r/Salsa • u/Cvasco14 • Aug 19 '26

Looking for Instrumental Salsa songs, with few or no vocals

Here are some of my favorite examples:

Mon Rivera - Lluvia con Nieve

Sofrito - Mongo Santamaria

13 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

4

u/lfe-soondubu Aug 19 '26

Here's a link to some of the answers from when I asked something similar earlier this year.  www.reddit.com/r/Salsa/s/54JcnBkMxK

3

u/Imaginary-Green-950 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26

A few others that I think deserve mention:

Wendell Rivera - Manhattan https://youtu.be/vlbglipUxWk?is=kIp7ldgCbTVDRS3U

SHO: Perla Morena https://youtu.be/OUbHDASbdpc?is=tBXbRYz3l-mWiro5

New Swing Sextet - My favorite things https://youtu.be/URuMEv8Ss0g?is=v7G0lSuCLVzTRIzc

Geraldo Rosales has a great version of Picadillo, but lately I've been playing this song of his Mariage D'amour: https://youtu.be/s6YIuZEt9zQ?is=G5NN4vXDsPmQw9Xk

Al Delory - Via https://youtu.be/A2Jp7uzAEWY?is=s4ve6TdDbco4udui

Daniel Amat - Lejania is great but I dont play in my sets https://youtu.be/--ouH0_NbLU?is=RCXorrOP_yUmAJ37

2

u/AgnosticTheist Aug 19 '26

NSS My Favorite Things and Al Delory Via are def in my favs to dance to. They're so fun.

1

u/lfe-soondubu Aug 19 '26

I know DJs hate playing it, but I'd like to start a petition to have Lejanía played at socials. 

1

u/Imaginary-Green-950 Aug 19 '26

I love playing it. The dancers just have to be open minded. 

3

u/Signal-Imagination-4 Aug 19 '26

Merecumbé - Johnny Colon
Cangui con Salsa (Popcorn) - Hector Manito Bonilla
La Danza del Mono - Orientales de Paramonga
Tihuanaco (Puerta del Sol) - Alfredo Linares
Fania Fungue CoCo - Poncho Sanchez
Papa Boco - Noro Morales
Vitamina - Noro Morales
Cool - Rene Grand y Su Combo

2

u/Choice-Alfalfa-1358 Aug 19 '26

Fabry’s Swing - La Maxima 79.
Beautiful-Edwin Rivera

This question has been asked before. You should search it up.

2

u/brisfilo Aug 20 '26

Here are my favourites:

Watermelon Man — both Mongo Santa Maria and Poncho Sánchez versions

Acid by Ray Barretto

Tiahuanaco (Puerta del Sol) by Alfredo Linares

2

u/Historical_Pair3057 Aug 20 '26

i mean, i feel like you're missing mongo's best one - afro blue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbE7jf_Hp5w

2

u/errantis_ Aug 20 '26

Allegria- Fania Allstars. Probably the best instrumental salsa song ever tbh

Anything by DJ Henrix.

Echale Madera - Ricky Campanelli (minimal vocals)

Anything by Jan Reijnders. This is a European dude I believe he’s from Norway or somewhere thereabouts so this will feel very unique, like very clear traditional Celtic influences but I really like it

1

u/lfe-soondubu Aug 19 '26

Singapore Vibes and Lejanía are probably my favorite two instrumental songs of all time. 

Not strictly instrumental but minimal vocals - Mayeya is a fun song to dance to (I like the Mongo Santamaría version the best personally). 

Stairway to Heaven (jkjk)

1

u/gumercindo1959 Aug 19 '26

Swing a la Moderna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTC8C6abZIo

Ray Barretto's version is also great but it has SOME words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA1FTE9estE

1

u/ephemera333 Aug 19 '26

Shirley's Guaguanco 💙

2

u/Worried_Humor_8060 Aug 20 '26

Willie Colón: Junio 73, the album El baquiné de angelitos negros,

1

u/anomalocarus Aug 20 '26

Canguil con salsa by hector manito bonilla

1

u/MonsterBongos Sep 14 '26

Willie Colon: Junio 76
La Sonora Ponceña: Nica's dream mambo and Homenaje a Tres Grandes del Teclados
Machito Y su Orquesta, from the Album "Fireworks": Macho
Mongo Santamaria: MamboMongo (Best version is from the album Afro-Indio)
Jose Mangual Sr, The Album BUYU, has several great instrumental cuts
Rau Barretto: Cocinando
Tipica 73: "It's a gay world"
El Chicano: "Viva Tirado" (Technically not salsa, but a funky Latin rock Cha Cha)
Markolino Dimond y Frankie Dante "Beethoven's 5th" (Has coros but no leads)