Miradamiranda
Well-Known Member
What an account! Exciting for me because he’ll be the late night dj at a festival I’m going to next month! Now I know to be prepared to dance till 4 or 5 am that night.
What are DJs doing wrong
- Thread starter itwillhappen
- Start date
opendoor
Forum Master
I wish more organizers let tab on what kind of music a DJ will play at their milongas. Looks to me Argentine organizers are particular about it. None of the local organizers are. If I see the who is the DJ I can tell how the music will be. The author of that article has been hit or miss for me.
pianistamediano
Forum Master
He's had a lot of experience DJing in many places and yet this still happened:
Any reasonably good DJ would have been able to tell from the response to their music.
I too wish more organizers selected DJs with much more care — but nowadays it's all about connections and networking, not merit.
He has listed every milonga he has DJ’d in a link in that blog. Given the number of milongas I don’t know if it qualifies as a lot of experience.
I was surprised that he says his string suite is rhythmic and not lyrical. I don’t DJ. But if I were asked to organize or categorize music based on certain characteristics I am capable of recognizing I would. Anyone would. I don’t have to like it to be able to recognize. I don’t understand why his strong suit is rhythmic. Does he mean he keeps less tandas that are lyrical in his inventory. Or does he mean he likes rhythmic tango more therefore play that.
Personally I like DJs who can maintain a flow and not overplay any one type of music. I like a mix that is high energy, rhythmic, lyrical/melodic, slow tempo all in one four hour milonga. When I like the DJ and am dancing, I never register what type of tandas they are playing. At end I will go thank them and compliment them. When I don’t like what tandas they are playing and therefore night isn’t going well for me, the tandas register like a sore thumb. Most of the time I find that my like and dislike of how DJ fared at a particular event matches other dancers. I try to talk to a cross section of dancers about the DJ’s music.
Network and connections triumphs the merit. I recently had a long post on that very topic.
itwillhappen
Forum Master
When I read something like that, in the first line I wonder whether the milongueros are actually great music connoisseurs, or whether they also react dissatisfied when lunch is not brought to them on time and the same as every week in the retirement home. And I don't envy the organizers about the economic conditions there, especially since the cultural budget is being drastically cut by the new government.
And only then do I think about whether I could also play Troilo/Rufino and Francini-Pontier instead of Canaro and Biagi. Yes, I could, they're prepared in my tanda playlists.
And only then do I think about whether I could also play Troilo/Rufino and Francini-Pontier instead of Canaro and Biagi. Yes, I could, they're prepared in my tanda playlists.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
How far back are we talking? I would miss a lot of the music circa 1930.
I guess 1930 would fall under the guardia vieja category. I just wonder how much they lean in the other direction at that particular milonga into the post-GA and contemporary recordings
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Is that still Guardia Vieja? I always thought it was 1920-1925/1928. Changes seem to happen around 1930. I should check the dates for OTV, for example, because some of their music is very nice.
opendoor
Forum Master
Guardia vieja is not a period but a style.
(Although the name of course originally referred to a specific generation of musicians. But most of these musicians moved to the Guardia Nueva camp. Just listen to the pieces and you know the style in question)
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Well, this is news to me. Is there a guardia vieja style after the guardia vieja period?
opendoor
Forum Master
Yes, of course, all the big orchestras recorded every now and then pieces in guardia vieja or nueva style. The styles are easily to distinguish.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
So, what you're saying is there's a "guardia vieja" sound even after 1930, after De Caro, etc.? Maybe. Can you give me an example? Because even Canaro's music changed after 1930.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
I'm assuming it didn't work for you. I wonder how I would respond? I know DJs who have done something similar with Pugliese (and other orchestras), where you get a couple of pieces that blend well and then one curve ball. Oh well, DJ the other day was playing a set with Edith Piaf and a couple of other non-tango songs. Not sure if it was supposed to be a vals tanda or a tango tanda, but it was definitely not a conventional tanda. I really like Piaf but . . . no, not here