In light of my recent article on reggaeton, I thought there’d be no better way to get people excited by this than to let the music do the talking.

Notch- Hay Que Bueno Reggaeton

There’s nice interplay between the old and the new here: a stomping matador guitar, trumpet, congas and dramatic Spanish-pop crooning flavors the traditional reggaeton beat. Notch adds an authentic Latin melodicism to a rapping style that owes far more to Jamaica than NYC.

Tito y Hector- El Maleante

Some of the prettiest boys on the reggaeton scene (a field in which they face stiff competition), Tito y Hector trade high-pitched, high energy raps over DJ Goldie’s fantastic trance-influenced beat. Piercing, percolating jabs of high pitched synths (reggaeton is nothing if not about short, clipped sounds) set the stage for well-placed vocal glissandos by the duo. This is reggaeton filtered through the European club scene, and as awful as that may sound, it works wonderfully.

Daniyel- Dale Tra

Purveying a style of reggaeton heavily influenced by European club music as well as Miami bass, Daniyel fits nicely along more successful groups (like the Reggaeton Sex crew) working in a similar aesthetic. His vocals, clipped phrases like “muevelo” and “dale”, are sampled and looped over a beat more house-influenced than your average reggaeton track. Pure club music here, the kind of stuff that gave reggaeton the nickname perreo (loosely, “doggie-style,” a reference to the dance style that often accompanies the music). Also noteworthy: the sinister acid house bass and Daniyel’s incredibly fast rap about halfway through the song.

Daddy Yankee- Brugal (Remix)

One of the stars of reggaeton, Daddy Yankee frequently employs top-notch production and excellent rapping. “Brugal” is no exception, and its call-and-response hook—”Bailando! Rapando! Que que que que!”—is as infectious as it gets. Some squelchy synth that sounds like outtakes from the Liquid Swords recording sessions join alongside some upbeat accordion—a more traditional Latin pop instrument.

[buy Reggaeton En La Calle Ocho 2003 here, learn more about reggaeton here]