The core of Everybody Loves Salsa is music. The goal was clear from the beginning: to capture the human connection that’s inherent to salsa and Latin American music, translating the feeling of a live performance into an animation project that highlights the communion between artist and listener.
oiga, mire, vea
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Listen, look, see (Traditional Cali saying)
A little behind the scenes for the song “Mueve Tu Cuerpo”, recorded at Bombo Studio in August 2025.
First song:
“Everybody Loves Salsa”
For the main song, titled Everybody Loves Salsa, Daniel partnered with Arcadia Sonora, an audio studio based in Bogota. Through them, a group of talented Colombian musicians would go on to work on the main track. The process was deeply collaborative, involving multiple sessions to shape the song’s final sound. Once the instrumentals were perfected, the lyrics were next.
The song would end up being recorded in February 2020, right before the world went into lockdown. The team at Arcadia Sonora was made up of singer Santiago Moa, trumpeter Romario Franco, trombonist Sebastian Cifuentes, and pianist Cristian Pascagaza.
Recording “Everybody Loves Salsa” at Latin Lab Studio in Bogota, February 2020
“I wrote the lyrics once the music was finished. It was tricky, because the song talks about being Latino, and I’m not Latino, so I had to step into the character. But it also gave me the chance to share what I’ve learned about Latin American and Colombian culture over the years and to express what I love most about it, without renouncing my own roots. For example, the lyric ‘somos la sal’ was inspired by my hometown, San Fernando, Spain, which is a seaside town known for its salt production. It’s a small detail, but it connects my story to the larger theme of the film.”
- Daniel Cordero
Last song:
“Mueve Tu Cuerpo”
Although the main song was the first part of the project to be completed, the credits song was the last.
Another contributing factor for this was the musical evolution happening throughout the process. Over the years, Daniel became more immersed in the world of salsa and Colombian regional music, specifically the sounds of the Colombian Pacific, which thrive vibrantly in Cali.
Having had the first experience with Arcadia Sonora, Daniel was eager to keep exploring the world of music production and traditional Colombian sounds. Deciding the musical direction for the end credits was not an easy task. At first, it was intended to be a piece of romantic salsa, as Daniel was looking for a mellower sound in direct contrast to the upbeat party salsa from the main track. After exploring different genres, Daniel landed on the idea of a song that mixed everything into one, with Colombian Pacific sounds being the base for it, with additions of salsa and other traditional latin american genres and sounds accompanying.
The main question during this process was who would record the song. Bombo Records was the answer. A renowned music studio in Cali, Bombo Records has worked with multiple Colombian Pacific artists over the years. In addition to writing the song, Cristhian Salgado, the studio’s owner and producer, assembled a group of renowned Colombian Pacific artists to record.
All the instruments used in the song were traditional instruments from the Colombian Pacific, like the marimba, bombo, cununos, and the guasá, bringing a distinct sound thanks to their African roots.
Mueve tu cuerpo was recorded in August 2025. The team at Bombo Records was made up of composer, music producer, mixer, and backing vocals Cristhian Salgado, singer Liceth Zagon, percussionist (bombo, cununos, guasá and marimba) Jhon Freddy Vivas, clarinetist Adrian Viafara, and bassist Kevin Quinto.
“I didn’t think I would need a song for the credits, because I thought they would be really short. However, once I realized that they were going to be longer than what I initially thought, I decided I needed to add a track at the end.”
- Daniel Cordero
