AFTER-SHOW POST | PRE-SHOW POST Episode 41 was a tribute session to Catalino 'Tite' Curet Alonso, one of the most prolific and important song writers in salsa. Replay at the bottom of this page (1:58:58, 24 tracks). 'Tite' Curet -- as he was commonly known -- reportedly composed more than 2000 songs, many of which are considered salsa anthems although perhaps his recognition is overshadowed by the musicians who made such great interpretations of his work, such as several stars of the Fania label as well as fellow musicians from Puerto Rico. However, there is no doubt about his great talent, interesting nature, and inspiring character. This episode serves as a very basic introduction. While preparing for this episode, I was amazed to learn so much about 'Tite' Curet as well as the details of several of his songs. There is definitely enough material for a Part 2! Stay tuned! Read the pre-broadcast post for more context. Some of the music on Encanto Tropical 41 One rule that I stuck to in the song selection was not to include more than one song by any given artist. For this reason, I also included a few cover songs, that is to say, there are compositions by 'Tite' Curet' played by artists other than the ones who did the primary recording. For this reason, I included a cover of 'Anacaona' because I wanted to feature the singer Cheo Feliciano in another work: 'Salí Porque Salí'. There are other examples. Catalino 'Tite' Curet Alonso Source: Discogs.com The objective was to strike a balance between several salsa anthems and lesser-known works by 'Tite' Curet. All around, I believe it is an interesting collection of songs from a range of great artists and their interpretations of this great songwriter. Included are two tracks sung by the composer himself, with instrumentation directed by his friend Jorge Millet who shines on the piano and vibraphone -- check the show to hear all these tunes! Full attribution is provided on the show. Notable sources are listed in the pre-broadcast post and acknowledgements are needed for the relevant topic of salsa consciente , both in a book by Andrés Espinoza Agurto as well as in a podcast by Michigan State University: Andrés Espinoza Agurto (Michigan State University Press, 2021): Salsa Consciente: Politics, Poetics, and Latinidad in the Meta-Barrio MSU Press Podcast: Salsa Consciente: Politics, Poetics, and Latinidad in the Meta-Barrio Replay below. Enjoy! REPLAY EPISODE 41 < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

AFTER-SHOW POST | PRE-SHOW POST Replay Episode 31 using the link at the bottom of this page: Twenty-six songs (2:05:14). In this session I pick up where I left off in the last show, playing more salsa gems released in 2023. It turns out that with so much good material and several lesser-known artists worthy of recognition, a selection of just twenty-five tracks to represent the year is simply not enough. So I revisit my source playlist on Spotify and play outtakes, missed tracks, and even a few newly discovered ones, such as material released late in the year. That means another 25 "best" salsa songs of 2023! See the pre-show post for more context. The choice of tracks is selected from DJ Rem's Spotify playlist Contemporary Salsa (2023 Releases) -- which I also contributed to -- totaling over 600 songs. Once again, it was not easy selecting 25 tracks from such a colossal number, but I managed to include a range of artists, both well-known and lesser-known ones. These tracks resonate with me and I believe deserve some recognition; however, I emphasize that my selection is merely personal and not intended as authoritative. Some of the artists included in Episode 31 Full attribution is given on the show. The track list is below in order of play (not ranking). OTHER YEARS Check out other "Best Salsa" lists by Encanto Tropical: Best Salsa of 2024 (coming soon) Best Salsa of 2022 Best Salsa of 2000 REPLAY EPISODE 31 < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

AFTER-SHOW POST  | PRE-SHOW POST Available for replay is Episode 18 -- see below for the link (2hrs 5mins, 25 tracks). This is a special edition of Encanto Tropical on World Salsa Radio , with a departure from the usual format of 4 spotlights including a guest showcase. Episode 18 marks the end of 2022 with a selection of 25 "best" salsa songs of the year. Joining me as a co-selector of these tracks is DJ Rem. See the pre-show post for information about the show, including an introduction of DJ Rem. The music of Encanto Tropical 18 - Best Salsa of 2022 Note: there is no song ranking. The 25 tracks are presented in a random order. "Best SALSA of 2022" Encanto Tropical Selected by Dj Angel (Japan) & DJ Rem (France) Track LIST (in order of appearance in the show) Best Salsa of 2022 as featured on Encanto Tropical Encanto Tropical 18 - The Best of 2022 OTHER YEARS Check out other "Best Salsa" lists by Encanto Tropical: Best Salsa of 2024 (coming soon) Best Salsa of 2023 Best Salsa of 2000 Replay Episode 18 < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

