Machete – La Excelencia

8 year break

It’s been 8 years since the last release from La Excelencia… too long a wait!

Two good things happened in our La Excelencia story in 2012 – they dropped their third album “Ecos Del Barrio” which tore up salsa dance floors and included the track “Maria” which is still a favourite with Abanico dancers today, and we hosted them at our “Extravaganza” all day event in Bristol (see video below)… wow – what a gig!  Over 600 hundred dancers from across the UK and Europe getting down to unquestionably the hottest NY salsa band of the time – we still remember that day very fondly!

Break up

In the time between then and now the band have split up and, thankfully, reformed.  The sound in “Machete” is unquestionably La Excelencia – hard and heavy classic New York sound brought bang up to date.  There are some fast ones, there is some Cha Cha and there are some that will go down a treat on the dance floor.  For me the killer here is “Asi Es El Amor” – a really nice tempo that builds into a really solid dancer… I can’t wait to play it out!

Should I buy it?

Yes! As with all La Excelencia albums there is a lot to like here and it great music for the car as well as the dance floor.  I never quite get the same buzz as the first time I heard their very first album “Salsa Con Conciencia” (2006) – but then who ever sounds as good as when they were hungriest and wanted it most?!  That said, I didn’t think twice before hitting the ‘buy’ button on this one and highly recommend you do the same!