Encanto Tropical 46: Best Salsa Songs from the Year 2000
Updated: May 17, 2025
AFTER-SHOW POST | PRE-SHOW POST
Episode 46 looked back at the year 2000 for some of the best salsa songs released as the 20th century came to a close. The replay is available at the bottom. (26 tracks, 2:03:42).
The show, titled "Then the Millennium", was inspired by memories of all the concern caused by the Y2K bug exactly 25 years ago this month. Read more in the pre-show post.
Artists
The 26 songs in the playlist are by the artists below. Listen to the show for full attribution.
Africando All Stars
Alfredo de la Fé
Bobby Valentin
Celia Cruz
Conjunto Azabache
¡Cubanismo!
Don Adolfo and his Orquesta Organizacion
Estrellas Caiman
José Mangual Jr
Mamborama
Maraca
Orquesta La Palabra
Orquesta Tabaco y Ron
Puentes Brothers
Puerto Rican Power
Quinto Mayor
Ray Santiago And His Orquesta
Rey Ruiz
Ricardo Lemvo & La Makina Loca
Saxomania
Son Boricua
Sonora Carruseles
Tito Nieves
Tito Puento & Eddie Palmieri
Tony Vega
Wayne Gorbea's Salsa Picante
CHOICES
The song selection is certainly more of a 'personal favourites'-list rather than an authoritative "best salsa" list. These are mostly songs I found myself playing on repeat as a budding salsa DJ -- most of them are danceable and have not aged. It was a fun, nostalgic trip digging through my old CDs to gather material for this project.
Theme-BaseD
Encanto Tropical shows are usually based on a given theme rather than a random set of songs pulled together. Making theme-based shows such as Episode 46 fosters my growth as a salsa DJ with a deeper appreciation of the music. I hope listeners can find meaning in this approach as well. Check the Archives for all Encanto Tropical theme-based episodes (with the hashtag "theme-based show").
OTHER YEARS
Check out other "Best Salsa" lists by Encanto Tropical:
REPLAY
(Click on the above link if the embedded SoundCloud player does not display)