PRE-SHOW POST | AFTER-SHOW POST I will start Episode 31 where I ended in Episode 30 , playing more of my preferred salsa songs released in 2023 -- that means twenty-five more tracks (fifty in total)! It turns out that with so much good material and so many lesser-known artists worthy of recognition, a selection of the "best 25" salsa songs of 2023 was just not enough. Let's go with more salsa faves of 2023 in Episode 31, then. My "9 Fave" salsa songs of 2023 - click the image for more information about Episode 30. Criteria As mentioned in the post about the original show (Part 1) , my choices are not intended to be authoritative. Rather, they are based on personal appreciation using several criteria -- primarily on how a song matches my style of deejaying for dancers. This is admittedly, subjective. Also important are what I consider to be notable arrangements, instrumentation, vocals, and lyrics. I also lean a little more towards artists who are not especially well-known but I feel deserve more recognition. Feedback Simply, I am keen to share my own favourite tracks. However, I certainly respect differences of opinion, so I welcome feedback on my selection and would love to hear recommendations about songs I did not choose. Source The pool of songs for choosing tracks is a Spotify playlist curated by my colleague DJ Rem (France) and myself for salsa songs released in 2023. It contains just more than 600 songs, so naturally it was very difficult to select only twenty-five songs for Part 1 and once again another twenty-five for this upcoming Part 2. While programming for both shows, I began with a shortlist of roughly 45 songs and then trimmed it little by little to reach my final twenty-five songs, which was not easy. Nonetheless, this upcoming episode (Part 2) is an attempt to fix some glaring omissions in the last show (Part 1), which aired on Dec 28. So I revisited the 2023 Spotify playlist  and will play outtakes, passed-over tracks, and newly discovered material, such as songs released late in the year. Why 25? For those wondering why twenty-five and not more or less, the reason is because twenty-five is roughly the number of songs that I can squeeze into a two-hour show. Rankings Below is the ranking of songs from Part 1; however, the tracks appeared in a random order on the show. A replay link follows. REPLAY EPISODE 30 (Part 1) Click below to listen in your browser or on SoundCloud. < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

PRE-SHOW POST | AFTER-SHOW POST What are the best salsa songs of 2022? Wow, is it that time of year already…? Yeah! So tune in on Dec 22 for some answers… DJ Rem and I spent the last twelve months curating a Spotify playlist with 2022 releases — to be honest, DJ Rem did most of the work! And last week we chose our favorites to share on my show, Encanto Tropical… It was tough making our choices, and of course our list isn’t authoritative, but we agreed on 25 smoking salsa tracks released in 2022. We hope listeners think like our selection, too! Check out our Spotify playlist (with more than 400 tracks) to get an idea what we had to choose from... Contemporary Salsa (2022 Releases) - DJs Rem & Angel Encanto Tropical 18 www.WorldSalsaRadio.com DJ Angel Figueroa & Guest DJ Rem Dec 22 Thu 22:00 Japan Time 05:00 PT / 08:00 ET / 13:00 GMT / 14:00 CET It was really interesting coming up with the final list of songs! A lot of credit goes to DJ Rem for his work in curating the Spotify playlist, from which we chose the best songs (all but one are from the Spotify playlist). DJ Rem (France) DJ Rem and I met through CoBeatParty on Facebook, and it’s been great fun chatting together about salsa ever since; this collaboration demonstrates our mutual respect and similar tastes, so big cheers and thanks to DJ Rem, who is based in France and whom I consider one of the best salsa DJs out there! Tune into World Salsa Radio for Episode 18 of Encanto Tropical for the best of 2022 on December 22nd! < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

