“La Excelencia emphasizes hard-driving brass and percussion, just like a Fania Records band from salsa’s heyday in the 1970s.
— Larry Rohter, New York Times”
Inspired by the salsa sounds of the 70’s and the sociopolitical landscape of today, La Excelencia is an award-winning band from New York City that combines traditional salsa elements with a modern and unapologetic sound. Their music invigorates social mindedness amidst a powerful and danceable soundtrack.
“It takes just a note or two to hear that La Excelencia is different. This is unprettified salsa dura, with the percussion cranked, lots of breaks, the voices loud, almost distorted. It’s the sound of a tough working band, the sort that used to be everywhere in New York and now are rare to find” says Peter Watrous of the New York Times.
Founded in 2005, La Excelencia honed their sound by performing at local venues around NYC and eventually caught the attention of the international salsa community with their 2006 debut album, Salsa Con Conciencia. “The goal was to write and record original songs that spoke to us personally. We didn’t realize these songs would resonate with so many others around the world,” recalls Julian Silva, composer, producer, founder and owner of La Excelencia. The success of their first album would result in the first of several international tours. The band would later release three more albums, Mi Tumbao Social (2009), Ecos Del Barrio (2012), and Machete (2020), with measurable success. La Excelencia’s music has been featured on several independent films, television programs, and compilation CD’s.
La Excelencia’s in-your-face sound and energetic, live performances reach outside of the salsa norm, and have propelled the band to main stream audiences and venues. “I felt like I was at a rock show not a salsa performance,” commented Anthony Guerrero, a longtime fan.
La Excelencia has enjoyed solid success, and continues to keep their sights on the future. Under the new independent label, Cali York Records, La Excelencia is committed to bringing voice to the next generation of salseros.
La Excelencia’s electrifying energy and raw talent make them an unstoppable force in the music industry. Their music is a captivating blend of thought provoking lyrics and explosive arrangements that leaves their audience both stomping on the dance floor and responding to their message.
- Jennifer Insogna, Head of Music Services A&E Television Networks, LLC.
La Excelencia’s performance was nothing short of AMAZING! The energy of everyone in the band was contagious and people were really hypnotized by their music and showmanship.
- Johnny Giraldo, Boston Salsa Fest
La Excelencia is back with a blazing, supernova salsa dura jam made specially for the dancers. “Salsa Na’ Ma’” is just that: nothing but pure salsa, no machines, no tricks, no other genres like reggaeton or Latin pop to dilute it. This is honest, unadorned classic New York salsa dura that harkens back to the golden age of the 1970s but has the production values of today that make it both retro and contemporary at the same time, so it’s sure to satisfy purists but also perfect for today’s salsa ballroom, social, club and congress scene.
— DJ Bongohead (Pablo Yglesias)
Band members: Julian Silva (Owner/Timbales), Willy Rodriquez (Piano), Luis Arona (Bass), Nerio Matheus (Congas), Nestor Villar (Bongo), Anthony DeLeon (Trombone), Mike Engstrom (Trombone), Cris Mora (Trumpet), Keefe Martin (Trumpet), Danny Mendez (Coro), Danny Enrique (Vocals), Gilberto Velazquez (Vocals), Kamilo Kratc (Sound Engineer)
Julian Silva
Owner/Director
(347)684-0504
caliyorkrecords@gmail.com