zoro is perhaps best known for his role leading one of Europe's most well-known salsa bands, La Maxima 79, but he is also a co-founder and artistic director of iLatin Music, a music publishing company based in Milan. 

Songs by La Maxima 79 and Fabrizio Zoro are highlighted throughout the show.

(2:24:01, 27 tracks)

15

Guest: Nora

Nov 10 2022

The Japanese salsa diva Nora has released a new solo album, "Salud a la Vida", marking 40 years as a salsa singer as the lead vocalist of Orquesta de La Luz, the pioneering Japanese salsa band that debuted in the early 1990s.

Songs by Orquesta de la Luz are highlighted throughout the show. The guest showcase includes three songs from Nora's recent album.

(2:12:40, 24 tracks)

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16

LATIN Japan in Focus

Nov 24 2022

Every episode of Encanto Tropical features 3 samples of Latin music by Japanese artists. I do this to help promote Japanese artists who are generally unknown internationally. As a resident of Japan, it has been interesting to follow the Latin music scene and collect music that I am happy to share with listeners. In Episode 16, I take a break from the usual show structure and instead play several songs by Japanese artists from past episodes, plus some new ones.

(2:00:52, 23 tracks)

17

Guest: Bongohead

Dec 8 2022

The prolific writer Pablo Yglesias, aka Bongohead, regularly demonstrates his vast knowledge of the history and scope of Latin music in his posts on Instagram. Also significant is his work as curator, not just in media (poster and album cover art for exhibition purposes), but also in reissued albums and compilations, most recently for VampiSoul (Munster Records). In addition, he stays busy as a regular DJ and in co-managing the record label Peace and Rhythm.

(2:11:21, 21 tracks)

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18

Best salsa of 2022with guest dj Rem

Dec 22 2022

DJ Rem from France and I team up to choose our favourite salsa tracks of the year. Since early January we have worked on a Spotify playlist of salsa songs released in 2022. As the year comes to a close, we go over the list of almost 500 items to share what we consider the best 25 tracks -- not an easy task!

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Encanto Tropical is one of several programs on World Salsa Radio, an internet radio station for Latin music enthusiasts. To see all available shows, click the button below to visit the WSR schedule page.

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