ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Ten minute salsa breaks!
What are DJs doing wrong
- Thread starter itwillhappen
- Start date
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
I wonder if new material will ever be discovered (from the GA)? That could be amazing. I keep hoping they'll find something in the Pecourt collection but it's been slow to arrive.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Hmm. That's not good. I would keep playing the cortina until they got the message. Were I a DJ, that is.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
This is precisely what I had in mind when I wrote my post. I prefer things so far from tango that nobody is going to try to dance tango to them. I wouldn't go so far as to avoid everything in 4/4, but I like it best when the cortinas are things like ABBA tunes and Johnny Cash numbers.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
I don't mind a "tanda" of Latin dance music at midnight – which is a tradition here – but that's about it.
itwillhappen
Forum Master
Often there is simply a shared past behind it - anyone who still dances with the mates from the initial phase of tango lessons, practicas and the first milongas will understand that.
I sometimes feel sorry for the owner of my resident tango location, but he's a professional and he has to be able to endure his DJs. And ultimately I'm only in the rotation because his ex-girlfriend recommended me during a corona-time shortage, so there was no scope for great thoughts.
Fortunately, in our association we have milongas with distinct profiles for DJs with distinct profiles. The nostalgic DJ with the playlist from a long-ago gone tango school is preferably placed in a nostalgic location. May his target group have the best possible time there. Imaginative DJs with individual selections are preferred for open-air or coffee&cake milongas, which attract many dancers.
And then we have a flagship milonga where visitors also come from out of town. So DJs get also hired from out of town for this event. Those who don't like to joke about their job. Those who are convinced that a headphone output is only suitable for headphones. Who think of “alternative music” as recordings from the 50s and 60s or maybe contemporary tango orchestras.
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I don't think there are many undiscovered songs, but there could be better discs out there that could change the evaluation of some of the tracks.
The organizers often aren't musical enough to understand the difference between DJs anyway, and dancers generally don't give negative feedback but complain amongst themselves. It is often the case that people are dancing in spite of the music rather than because of it, because generally "someone I want to dance with is available or invited me" trumps all other considerations. And then you have some dancers that don't really care what music is playing anyway.
TTanguero
Forum Master
Agree 100%, which is why it's soooo important for organisers to proactively ask for honest feedback. Brits especially will always do the 'smile and say thanks, then vow never to return again' thing unless actively asked to be honest.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
What often happens here is that organizers become "DJs by default" at their studios. They're not bad, but they've fallen into the role and haven't always become good. They're well aware of these details, so they're thankful to be relieved from DJing, and see any professional DJ as being better than a casual DJ like them anyway. A visiting professional gives them a break and a chance to offer the regulars something different.
The organizers I know are also dancers, so they rapidly discover whether their invited DJ is actually any good. If the DJ is bad, there isn't much an organizer can do but let the event finish out, pay up, and never invite that DJ again (but there are exceptions – keep reading!). I can't picture any organizer kicking out the DJ and taking over mid-event!
In a perfect world, organizers would've experienced a DJ's work before ever inviting them, but organizers here are often chained to their studios and don't get out and about enough for that. They rely on "friend of a friend" recommendations, or even requests out of the blue. There isn't much vetting beforehand.
For ordinary dancers, tango is an activity, not a passion or a lifestyle. Owing to the way classes are sold on the basis of steps, such people see tango as a series of "moves" and the milonga as a social outing; music falls far down the list. They're not likely to care about the DJ . . . some downright terrible DJs are popular here because they're high-level dancers who will dance with everyone to promote their DJing business, and get invited back for this reason alone.
Put it all together and DJ invitations amount to a facet of the tango popularity contest: Do I know this DJ personally? Do my friends know them? Will they dance with the regulars? Actual DJing skill only factors in to the extent that a good DJ will hopefully be better known as a result of their skills, and so be more likely to be recommended.
Honestly, I think much of the above also goes for visiting masters.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
The Pecourt collection contained a lot of new Gardel material. Obviously, not exactly what we're interested in but the collection still hasn't been fully catalogued.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Some of us give negative feedback (I'm not alone in that respect). However, I also give positive feedback when the DJ is really good.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
I could live without it. Obviously, here, there are always salsa dancers at milongas, so they'll dance salsa. Even those who can't dance it, will try. So on it goes. Not everyone is thrilled with the idea though. And not every DJ does it.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Here, it's often the hosts, who are often teaching classes. They are not always the best DJs. And some of the resident Argentines like to DJ as well as give classes. Some are okay.
itwillhappen
Forum Master
If you consider that people - with very little effort - will be happier with the played music than you as a dancer, then it might not be a good idea to spend much time on music or even strive to acquire DJ knowledge.