Carnegie Hall

Inspired by the salsa sounds of the ’70s 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,” says The New York Times. “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.”

Founded in 2005, La Excelencia honed its sound by performing at local venues around New York City and eventually caught the attention of the international salsa community with its 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 the band’s first album resulted in the first of several international tours. La Excelencia later released 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 CDs.

La Excelencia’s in-your-face sound and energetic live performances reach outside of the salsa norm and have propelled the band to mainstream 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 its sights on the future. Under the new independent label Cali York Records, La Excelencia is committed to bringing a voice to the next generation of salseros.