Tango DJ-ing

Brummbaer said:
If people don't make their views known it's difficult to 'read the floor', or pre-arrange tandas (depending on what's going to be provided). The problem is those who politely applaud and then criticise.
Click to expand...
Oh, I agree. I think it's the asymmetry that bugs me:

We have a few beloved DJs around here who get hugs, praise, etc. from everyone who quietly grumbles that they're boring DJs. But the grumbling is quiet, so they keep getting gigs.

Then we have one of my local favorites. He tends to get very few gigs because he plays wall-to-wall energy and drama, which the grumblers take time to grumble about. Since that grumbling is less quiet, he gets less work.

So, each style of music has its fans, and those fans have specific styles of grumbling. ;)
 
ArbeeNYC said:
Few DJs exploit the entire repertoire of tango from 1925-1955 the way they could.
Click to expand...

To some extent the standards are standards for a reason, but tango is also so entwined with nostalgia that there are quite a few people who are explicitly looking for the familiar. I know dancers who avoid live orchestras because they don't enjoy when things are different and less predictable.
(i actually have a few tandas of "the standards, but done by the competition" that i have put together when feeling aggravated with the fact that in tango learning music by heart is musicality)
 
Rabbit said:
I could say the same thing about 1935-2022. I think sometimes DJs can try too hard to be inoffensive to everyone.
Click to expand...
Don't really know. There are lots of reasons why. By the way, the dates I gave are Golden Age tango (stretched a bit earlier). Can one play Sexteto Crystal? Sure. Other problems are that not all DJs have the complete repertoire needed for that kind of variety. As well as quality files. There's a greater chance of offending the crowd by playing too many tried-and-true standards repeatedly.
 
Gssh said:
To some extent the standards are standards for a reason, but tango is also so entwined with nostalgia that there are quite a few people who are explicitly looking for the familiar. I know dancers who avoid live orchestras because they don't enjoy when things are different and less predictable.
(i actually have a few tandas of "the standards, but done by the competition" that i have put together when feeling aggravated with the fact that in tango learning music by heart is musicality)
Click to expand...
The problem with most live orchestras today is that they are too small to play classical tango music well. You need a good sized band to do it, at least eight and preferably ten musicians. You can do it with fewer players but the sound gets kind of thin. And who today is going to play as well as the originators of tango? I don't think it's a question of predictability.
 
Brummbaer said:
If people don't make their views known it's difficult to 'read the floor', or pre-arrange tandas (depending on what's going to be provided). The problem is those who politely applaud and then criticise.
Click to expand...
I think there is a noticeable difference between a politely or enthusiastic applauding crowed and maybe some degrees inbetween. The applaud quality has been more clear at festivals for visiting DJs and less so for regular local practicas and milongas.
 
JournalInTime said:
Then we have one of my local favorites. He tends to get very few gigs because he plays wall-to-wall energy and drama, which the grumblers take time to grumble about. Since that grumbling is less quiet, he gets less work.
Click to expand...
I have lost a local genius in that way! Sometimes I looked at the dj booth with open mouth but when my body started to move there was a natural path to dance on. His surprising gifts were valuable for me, I would never have found them by myself so I followed his nights to smaller and smaller places until the last night.

There is a dynamic balance between the crowd's needs and the DJ skill, gift. If the main body of dancers need's a basic, rhythmical music only those DJs providing it will survive.
 
LadyLeader said:
I think there is a noticeable difference between a politely or enthusiastic applauding
Click to expand...
100%. Every DJ will get polite applause* as a minimum, while ones people loved will get far louder applause. There's no mistaking the two.

*If I think a DJ was really dire, I'll 'clap' silently ...
 
ArbeeNYC said:
Here, no one interferes with the DJ and few people are gauche enough to make requests (even if the DJ is terrible).
Click to expand...
When did New Yorkers become so meek?

The late Michel Auzat, a beloved Montreal DJ, used to solicit requests and create tandas on the fly. I thought it was a good way to find out who liked what.
 
Mr. Moustachio said:
When did New Yorkers become so meek?

The late Michel Auzat, a beloved Montreal DJ, used to solicit requests and create tandas on the fly. I thought it was a good way to find out who liked what.
Click to expand...
Dunno. I find that most local dancers are not terribly aware of what gets played in the sense that they don't try to identify it or slot it into some personal category (love it, hate it, like it, meh...). Some do, most don't. I don't think I've ever seen people make requests other than on one or two occasions. Most DJs reject them outright. I prefer letting the DJ do his or her thing and listening. When they're good, when they've played a great set, I'll go up and thank them before I leave.
 
ArbeeNYC said:
The problem with most live orchestras today is that they are too small to play classical tango music well. You need a good sized band to do it, at least eight and preferably ten musicians. You can do it with fewer players but the sound gets kind of thin.
Click to expand...

Changing the number or type of instruments is just a different musical texture. I find it can be very satisfying dancing to a solo instrument. The essential elements (melody, rhythm, dynamics, variation) are still there.
 
Greybeard said:
No wonder there are so few requests.
Click to expand...
With a request like "a non-tango" it depends on the event type and is relatively to answer, either yes or no. If a dedicated tango by an orchestra is requested, a request that occurs very rarely because that would require knowledge of music, the basic conditions are much more complex. An answer like "I have luckily a prepared tanda, but it will fit in half an hour at the earliest and maybe an hour, often doesn't really satisfy the questioner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top