There is so much good Cuban dance music out there that people do not know about. More and more, dancers are becoming more entrenched in just dancing to timba, mostly because that is all that gets played at Cuban dance events. But Cuban dance music is so rich. It is my hope that with this playlist I can, in one way or another, do justice to that richness.
I promise you this, though: this playlist is unlike anything you have ever heard at any Cuban dance event. Lastly, this playlist is made of songs which I personally like, for one reason or another, so I assume the blame for any bias. Enjoy, and remember to support the artists by buying their music!
(Note: you need to download Spotify in order to listen to the playlist.)
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Son y Casino 
You have a great taste in Cuban salsa, but from reading some of your blogs I would imagine that you would rather listen to the songs sung and composed by the first and original singers; take for example “Chan Chan” which is by Buena Vista Social Club with Compay Segundo, not Arte Mixto. Just pointing it out, but still nice listening to it. Hope you respond. It would be nice to talk to someone who has a decent in-depth knowledge of salsa.
This list is not specifically compiled for “Cuban salsa.” That’s why I call it “Cuban dance music.” From chachachá, to guaguancó, to danzón, to son, that’s what it really is—dance music. Also, if you read some of the posts from my blog, you’ll notice that I’m very much AGAINST the term “Cuban salsa.” In fact, nowhere in this post (title or description) do I use that term.
On the other hand, this list was made out of songs I particularly like dancing to. Arte Mixto’s “Chan Chan” is much more danceable—and more lively—than Segundo’s, even if Segundo’s is the original. I don’t always necessarily like the originals, especially if they are recorded pre 1970, because of the sound quality. But it is necessary to emphasize that these ARE the originals because a lot of people have been dancing to the literally hundreds of Cuban songs, sung by non-Cuban singers/bands without knowing these were Cuban songs.
Thanks for taking the time to listen to the playlist, and I do hope you found songs you liked.
What a Fantastic playlist ! This music blows me away …. so many absolute gems ! I just stumbled across your website via a Google search for 2 3 Clave and am delighted with what I’ve found … I’ll be checking back here again many times and will take time to properly explore the fantastic playlist …… Many Thanks
Dear SonyCasino,
Spotify is not downloadable in my country (India). Could you please send me a list of the songs, so that I can access them through YouTube? I would appreciate it much! Thanks,
Venkat.
Sorry! List is too big, and it doesn’t export the songs with neither the titles nor the artists.
Una playlist muy interesante ,Gracias !