In this post, I explain the choice of salsa songs that best represent the year 2025 for me. This selection is not meant to be authoritative; it should only be considered a collection of personal favorites. A replay of the relevant shows is available near the bottom of this page.

Making the Lists

Over the winter holidays I worked on Encanto Tropical, which had been on pause since September. Episodes 56 and 57 were broadcast on January 1st and 8th. As Parts 1 and 2 of my “2025 Salsa Songlist,” they spotlight 50 salsa songs (25 each) released in the past year.

The process was both educational and fun. I enjoyed shortlisting songs, programming, mixing, providing commentary, adding jingles, and mastering the final result. Together, the two episodes offer an eclectic mix of musical styles under the salsa umbrella.

Again, these songs are personal favorites. I'm not claiming what the best salsa songs of 2025 are. While I've been exploring salsa and deejaying at socials for over 20 years, I don't suggest to be an expert on year-end rankings. Those require different criteria than what I focus on (see below). Also relevant would be the ability to analyze music in a way which I don't pretend to know.

However, sharing song information is essential for the salsa community. DJs can play a vital role in its growth and awareness by sharing. Gatekeeping, claiming to know "the best songs," or posting unfocused song collections are just no good.

In contrast, my purpose here is to share a passion for salsa by promoting song awareness with enthusiasts, DJs, and dancers--in this case, with the theme of 2025-releases, following the general template of theme-based episodes of Encanto Tropical.

In effect, let's appreciate some good songs for dancing and their musicians and composers.

With that, I leave the "best-of-year" curations to the true experts out there.

Read on for background details about my selection; or skip this preamble and go to the lists.

Criteria

My selections prioritized danceability, original hooks, and production quality, with well-mastered instrumental or vocal elements. By "danceability," I mean how a song suits my style of deejaying for the dancers I usually play for—this is an important point. With one exception, I avoided AI-generated songs (though not DAW-produced tracks).

Context

Creating a comprehensive selection of releases in a given year requires significant time and resources I lack. Limited by my day job and family duties, I could not review every release. As a DJ who purchases most tracks, budget constraints further restricted my selection pool.

Acknowledging Bias

Despite striving for objectivity, I acknowledge familiarity bias—artists I know personally or have rapport with were more likely to be considered simply because I'm more exposed to their work.

Embracing Subjectivity

Personal taste inevitably shapes my choices. Unlike DJs with a narrow focus (only Cuban music or salsa dura), I embrace salsa's full spectrum—from Cuban music and salsa dura to vintage guaguancó, romántica, urbana, and pop, as well as traditional genres such as son and charanga (not to mention salsa of regional styles, such as Colombia).

Song Order

Songs are not ranked, and their order on the episodes is unrelated to any preference. The order of songs reflects what I considered most suitable for programming them, keeping in mind the tonality of songs and what key they are in, as well as how they open and close.

Summary

1. A certain selection criteria was followed.

2. Time and budget significantly limited my coverage.

3. True objectivity is impossible given my connections and exposure.

4. My broad stylistic approach may not suit those preferring specialized playlists.

5. Song order is not indicative of any ranking.

Encanto Tropical

2025 Salsa Songlist

(Not necessarily best salsa songs of 2025)

DJ Angel Figueroa

Part 1 - Episode 56

Note: This list contains one error; see the Erratum below for details

Part 2 - Episode 57

Part 3 - Episode 58!

Digging for songs to include in Parts 1 and 2 uncovered more notable songs than I could fit in fifty selections. Many shortlisted tracks were ultimately cut. After completing what I thought would be a 2-part list, other songs emerged that deserve recognition, too.

I will therefore make a third part to spotlight another 25 songs. This addition to the '2025 Salsa Songlist' airs on January 29 (see the bottom of this page for the January 22 broadcast).

Thank you for your support. Enjoy the shows and appreciate the musicians and composers!

Comments and questions are welcome. Certainly let me know what songs you think I missed.

Replay

Episode 56: Part 1 of ‘2025 Salsa Songlist’

Episode 57: Part 2 of ‘2025 Salsa Songlist’

Note

In case the embedded players above do not load, visit SoundCloud for Episode 56 and Episode 57 to listen directly.

RELATED EPISODES

• Salsa songs of 2000

• Salsa songs of 2001: early, spring, summer, late

• Salsa songs of 2022

• Salsa songs of 2023

• Salsa songs of 2024

Erratum

One song was misidentified as having been released in 2025; in fact, it was launched in November 2024: '¿A qué te sabe mi amor?' by Mare Cabal & Orquesta Yare.