Episode 37 of Encanto Tropical is a salsa session with no theme. It has 26 tracks (2:01:45). Replay below. Some of the music on Encanto Tropical 37 REPLAY EPISODE 37 < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

PRE-SHOW POST | AFTER-SHOW POST Back in May I deejayed at a popular Cuban party in the Roppongi area of Tokyo. It had been a while since I played exclusively Cuban music, and it was a fun time. My co-DJ was fantastic and kept the bar high, so it was such a wonderful night of Cuban vibes. Feeling inspired by memories of that night, I dip into my archives to build Episode 38 for Encanto Tropical -- Musica Cubana (3) to broadcast on July 11… Image by freepik < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

AFTER-SHOW POST | PRE-SHOW POST Italian salsa was the topic for Episode 42. Featured are several great salsa songs by Italian (or Italy-based) artists and DJs, and joining me for an interview was DJ Francisco Rojos of the Latin web magazine www.salsa.it . Replay at the bottom of this page (2:10:09, 23 tracks). This show ended up being among my most highly anticipated, as it took several weeks to prepare and, in fact, the idea for doing this show germinated over a year ago. This is because it had dawned on me that the musical output in Italy, compared with other countries with a niche salsa scene, seemed to be extraordinary. There was so much action --and talent -- among the high number of Italian musicians and DJs who were making music. Read the pre-broadcast post for more background information on this brief introduction to Italian salsa music. In my research to discover these music makers, I showed a list of names I had compiled to Fabrizio Zoro , the Milan-based DJ, songwriter, music producer, and director of La Maxima 79 . He approved the list but also named another half-dozen people I had never heard of! Later, he introduced me to DJ Francisco Rojos, saying that if I was going to do a show on Italian salsa, he was the man to talk to. As one of the pioneering DJs of the Italian salsa scene, Francisco Rojos has also composed more than 70 songs. Chatting with him and learning about his salsa career then inspired me to go to the next level and invite him as a guest to interview and share his reflections with listeners. Guest Francisco Rojos DJ of www.salsa.it The pre-recorded interview was great fun but entirely in Spanish because like most Italians switching to Spanish is easier than to English. Divided into four sections, the interview is preceded by a 35-minute introductory mix of some of my favourite recently-released salsa tunes from Italy. Then Francisco Rojos shares his thoughts on a few points: a brief background of music production in the Italian salsa scene an example of four salsa songs which originated in popular Italian music an overview of his career three songs he recommends as exemplary of Italian salsa The show flashed by because it was so informative and fun with Francisco Rojos although it is somewhat long at 2 hours and 10 minutes. There was great insight from my guest on a range of topics, and there were many interesting songs I was happy to share. I am amazed at the large pool of Italian salsa songs I had to choose from and, in fact, it is unfortunate that several artists/bands could not be included due to the time constraint; however, this means that perhaps a Part 2 is doable. I hope so - there is so much great Italian salsa! IMPORTANT NOTE I wish to underline that I do not claim to be an expert on Italian salsa. I am just trying to learn more and share my musical discoveries based on the hunch as an experienced DJ (in Japan) that Italian salsa is unique. Furthermore, my focus has been on music production, not on the dancing scene. However, I am open to feedback regarding any omissions, errors, or suggestions, so please contact me; I would love more material for a Part 2. For Italian visitors, I hope this post rendered correctly in translation and this brief introduction and overview are satisfactory. Some of the music on Encanto Tropical 42 ARTISTS Here is a list of artists for the 23 songs played on the Episode 42. Alexio DJ, Marco Puma, Felix Croma Latina DJ Fabrizio & Francisco Rojos DJ Isaia “El Profeta” DJ Lindo feat Valerio El Director DJ Maurizio Doná Don Ruiz Orquesta El Timba Fabio Gianni & Donny Reyes Fabio Gianni & LunaMea Quartet Francisco Rojos & Latin Soul Orchestra Ivan Venot & DJ pepe El Rumbero Ivan Venot & DJ Pippo Il Maltese La Canchanchara La Maxima 79 & DJ Fabrizio Zoro [x 2] Latin Sound Machine Mario Crespo Martinez Massimo Scalici Poderosa Orquesta & Francisco Rojos  Nino Segarra [versión de una canción italiana] Pietro Mingarelli y Su Generation 73 Urbana 22 feat Tony Velardi Valter Paiola Orchestra Full attribution is provided on the show. Note that unlike most of my episodes, commentary was entirely in Spanish -- my apologies for English listeners, but if there are any questions about the song selection or content, please contact me. Replay below. Enjoy! Ciao! REPLAY EPISODE 42 < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

