Music sets all of us off in different ways, we love things for different reasons, and sometimes we cant quite work out why or how....but if a few different notes and instruments makes us feel something, there must be something in the way a certain track is put together which touches us beyond thought. I did a bit of research to find out kind of music got to the core of various members of the salsa community...
They are all so varied and individual - you'll be able to relate to at least one, so read on...
Tamambo, Instructor, Performer, Choreographer: The track that means the most to me is "Sofrito" by the Fania All Stars. I performed to this track as a solo artist at the UK Salsa Congress in 2006
When I hear the song it takes me to a different place. In terms of the music it brings a lot of sadness into my life; it touches a part of me that feels concern about the world and where it's going. I have roots in Iraq - I'm not a politician, and I'm not an activist and wouldn't know how to fight what's going on in the world. Everyone says it's terrible, but going out and demonstrating - does it actually do anything? I felt helpless until I discovered I could use the gift of dance to express my feelings.
The other part of the choreography talks about a love/hate relationship where there is a lot of love but also a lot of confusion and indecisiveness.
The song for me brings out emotions about all that is bad in the world - salsa is not all about the fun thing. The perspective of salsa to the outside world is that it's all about acrobatics and nice choreography, whereas it is also being taken to a different level where you can express emotions. It's become an art form.
This song brings out a lot of emotions - anger and sadness. The song makes me want to hide and the only hiding place when it's on is performing it on stage. There is a curtain between me and the audience - I lose myself in the music and am completely unaware of my environment and other people and I dance like there's no-one watching.
DJ Julian the Duke: my favourite salsa artists are Oscar de Leon, Tito Puente and Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. I particularly love Oscar de Leon because of his longevity and the energy he brings to all his music, both recorded and live on stage.
Sue, Salsa Dancer
My favourite salsa track at the moment is No Te Vayas Ramon by Grupo Latino Vibe, from the CD of the same name. Why? Because it reminds me of a salsa holiday last October, dancing on an open air dance floor in the hotel gardens, and warm sushine, not to mention a few glasses of sangria and new friends to dance with!
Yolande Lewis, Co-Founder, Salsa Chillout
I love "Use Me" by Alex Wilson, from the R & B Latino CD. There are so many different instruments within the track, that I find it really motivates me to dance. The song is vibrant, yet romantic and jazzy and bluesy at the same time, so you can change your mood to mould into the music throughout the dance. Because the music is so sensual, you can really accentuate your body movements, and dance slowly with a lot of expression.
Terry Lewis, Co-Founder, Salsa Chillout: My favourite track is Aint Nobody by Alex Wilson. I have been a fan of Alex's for more years than I can remember. I first came across him whilst guest dj-ing at Bar Med for Siempre Salsa. A reporter friend came up to me and said, "Play track three on this CD, you'll love it." I took a chance and spun it without pre-listening on my headphones. It filled the floor and I bought the album at the next possible opportunity. The album was called R & B Latino and the track I played was named after the title. I first heard Alex's latest track at the 2006 UK Congress. DJ Lubi was on the decks, I heard the track and immediately went over to ask what it was, to discover three other DJ's asking the same question! "Aint Nobody" is now part of my core set, and I have no doubt that it will go on to fill dance floors up and down the UK!
Sharon Asquith, Salsa Teacher
One of my favourite tracks (of which I have many, and know the name of very, very few) is "Chan Chan" by the Buena Vista Social Club.
Having danced Latin American and Ballroom from the age of five, I always loved partner dancing, but it can be difficult to carry on with ballroom as you usually need a partner to attend classes with. I then did tap for quite a few years where I met my dear friend and very reliable gym buddy, Chris. It was at the gym that they introduced salsa classes, which we attended regularly without fail, despite the fact there were never any men, and with our previous dance experience we often had to take the lead. Nevertheless, we were hooked!! However, these lessons were in fact Columbian salsa, still excellent when done well, but the problem we found was that any club we ventured to never seemed to have anyone dancing Colombian Salsa (except one club in London we went to with our teacher which wasn't really our kind of thing....).
As you can imagine, having found this new and exciting dance we were becoming quite frustrated: we knew there must be more to it!!!
Then, joy oh joy, we were given a flyer for Salsa Chillout, and as we were about to set off on a salsa holiday to Barcelona, we decided we must go and see what this L.A. Style was and learn it real quick!!
As soon as we walked through the door we knew we'd found it! Excellent classes, and no more dancing as a man once you'd got through beginners. And there it was - first track, "Chan Chan"
Terry and Yolande used to play it often for a teaching track as its steady pace usually makes all your choreography work well. They also played it in Barcelona, so it pretty much always reminds me of finding Salsa Chillout and the beginning of my new addiction!
Sue Anderson, Salsa Dancer: my favourite track is "Boogie 2Nite" because it has a really strong, steady beat which makes it really lovely to dance to.