Tango DJ-ing

[ArbeeNYC]

Neolonga organizers will not invite you if you play traditional music. You will as well no longer be invited to traditional milongas if you are suspected of playing complicated or unusual pieces.

OMG. Who is talking bout nuevo tango or alternative tango? Not me. Obviously, that's a whole different ball game. I'm referring (as always) to a traditional Argentine milonga.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

It totally happens all the time, and you don't have to go as far as traditional vs. nontraditional to underline it. When I was behind the tango bar, the owner and organizer regularly asked the DJ – who was right there next to me – to play something she or an influential or popular guest wanted, or not to play certain music. One DJ I loved (and who is no longer with us, R.I.P.) told me, "I'd love to play X, but she won't have it." I'm talking about specific Golden Age music here . . . orquestas, recordings, years, whatever.

I find the claim that DJs generally have free rein to be more surprising, to be honest. Most of our local places have crowds with clear preferences, and the organizers definitely tell the DJs to respect those. Of course, in several of these places the DJ is one of the organizers most of the time, so it's less obvious.

This also makes no sense to me and is something I have never seen. Not at any milonga I've been to, at least. Maybe things up in your neck of the woods are different. Here, no one interferes with the DJ and few people are gauche enough to make requests (even if the DJ is terrible). And I know DJs who won't take requests under any circumstances. We make demands of the DJ to play music that we love in interesting arrangements, we should allow the DJ to do their job without interference. And I've never heard of a "popular" guest being allowed to make requests either. You dance to the music the DJ plays. If it's bad, you avoid that DJ or hope the organizer doesn't ask them to return. Sounds like your organizer is manifesting somewhat extreme behavior there. I don't know about crowds and their preferences. Most attendees I know just want to hear the DJ play good, danceable music and well-balanced tandas. (By the way, the best DJs I have heard to date are not based in North America or B.A., they've been European and Asian. And we have some good ones here.)

 

[ArbeeNYC]

I'd go out of my way for that

Love Pugliese, but I would be terrified of an all Pugliese evening. That's a whole lot of drama.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

I'd cross oceans for that

Well, at least we know who the Pugliese fans are.

 

[Rabbit]

Love Pugliese, but I would be terrified of an all Pugliese evening. That's a whole lot of drama.

I think it would be possible to make a rather nice set that's not all drama all the time (of tangos anyway) because Pugliese's work was very diverse. you have

- more regular and rhythmic early instrumentals
- syncopated and playful rhythmic instrumentals
- dramatic, narrative driven instrumentals (with a bunch of different stories to tell)
- Piazzolla arrangements in a more easily danceable style
- lyrical and sad vocals
- dramatic vocals
- romantic vocals

 

[JournalInTime]

I think it would be possible to make a rather nice set that's not all drama all the time (of tangos anyway) because Pugliese's work was very diverse. you have

- more regular and rhythmic early instrumentals
- syncopated and playful rhythmic instrumentals
- dramatic, narrative driven instrumentals (with a bunch of different stories to tell)
- Piazzolla arrangements in a more easily danceable style
- lyrical and sad vocals
- dramatic vocals
- romantic vocals

Plus of course if you're a hardcore fan of tango, you'll know that when tango was at its pinnacle, you'd go to see an orquesta and just that one orquesta for the entire evening, just like you'd go see a rock band today. The idea of an everchanging lineup of tunes from dozens of groups is kind of modern.

 

[TTanguero]

Color Tango did a two-hour set of almost non-stop Pugliese in Club Gricel when I was there in March; I was in heaven!

 

[LadyLeader]

Plus of course if you're a hardcore fan of tango, you'll know that when tango was at its pinnacle, you'd go to see an orquesta and just that one orquesta for the entire evening, just like you'd go see a rock band today.

I have also read that the orchestras were circulating during an evening and the hottest fans were following them from one place to another.

 

[opendoor]

Color Tango did a two-hour set of almost non-stop Pugliese in Club Gricel when I was there in March; I was in heaven!

I experienced that with El Afronte (12 members) at a festival. You enter a different state of consciousness. After that I had to sleep off the hangover until noon.

 

[TTanguero]

I experienced that with El Afronte (12 members) at a festival.

I couldn't make sense of El Afronte's music when I listened to recordings. Then I danced to them live at La Maltida, and somehow it was super-easy.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

I think it would be possible to make a rather nice set that's not all drama all the time (of tangos anyway) because Pugliese's work was very diverse. you have

- more regular and rhythmic early instrumentals
- syncopated and playful rhythmic instrumentals
- dramatic, narrative driven instrumentals (with a bunch of different stories to tell)
- Piazzolla arrangements in a more easily danceable style
- lyrical and sad vocals
- dramatic vocals
- romantic vocals

You get variety, yes, but Pugliese is always Pugliese. Personally, I prefer dynamic shifts between tandas. A mix of older and newer (not necessarily every two tandas, though). Few DJs exploit the entire repertoire of tango from 1925-1955 the way they could.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

Plus of course if you're a hardcore fan of tango, you'll know that when tango was at its pinnacle, you'd go to see an orquesta and just that one orquesta for the entire evening, just like you'd go see a rock band today. The idea of an everchanging lineup of tunes from dozens of groups is kind of modern.

Yeah, but they were playing LIVE back then (and somewhat varying the repertoire as well with other types of music).

 

[Rabbit]

You get variety, yes, but Pugliese is always Pugliese.

That would be for a one off event though.

Few DJs exploit the entire repertoire of tango from 1925-1955 the way they could.

I could say the same thing about 1935-2022. I think sometimes DJs can try too hard to be inoffensive to everyone.

 

[JournalInTime]

I think sometimes DJs can try too hard to be inoffensive to everyone.

Yes, they do.

We have a few old grumps around here who fly off the handle if the DJ plays any tango that isn't from the Golden Age by the tightest definition. Many further gripe if there are too many vocal tangos, or pieces so melodic that the implied beat is hard to find, or ones with tempo changes or long, hard pauses. Some also buy into the mythology surrounding various "cursed" pieces that apparently we're not allowed to play or dance to.

And some DJs give in to these people.

 

[Brummbaer]

And some DJs give in to these people

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.