PRE-SHOW POST | AFTER-SHOW POST
The next show is the annual wrap-up of my preferred salsa tunes released during the year.
The pool from which I chose tracks is a Spotify playlist curated by DJ Rem and me. We have been diligently updating it since January, and it now numbers more than 650 songs.
Twenty-five
The Encanto Tropical 2024 Songlist will feature 25 songs. Unlike the 2023 list -- but like the 2022 list -- there is no ranking. This avoids the nonsense of announcing what the number one song is. Rather, I will play the 25 tracks in a way suitable for programming a two-hour show. An alphabetically-ordered list will be included in the after-show post.
Sparks
My search for notable material to spark the dance floor has some method to it. I gravitate towards fresh and unique sounds. They can come in the form of arrangement, solo instrumentation, or in the melody or rhythm sections. I also consider production quality, unique contexts, the composition, and the vocal interpretation of the lyrics. In the end, it's all about how a song simply resonates with me, which sometimes is not very quantifiable.
Criteria
The selection process cannot escape subjectivity, even when criteria has been set. Naturally, musical taste differs among people. This difference is to be embraced! Every songlist is to be taken with a grain of salt, then -- mine included. It should be fun and informative reading different opinions on the "best songs", so let's just be carefree and raise awareness for everyone's benefit. I look forward to discovering songs I overlooked when I read other lists.
Programming
Several songs caught my attention in 2024 but, on a side note, there were not as many as in the year before. Nonetheless, it was not easy trimming the 2024 shortlist to just twenty-five favourite salsa songs. The fun part is in the programming -- how to place them sequentially in the show, from the opening track to the closing one.
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