Salsa songs with clear Clave beat

David

David

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What are some salsa songs that especially feature the clave rhythm? Hopefully songs that would be easy for the untrained ear to hear the rhythm
 
David said:
What are some salsa songs that especially feature the clave rhythm? Hopefully songs that would be easy for the untrained ear to hear the rhythm
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Bloque 53 - Aye Mi Maria*
Jovenes de Son - Bembeleque(intro not easy for untrained)
Polo Montañez - Tengo mi Babalao (contains a clave direction change between verse and intro/bridge/outro
Arsenio Rodriguez - Rumba Guajira*
Blondie - Heart of Glass. ):^D
I am forgetting a few but the * is the beginner ones.
As. Asong itself I love the polo montañez song, maybe not as much to dance to, though it is good for that as well.
 
Sonida bestial has a clave direction change at the beginning, I believe. Or maybe it just feels that way. Either way I hate wit lol
 
Acid - Ray Baretto. Maybe not the most ‘salsa-y’ and it goes a bit cha cha towards the end but the clave is so, so clear, and it’s just a brilliant tune.
 
eclo said:
Acid - Ray Baretto. Maybe not the most ‘salsa-y’ and it goes a bit cha cha towards the end but the clave is so, so clear, and it’s just a brilliant tune.
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This song sends me I to a fury not unlike Oye Como VA when I hear it at beginner lessons and pre-social lessons.
 
1derpalm said:
This song sends me I to a fury not unlike Oye Como VA when I hear it at beginner lessons and pre-social lessons.
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I don’t think I ever heard it played much here at all, either at lessons or socials! Someone needs to compile a map of ‘what song is most overplayed in your scene that even if you quite liked it you now hate it?’.
 
eclo said:
I don’t think I ever heard it played much here at all, either at lessons or socials! Someone needs to compile a map of ‘what song is most overplayed in your scene that even if you quite liked it you now hate it?’.
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The answer is "Ain't no Sunshine" salsa remix
 
Years ago I used to attend salsa events regularly in England. It took me years to get over the trauma of some of the inane tunes that used to get rinsed. Even worse, many dancers showed most enthusiasm for such tunes. So for me the scene imploding and morphing into SBK came as no surprise.
 
DJ Yuca said:
Years ago I used to attend salsa events regularly in England. It took me years to get over the trauma of some of the inane tunes that used to get rinsed. Even worse, many dancers showed most enthusiasm for such tunes. So for me the scene imploding and morphing into SBK came as no surprise.
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I’m in England & outside big scenes such as London, congresses & a few DJs dotted about who actually seem to know and play latin music, it’s still basically how you describe. Which is really depressing if you want to dance and also have ears.
 
eclo said:
I’m in England & outside big scenes such as London, congresses & a few DJs dotted about who actually seem to know and play latin music, it’s still basically how you describe. Which is really depressing if you want to dance and also have ears.
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Ha you sound like me before I emigrated.
 
I would say virtually all the Cuban stuff. Its usually part of their format both live and in studio recordings, as opposed to artists/bands from other countries who many times don't include the clave (what some people might refer to as "implied clave" - where it's not actually there, but you're supposed to feel it based on the groove of the tune [i.e. - the other instruments and even vocalists])
 
groseron said:
I would say virtually all the Cuban stuff. Its usually part of their format both live and in studio recordings, as opposed to artists/bands from other countries who many times don't include the clave (what some people might refer to as "implied clave" - where it's not actually there, but you're supposed to feel it based on the groove of the tune [i.e. - the other instruments and even vocalists])
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I haven't listened to timba for a long time so can't comment, however implied clave is the correct term for what occurs in most NY and PR music. It's not so much that you're supposed to feel it, more that if you're a musician or interested for other reasons then it's possible to feel it, and if not and you have little idea about clave then you can still enjoy the music. Which is the same when the clave is actually played.

Likewise for implied clave in S American salsa, except that until recent years S American musicians were often a lot less strictly aligned with clave in comparison to those in NY and PR.
 
David said:
What are some salsa songs that especially feature the clave rhythm? Hopefully songs that would be easy for the untrained ear to hear the rhythm
Click to expand...

If you're looking for tunes that feature the clave played throughout, are slow but have a good danceable rhythm, have no clave changes and have clear arrangements, then these 2 are ideal:

Frankie Ruiz Cosas nativas

Los Nemus del Pacífico Me gusta todo
 
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