Colombian Salsa Music and Boogaloo

The Colombian city of Cali has a rich history of Salsa Music and Dance. Thousands of experts of Salsa history, Salsa lovers, and music collectors flock to the annual Salsa Festivals such as the “Encuentro de Melomanos y Coleccionistas” and the famous “Cali World Salsa Festival”.

There is a saying for Salsa Musicians’ “If you can make it in Cali, you can make it anywhere”. This is certainly true for the Salsa musicians playing their latest releases during the world renowned ‘Feria de Cali’, held every year in December. If the crowd likes the song, it becomes a worldwide Salsa hit. But, if the crowd starts booing, then the artist should discard the whole production and start all over again.  

The people of Colombia created their own brand of Salsa music called the ‘Colombian Boogaloo’: a fast Salsa rhythm using the sound of the campana or cowbell as basic. A common legend tells about how a DJ of the Village Game  made a mistake while playing a slow 33 rpm New York Boogaloo by accelerating it to 45 rpm, thus creating the fast Colombian Boogaloo. The dancers discovered the fast music was great for them to interpret it with their feet. The same story of a fast music style invented by playing a slow version in the wrong manner by a DJ is the real story of the Dutch/Antillean MC, DJ Moortje. He invented Bubbling Music – a fast kind of Jamaican Ragga-Muffin – in The Netherlands (1998) by playing an original 33 rpm Reggae track at 45 rpm. He discovered the crowd liked it and continued playing this new music style, which became a huge success in the Netherlands. There can be some truth to this Colombian legend. 

Discos Fuentes Record label did for the whole of Colombia what Fania Records did for Salsa in New York. Salsa in New York was an island in a non-Latin sea, but Salsa was free to engulf the Colombian cities of Medellin, Cartagena, Baranquilla, and Cali. The musical scene in Colombia is very dynamic with international Salsa bands such as La Sonora Carruseles, Grupo Gale, Grupo Niche, Fruko y sus Tesos (videoclip), Orquesta Guayacan, and Joe Arroyo. But Colombian Salsa Music is much older.

History

Colombia does not have its own history of Salsa development. The people from Cali and other parts of Colombia adapted the Cuban Son Montuno, Rumba, Bolero, Cha-Cha-Cha, Mambo, and Pachanga they received from listening to CMQ, Radio Havana, Radio Progreso, films, and records. The Colombian Cumbia was also added to the mix in later years. Cuban radio stations started to include Colombian Salsa in their lists from 1929 onward. In 1957, Salsa music had its first appearance at the Cali Fair; the Pachanga music rocked the spectators. Other rhythms and dances following in its wake are Jazz, Tango, Tap, Twist, Swing, Rock ‘n Roll, and Boogie Woogie. In the early 1980’s radio promotion and show business made Cali the ‘Capital Mundial de la Salsa’ (‘The World’s Salsa Capital’). 

Cali stopped being the World Salsa Capital for many reasons. Newer music genres as the Vallenato, Merengue and Reggaeton are taking a stronger hold on the new generation of Colombians. Salsa music composers mix Salsa with Reggaeton, the so-called Salsaton, to make it sellable and for it to survive the heavy competition from the other music genres. Colombian Salsa is very popular with the international On1 Salsa Dance public because it is very easy to find the first beat of the music.