Salsa Explosion! The New York Salsa Revolution 1968-1985

Tagged “the Latin Motown”, Fania is perhaps most famous for its recordings during the coming of age of salsa from the late ‘60s to the mid-‘80s, when Latin (often Cuban) dance formats like rumba, guaracha, mambo, son and cha cha fused with big band American jazz and the gritty punch of US R&B in the unique melting pot of New York. Strut begin their programme of Fania albums with the first in the Fania Essential Recordings series, tracing the development of the many styles that matured on the label from Latin soul to salsa and boogaloo. The first instalment, ‘Salsa Explosion’, provides an essential introduction to the classic Fania sound through some of the label’s major artists including Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaria, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ray Barretto and the Daddy of the Fania family, Johnny Pacheco. The album has become a classic in its own right, reprising a US-only compilation that has sold over 80,000 units worldwide since 2004. Fania Essential Recordings: Salsa Explosion is packaged with completely new artwork and features previously unpublished photos from the Fania archive. Sleeve notes come courtesy of Ernesto Lechner of the LA Times and Washington Post.