So what is it with this Latin American love of ska, a Jamaican genre from the early 60’s that’s had a second coming amongst British and American bands since the early 80’s? Lucky for us, ska is almost always sung very clearly, in short, catchy, easy to understand phrases. Liquits hails from Mexico City, but this award winning group has been hopping continents to record and play for a growing audience since 1993. The animation is ¡padrisimo!

Chido, is Mexican for “cool” (and we don’t mean leaning towards cold). As is typical, a precise definition can vary with context. Liquits, representative of Mexico City’s young and playful, enjoy riffing and aren’t afraid to mix languages (and cultural references) with abandon.

If there was an entry for “trippy” in the English-Spanish dictionary we think there would be a photo of Liquits sitting there next to it. Lyrically, this neat little tune is not as simple as it at first sounds, and is loaded with double meanings and word plays—we’ve tried to point out a few! Have fun (you know you like to sing)—vocab quiz on naked stork firefly poppies first thing Monday.

In the song “Mentiras,” or “Lies,” by the Venezuelan band Los Amigos Invisibles, a girlfriend hears rumors about her boyfriend going out with other women, but he tells her the rumors are pure lies. Who’s the real liar? Watch the video to find out. Shot in a bar in New York City, the camera follows the lead singer of the group around and “mockuments” the evening he sings about.

This group formed in 1991 to fill a gaping hole in the Venezuelan club/dance band scene. They have a Latin Grammy under their belts as well as nominations for Grammys and Latin Grammys. Move to the beats of “Como sabes tú” from the album Commercial.

Nothing lasts forever. Sadly, sometime in 2001 the fabulous Argentinian band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs announced their final tour. But after a long hiatus, in April of 2008, they announced a comeback! This song comes from the album they released that year. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, or LFC, is the most famous ska band of Latin America, and an obligatory part of any dance playlist!

Enjoy this original video by the legendary band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. Not bad at all for a 26-year-old band!

"Indeleble" is the title track from the Venezuelan rock band, Los Mesoneros' 2011 album of the same name.

Los Originales de San Juan, a Norteño Quartet based in California, has 25 albums to their name and a long history of hard work and controversy, mostly stemming from two self-released singles which both told stories of drug dealers. One of these singles became a massive hit on Norteño and Tejano radio, leading to a deal with EMI Latin.

Los Pericos formed in 1986, a bunch of buddies who shared a love for Jamaican icons like Toots & The Maytals, Peter Tosh, and, of course, Bob Marley. No tribute band, they formed their own unique sound and have been jammin’ ever since.

In the face of blind passion and desire, it’s fairly safe to say that even P.T. Barnum himself was probably a sucker for love. Los Pericos knows first hand the pain that can follow a heart first plunge into the romantic abyss. Sure, they claim to be over it now, but we’re not sure if we altogether believe it…

Los Tetas got together in their native Chile in 1994, where they honed a unique blend of funk, hip hop, and soul, and since then have bopped around the Americas, living in New York and Mexico. This track features a good natured appearance by fellow Chilean Germaín de la Fuente, whose romantic crooning has been swooning latin lovers since the early 70’s.

Puerto Rican by birth, Luis Fonsi moved at an early age to Orlando, Florida. Despite having participated in a number of minor “boy bands,” it wasn’t until he was discovered by the president of the music school at the University of Florida, where he was a student, that he was offered a sizable recording contract. Success came quickly as his reputation spread throughout Latin America.

Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee sing their super contagious single, "Despacito" [Slowly]. The song enjoyed tremendous commercial success, managing to hit number one in more than 40 countries as well as being the song with the most YouTube hits.

Spanish singer-songwriter, Luis Guitarra, shares with us his beautiful and inspirational melody, "Todo va a ir bien" [Everything's Going to Be Alright].

Popular Mexican singer Luis Miguel performs the Spanish version of the holiday classic "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Enjoy the official video for this tune from the album "Navidades" (Christmas).

Luis Miguel performs his famous tune, "La Bikina," which refers to a tormented woman. Composed by Ruben Fuentes, some say he coined the term after seeing women in bikinis during a walk on the beach, while others claim it was inspired by a legend during the times of the Cristeros in Jalisco, Mexico.

Lupita Infante, the daughter of legendary Mexican singer-songwriter Pedro Infante, brings us this Christmas tune with a jazz flare.

¡Oye Mamicitas y Papicitos! Forget about the Spanish! Get up off your colas, it’s time to perrear! Turn up the volume and put your hands in the air! Tell ‘em that you’re single (aunque si no!) Stand up right now and muévete that cintura! (You know you want to!)

"Mambe & Danochilango" sing about a "Cumbia Universal" [Universal Cumbia] with the power to liberate individuals and unite nations.

Is it by chance that Diego Maradona IS Maradona and you are not? “Life is a raffle, lottery or game of chance,” claims the refrain of this catchy song by Manu Chao. But if you were Maradona, what would you do? Would you live like him? Listen in and ponder the question.

Manu Chao is French, but he has Spanish roots. He sings in six or seven different languages, from Spanish to English to Arabic, and his music has even more diverse influences. “Clandestino,” the title track from Manu’s first album, deals with the issue of immigration: “I wrote it about the border between Europe and those coming from poorer nations. Look around – maybe thirty percent of the people in this street are clandestino (illegal).”

Enjoy Mark Anthony’s cover of legendary Spanish singer and songwriter Jose Luis Perales’s song “¿Y cómo es él?” (“And What’s He Like?”). In this song, Marc Anthony leaves behind his signature Salsa sound and becomes a more inquisitive broken heart.

"Vivir mi vida" [Living My Life] came out in 2013 as the first single from the album 3.0 by world-renowned salsa artist Marc Anthony, which won the Latin Grammy for Best Salsa Album in 2014.