PRE-SHOW POST | AFTER-SHOW POST Coming up is Episode 33 on February 8th where I play from my playlist for next week's album release concert by Son D' K.Libre in Tokyo . For context, this means a Cuban-style session -- with lots of new material -- featuring tracks from Son D' K.Libre's album Lo Que Se Cuenta and from the duo Yacel & Aya Sagarra, since Yacel is the bandleader (guitar, vocals) and his partner Aya also sings for the band. The Son D' K.Libre concert tour includes dates in Hamamatsu, Nagoya, and Osaka, where they are based. It's a thrill for me to support their Tokyo concert as I have known them since their inception ten years ago when I was living in Osaka. So check out this Cuban session on Encanto Tropical! < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

AFTER-SHOW POST | PRE-SHOW POST A 'Cuban salsa' session makes up Episode 38. Click at the bottom to replay (1:58:22, 26 tracks). Episode 38 is the 3rd all-Cuban set in Encanto Tropical’s show list. (See Session 1 and Session 2 ). It includes 26 tracks from a playlist I made for a fantastic gig as guest DJ in May for a Cuban style party at La Tropi Azabu in Tokyo. It was a wonderful time providing the soundtrack with main DJ Baila Aqui while working with the other event organizers (Yu-san and Kazue-san) of ‘Cuba 99%’ to make it a memorable and crazy night of timba, son, and 'salsa cubana'. The bar was packed until the very end and there was a great dynamic with the dancers. Some of the music on Encanto Tropical 38 The show’s length is 1:58:22. Full attribution is provided, including for such artists as the following. Manana Club Lazarito Valdés y Bamboleo Timbalive La Charanga Habanera Sounds of Cuba Cuba Libre Son Band REPLAY EPISODE 38 < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

PRE-SHOW POST | AFTER-SHOW POST Next on Encanto Tropical is a session featuring salsa songs which include the word "vida" in the song title or in the lyrics. My aim is to weave together a collection of songs with poignant lyrics about the wonder, mystery, joy, and pain of.... life . Some examples follow. Cantar es lo mas bonito que he aprendido en la vida La vida hay que pasarle siempre alegre No importa el dinero, no importa el destino Vive la vida y disfruta el camino Ay, Abuelita de mi vida, cómo te recuerdo a ti… Yo te quiero yo te adoro, es que tú eres mi único tesoro A Gozar… que la vida es corta compay Y hay que aprovechar lo que queda de ella para vivir Goza la vida como hago yo Levántate y de cara a tu vida Yo solo vivo mi vida No me importa lo demás La vida no es para llorar, es para reír y para disfrutar La vivo a mi manera, superando barreras La vida es para gozar. Featured bands and artists include: Orlando Marin Salsa Sudada feat. Herman Olivera Orquesta Yare Joe Quijano Cuba Libre Son Band Los Hermanos Moreno Hector Lavoe Justo Betancourt Cesar Concepcion & His Orchestra < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >

AFTER-SHOW POST | PRE-SHOW POST Episode 39 features songs which contain the Spanish word for 'life' (vida) in the lyrics. To replay, click on the link at the bottom of this page (1:59:20, 27 tracks). Read about the planning and context of this show in the pre-broadcast post . The session resulted in a good compilation of sayings and observations about life. It was quite astonishing to learn just how many salsa songs include the word 'vida' in their lyrics, so I had no trouble making a shortlist, but this means a Part 2 should be in the works too, then. Some of the music on Encanto Tropical 39 Full attribution is provided on the show. REPLAY EPISODE 39 < NEXT POST PREVIOUS POST >