Music is same old…II
Not longer I had another post : same title, different subject.
One night during the past weekend, I went to get my first tango fix in the New Year, despite the windy and chilly weather condition. Some of the tango acquaintances were in town, a famous DJ was playing. I went early (before midnight) and left early (around 3am). My energy was high, my partners were good dancers. Music was good: all familiar and popular traditional from the golden age. I had danced 10 tandas. I was physically exhausted. Yet I left feeling half empty. Something was missing; I was not emotionally satisfied.
I was not inspired by the music.
The way I look at it, not only DJ should create dynamic throughout the night, he or she should also guide the emotion of the dancers. There are so many great vocal, beautiful pieces that are never played in the milonga here. Every one plays safe and plays the regular songs from the big orchestras. It gets uninspiring sometimes.
As I wrote to a DJ friend of mine not long ago in discussion of the DJs whom I had listened to.
I still remembered sitting at Nino Bien, listening to ” Sonemos” by Di Sarli con Florio, watching dancers embracing each other, moving slowly. Two years later, till this day, that scene is still vividly lingering in my mind. A few weeks ago, at the local milonga, a veteran DJ played a tanda of De Caro 50s work. At the end of the tanda, a local teacher and I went to the DJ and thanked him for playing such a beautiful tanda. I had my dance of the month and I am still savoring it.
Too bad it didn’t happen too often. There are so many beautiful pieces, yet every one is playing the same old, same old.
Coincidentally, I woke up this morning to Sabastian Arce’s public petition on facebook to the DJs’ in Europe:
Dear Djs. I will ask you, as a personal favour, to play more:
* Tanturi Campos, the non very rhytmical ones… like Oigo tu voz, Igual que una sombra, Que sera de ti, En el Salon… HIMNOS!
* Gobbi: Camandulaje, Independiente Club, Nueve Puntos!, Pelele!!!!!! (este es de otra epoca pero no importa!).
* Laurenz!!! Garua, Nada mas que un corazon,Recien… hago la lista y se me heriza la piel!!!)
Along with a few more songs that are seldom played in the following comments.
I would quote what he said to conclude this post:
Its true that i would like to listen more this orchestras. But you all know me, and what i do in my life, and how i deal with my art. Althaugh what i require is a personal favour, i also see it as a way to help improve something in tango community.
I do not ignore the fact that dancing to certain orchestras is more diffucult… but that is the wrong process. You can not divide music in:
- What is dancable
- What is not dancableBecause music is made with a much greater goal, which is to create emotions in the listener! The ranges of emotions that tango music has is infinite. But today, in europe, that is being neglected. Many DJs, are afraid to play certain music because people dont know it, or because they think people will not be able to dance on it.
If people can not dance, they will seat, if they seat, they will listen! Listening is the first process in the musicality process. You can not be musical if you dont listen!Today, marathons, and dancing with people on the dance floor for 2 hours gives students the wrong impression about tango, and that is: If you dont dance alot you fail… Is not like that!
POCO Y BUENO…
One gets to learn alot of the idiosincracy (?) of a popular art form when you just CONTEMPLATE IT, LISTEN TO IT, WITNESS IT…
Today someone owns 20 albums and is already invited to DJ in a milonga, owns 40 is invited to DJ in one international tango festival…
It can not be like that…Im sorry if i hurt someone by saying this, but is the TRUE i feel.
You, DJs, Are /or/ should be:
ANIMATORS
SOUND ENGINEERS
BUT ABOVE ALL…
CULTURAL PROMOTERS!
(and Emotional Promoters… as one guy wrote in the following comment)
PS. I have over 10,000 tracks and more than 500 albums, covering late 20s to late 50s. I got praises from regular dancers to who’s who in the tango world when I djed. How come I was not invited to the international festivals? 
TP
I agree about more Tanturi Campos, (and very much love Nueve Puntos,) and more Laurenz!! I have these things in my playlists and wonder why they aren’t heard more here. The music of the mid ’40s is often my choice…but of course it is personal.
Another thing we need to be: People pleasers…party planners…but as you say cultural promoters…that is key to keeping the culture alive. It takes a lot more to be a good DJ than most people realize.
But you already know it.
E
Hi E,
I quoted Sebastian Arce. That was his public petition to Europe DJs: more Campos,Gobbi and laurenz… and be a culture promoter. I believed it was stemmed from listening all the time to rhythmic orchestras, such as Donato, Rodriguez etc at the festivals.
I have gone to a few festivals around and it sounded like every DJ was playing the same songs over and over, mostly happy tone. Few had the guts to play anything that could provoke the feeling. That was my pet peeve, lack of emotion and variety in the music.
I don’t play often, but when I play, I play through late 20s to 50s, sometimes adding a tanda of mixed modern orchestras. I’ve received very good reviews from regular dancers, as well as well known Argentine professionals. Then again, one needs to know the music, love the music in order to play it well.
One more thing, some DJs become authoritative, and dictate what music is ideal for dance, what is not. The more I listen, the more I dance, the more music I’ve found beautiful to dance to as it sounded undancable before. DJ is the medium, not the authority. I always find Canaro’s music uninspiring, I play it every time anyway.
And you are right, it does take a lot more to be a good DJ. DJing is almost an art form…
I haven’t been dancing at festivals for quite a while, but from what I hear, the djs in Europe play a lot of old guard, as you say, rhythmical music. Easy (and perhaps boring). I have observed that many beginners seem to connect better with that kind of music, but one would imagine that the festivals attract more advanced (ha!) dancers?
Now I believe that the truly advanced dancers don’t attend festivals.
One more note: In Rome I thought that for the most part the music was disconnected (within a tanda there were variant moods and even differing orchestras.) Lots and lots of very instrumental big orchestral things, very little rhythm (D’Arienzo). I sort of believe that the greatest hits are hits for a reason. Alicetango was the exception with good music on two nights (different DJ’s).
E
Would love to be at a milonga and experience your music TP! One of these days.
Not a lot of dancers like D’Arienzo, even less dance well instead of running.
. I didn’t go out to local milongas while I was in Roma. Next time I will definitely ask you for info on Alicetango. And one of these days, E, we will have a few tandas and share some music together.
I’m mystified by Sebastian’s appeal. The only time I’ve heard him DJ (at the Mephisto Festival in Paris in about six years ago) much of what he played was electronic/alternative, lots of the tango was well outside what’s heard in traditonal milongas … and I would have begged for ANY Tanturi, Gobbi or Laurenz!
It is interesting how first impression works.
I will ask Sebastian when I see him in BsAs.
> I’m mystified by Sebastian’s appeal.
Oops, I see that could be misinterpreted! Let me rephrase:
I’m mystified by Sebastian’s request.
> a veteran DJ played a tanda of De Caro 50s work. At the end of the
> tanda, a local teacher and I went to the DJ and thanked him for
> playing such a beautiful tanda.
Titles? I’ve got no 50s De Caro that I’d play, or that I’ve heard any BA DJ play. But would like some!