Identify Salsa music

How do we identify Salsa music?
Category Salsa
The rhythm? The beat? The instruments used?
Are DLG a Salsa band? What about Gilberto Santa Rosa? They are so different...
Modern singers and bands mix Salsa and other musical genres... like hip hop... is the result Salsa????
Salsa music is based on clave... Victor Manuelle doens't use the clave... are his songs Salsa?
To us it's the clave-based rhythm that makes salsa salsa. The clave beat does not have to be played out; it can be implied by the rhythm pattern of other instruments. Salsa doesn't have to be played by a salsa band to be salsa (and most salsa bands also play other forms of music too).