Grupo Niche

From the Pacific coast

Jairo Varela grew up in Quibdo, in Colombia's Pacific region of Choco, a place with strong Afro-Colombian musical traditions. He founded Grupo Niche in Bogota around 1980 and soon moved the band to Cali, the city that calls itself the world capital of salsa.

Cali Pachanguero

In 1984 the band released Cali Pachanguero, a joyful tribute to the city's party spirit. It became Cali's unofficial anthem and is still played at every Feria de Cali in December. Read our Cali salsa page to see how dancers in the city move to it.

A golden run

Through the 1980s and 1990s Grupo Niche released hit after hit, such as Una Aventura, Sin Sentimiento and Buenaventura y Caney. Varela wrote and arranged most of the music, blending Cuban and New York salsa with Colombian Pacific flavour and poetic lyrics about love and home.

A training ground

Many singers passed through the band and went on to solo fame, and Varela was known as a demanding perfectionist. The orchestra's crisp horns and clear rhythm made its songs dancers' favourites.

After Varela

Jairo Varela died in 2012, and the band continued with his family and new musicians, touring widely. See our salsa congresses page for events where Colombian dancers shine.

Dance tip

Niche songs often run at a quick tempo, perfect for Cali style footwork. Start slowly with Una Aventura before trying faster tracks.

Songs to start with

Start with Cali Pachanguero, then Una Aventura, Sin Sentimiento, Buenaventura y Caney and Gotas de Lluvia. Una Aventura is a favourite for social dancing, with a steady tempo and a memorable chorus. The band's live albums capture the energy of the Feria de Cali.

Grupo Niche's lyrics often celebrate the people and places of Colombia's Pacific coast and the city of Cali, which made the band a source of regional pride. Their success helped make Colombian salsa respected around the world alongside New York and Puerto Rican salsa.

In Cali, salsa is everywhere: in clubs, on buses, at family parties and at the salsotecas, bars that play classic records. Grupo Niche songs are part of that everyday soundtrack, and children often learn the dance to them at school events.

Other Colombian bands such as Guayacan Orquesta and Fruko y sus Tesos also shaped the sound, and Cali's dance schools have produced world champion dancers.

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