opendoor
Forum Master
truely!
Dance tunes vs songs
- Thread starter AndaBien
- Start date
truely!
LadyLeader
Forum Master
I think I agree here even if my wording is different!
My first idea about DJs was my finding that the evenings, when a dancing DJ made the choices, I did dance my feets off! There was such a vigorous life in tandas and I couldn't resist!
Guys with good musical education, composers made me just stray around the pista or sit down. Today I can hear some more of all the things going on in these songs and it is more interesting to dance to them but still their choices are often too academic and refined to put my soul in fire!
Could you provide a couple songs that you would describe as academic or refined, mainly so I know what you are talking about?
LadyLeader
Forum Master
When rereading my posting I noticed I used expression DJs choices are academic and I think that makes a difference to me. A single song maybe can not be refind and academic but a DJs palylist could be. I think a dancing DJ makes choices based on how his/her body is reacting to the songs.
I think a musically trained person has his brain more involved when doing the choices of songs. There can be interesting musical phenomenons which are not puting the dancers feet moving but keeps DJs brain excited as well as other's with same understanding.
With other words a whole playlist has a character not only according to the personal taste but also his/her background.
When writing this I started to think that Piazzollas songs maybe I find academic .....
opendoor
Forum Master
I was not questioned, but I would answer: everything out of the Fantasia drawer will serve, besides late Pugliese and late Canaro especially Anibal Troilo.
So here is his Danzarin f.i. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSGQSvHPHn4
(youtube.com/watch?v=aSGQSvHPHn4)
And Tango Fantasia led to Tango Nuevo, so here is another academic one,
Eduardo Rovira´s A Evaristo Carriego http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEIJOOAW_Jk
(youtube.com/watch?v=CEIJOOAW_Jk)
I've never heard music described as academic before, so I'm just trying to get a feel for what you mean by it.
I sort of missed the drift of your first sentence.
I've heard Troilo listed among the top four orchestras of the Golden Age. I find his music quite danceable, but very uninspiring, for some reason. I guess I'd call it boring, but danceable. It doesn't move me.
However, the recording you gave above seems to have been performed at a concert, in which case the audience would expect something special, and Troilo would be smart enough to realize this. If DJs play his concert music at a milonga, that's not Troilos fault.
opendoor
Forum Master
Speaking of Troilo is comparing apples and oranges! As Canaro (diamonds and rust) Troilo covers so many styles and periods that you cannot speak of THE Troilo. Troilo is famous for his late style forming orchestral works. This style is called Tango Fantasia. The people of BsAs loved him nevertheless because he keept the contact, played and released easy tunes every now and then. And it was a seamless development from Tango Fantasia to Tango Nuevo. Tango was and is an eclectic art, so it is no wonder that the fusion styles came (Nuevo: Jazz, Baroque, Avantgarde; NeoTango: HipHop, TripHop).
Not to me, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
To be honest, I wouldn't have put the Troilo piece (that you listed previously) in the same category as the Rovira one. The Troilo piece I would describe as dramatic, while I'm not so sure about that Rovira one, (although to be fair I didn't listen to the whole thing, as it didn't interest me as much. I kept thinking of other versions of that song which I like much better).
I think D'Arienzo's opinion will be of interest
In 1949 D'Arienzo said: «In my point of view, tango is, above all, rhythm, nerve, strength and character. Early tango, that of the old stream (guardia vieja), had all that, and we must try not to ever lose it. Because we forgot that, Argentine tango entered into a crisis some years ago. Putting aside modesty, I did all was possible to make it reappear. In my opinion, a good part of the blame for tango decline is on the singers. There was a time when a tango orchestra was nothing else but a mere pretext for the singer´s featuring. The players, including the leader, were no more than accompanists of a somewhat popular star. For me, that can´t be. Tango is also music, as is already said. I would add that is essentially music. In consequence, the orchestra, which plays it, cannot be relegated to the background to spotlight only the singer. On the contrary, it is for the orchestras and not for the singers. The human voice is not, it should not be another thing but an instrument more in the orchestra. To sacrifice everything for the singer´s sake, for the star, is a mistake. I reacted against that mistake which caused the tango crisis and placed the orchestra in the foreground and the singer in his place. Furthermore, I tried to rescue for tango its masculine strength, which it had been losing through succesive circumstances. In that way in my interpretations I stamped the rhythm, the nerve, the strength and the character which distinguished it in the music world and which it had been losing for the above reasons. Luckily, that crisis was temporary, and today tango has been re-established, our tango, with the vitality of its best times. My major pride is to have contributed to that renaissance of our popular music."
opendoor
Forum Master
Interesting post, thanks for this.
But this does not mean that I would follow D´Arienzo´s view. There was a current to and fro with the styles and the orchestra leaders had to find niches for their income and for their reputation as an style forming artist.
And I connect D´Arienzo to the Club Style Tango: filled halls, plenty of space. To get the masses into motion you need a striking rhythm. So that is my opinion how this dancing and music style evolved. Please correct me if you know it better. I´m interested in this question.
But this does not mean that I would follow D´Arienzo´s view. There was a current to and fro with the styles and the orchestra leaders had to find niches for their income and for their reputation as an style forming artist.
And I connect D´Arienzo to the Club Style Tango: filled halls, plenty of space. To get the masses into motion you need a striking rhythm. So that is my opinion how this dancing and music style evolved. Please correct me if you know it better. I´m interested in this question.
Interesting. Thanks for providing.
I think D'Arienzo's opinion will be of interest
In 1949 D'Arienzo said:
" . . . . There was a time when a tango orchestra was nothing else but a
mere pretext for the singer´s featuring. The players, including the leader,
were no more than accompanists of a somewhat popular star. For me, that
can´t be. Tango is also music, as is already said. I would add that is
essentially music. In consequence, the orchestra, which plays it,
cannot be relegated to the background to spotlight only the singer. . . . . . .
To sacrifice everything for the singer´s sake, for the star, is a mistake.
. . . . I stamped the rhythm, the nerve, the strength and the character
which distinguished it in the music world and which it had been losing for
the above reasons."
There are a few DJs and milonga organisers who need reminding of the
importance of the priority of the orchestra and the rhythm for dancing
over the singer. It's well worth remembering that the Argentinian tango
musicians lost their way in playing solely for the entertainment of audiences
rather than for dancers as well. DJs should be as discerning as D'Arienzo.
In particular this:
Thanks Temza
Not really: they were no longer performing for dancers and they went another way. If we were more discerning, we might stay in our seats when the DJ plays such music?