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I was drawn to the music from the first class, Di Sarli, Piazzola… whatever played on my teachers’ ipod. Whenever people asked me what had got me  addicted to tango, my answer was always the music and the women. The latter is another subject for another time, but my love for the music has been growing stronger.

In retrospect, my relationship with tango music has gone through the following phases

1. Following the music:

In my first year of dancing in the milonga, I followed the music. And I followed it pretty well. From time to time, women asked me if I played any instrument.

Why? I was curious.  I couldn’t even read music notes, let alone play any instrument. I love listening to all kinds of music, classical, pop, world…, but I was, am still, a music illiterate. You are so musical. They always said, sometimes surprisingly.

But I knew. I was not familiar with most songs that were played in the milongas. Most of time, I just moved to the music that I heard and followed it intuitively.

2. Chasing the music.

A few months into dancing in the milonga, I started collecting music, Di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Calo, Fresedo…. in order to know the songs better. Gradually, I had heard a lot of the songs played in the milonga many times. Within a year or so,  I’d known many by heart. I knew what the next phrase was, and the next one after. Unconsciously,  I started to think about the next phrase before finishing the current one. I rushed to finish the step in order to dance the next one.

That was my D’Arienzo/Biagi period, in which the fast tempo music became my favorite. After the tanda, my heart was racing, cheeks burning. The night felt like shorter, milonga felt like ended earlier. I had good time, although it had lasted only a few months.

Slowly I found myself bored by the way I danced. It seemed that I danced only one dimensional, speed. And I danced to every beat. Eventually, after a night of dancing, I couldn’t feel any satisfaction. (I had to blame my then partner for some of that. But as I said, women is another subject for another time.) I was in my worst slump. For weeks, I hadn’t felt the inspiration to go out dancing.

3. Riding the music.

My turning point was this.  Dance to the music like you are riding a horse. Stay on top of it. I’d found my own presence in the music, no longer losing control and letting it dictate my movement. I was clear with how I wanted to dance the songs. I started to feel the dynamics in the music.

4. Feeling the music.

A year and half ago, Silvina Valz introduced the concept of space to me, which at the time was bewildering. Slowly I realized that my dance was one dimensional and flat.  The lesson with Cecilia was pivotal to my understanding of the dance on a different level. When she talked about how to perceive the different energies from different instruments and vocal and feel the energy of the partner, Silvina’s concept was muy claro. Now, the dance was much more interesting with an able partner. There is another layer in the music, energy!

These days, I am not dancing very often. Without the right partner, I would rather sit and listen to the music and feel it. Once a while, when the right partner comes along, the joy of that tanda is always unforgettable.

The second time within a week,  I went to Buenos Aires Tango Club to get more cds with a DJ friend of mine who spoke fluent Spanish. My friend told Carlos that I was looking for more collection of Danceable music. Carlos,  probably an  encyclopedia of tango music, laughed: ” well, what is danceable to you, probably not danceable to me.” (via the translation of my friend).

The next hour or so, we sat with him and listened to different cds he brought out. The experience was so good that we went back the next day and did the same with him for another two hours. I’d bought over 80 cds ranging from 20s to 60s during my three visits in two weeks.

Lately, I have been reading some posts or comments about what is danceable tango music; or more, what is not danceable. The first time I heard of Valera played in the milonga, I thought what the heck that was. That was not danceable. Now every time, I hear Fueron Tres Anos by Valera con Ledesma, I want to dance. (And I am not moved  the same way when the same song is sung by Falcon).  When I started going to milongas, I always struggled dancing to D’Agostino con Vargas. I didn’t know how to dance to his voice.  Now I love Angel Vargas, with D’Agostino or Del Piano and Lacava.

What is with the change? My dance-ability has improved. I am now able to stretch my movement in the span of a few notes. I don’t just dance to every beat in the rhythmic songs. I don’t chase after the music. I could select the phrases that I want to dance (walk) to,  suspend on a few or just embrace and breathe through some.  I used to dance only,  if you will, milongueros, then salon.  Now if the woman wants to dance open on separate axis ( not my preference), fine, I could manage one tanda as well.

The thing is, the more music I listen to, the better I dance, the more high-level of dancer I’ve danced with, the wider range the music I enjoy dancing to. Before, I always danced to golden age. Now  I love to  dance certain music from the late 20s (Canaro, Lomuto, Di Sarli y sus Sexteto Tipica…),  early to mid 50s various orchestras (Di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Angel Vargas, De Angelis, Valera, Sassone, De Caro, Salgan…) and modern orchestras (Fervor de Buenos Aires/ Misteriosa, El Arranque, Esteban Morgado…).

Here is my theory: if you are moved by the music, then it is danceable. After all, it is the music that moves us, not we move to the music. Now whether you have the ability to dance to it or not, that is entirely another matter.

The following are a couple of brilliant performances, in my opinion,  on music that some might think  that is not danceable.  Yeah, They are performances. If you are open minded and shrewd, however, you might learn a few things that you could use on a crowded milonga .

Fueron Tres Anos:

Over the span of two weeks, I had attended more than 20 milongas and practicas. This time I had paid extra attention to the music/tandas that various DJ played. And I also took a private course with one of the well known DJs in Buenos Aires/world. I was not overall impressed by what I’d heard.

If people here complain about hearing the same music every night, well, don’t think there is much difference in Buenos Aires either. In fact, I’ve heard some well known DJs playing the same tanda at roughly the same time of the night different nights. If you go to traditional milongas, you better love the music of Troilo, Di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Canaro and Pugliese. These are five predominant orchestras that are played a few times a night.I was told that a lot of milongueros only respond to these orchestras. They would sit through other orchestras.

Very few DJs I’d listened to had created coherent energy throughout the night, especially at traditional milongas. And it seemed to me that nobody cared, as long as it was the same music, people got up and danced. Whatever format that DJs from this side of the world use: 2 tango, 1 vals, 2 tango, 1 milonga; 4 tango, 3 vals and 3 milonga in one tanda, there was hardly any format here. The first night I was at El Beso from the beginning, I heard four tanda of tango before one tanda of vals. Very often, I heard five tango, four vals or four milongas in one tanda. In a few cases, five milonga tracks were played before the cortina came up. Imagine that  you happen to be dancing  with a bad milonga partner at one of these five milonga set.

The DJs who played at the new milongas seem to play more variety of orchestras, but few meshed the music well. My last Thursday night at Villa Malcolm, my favorite young portena was there. She saw me, greeted me and asked me if I wanted to dance the next tanda. I told her that it was probably my last tanda with her this time, I wanted to dance with her when the music of the tanda was very good. Well, I’d waited almost three hours for the good music to come. I almost ran over to the dj and thanked him for finally putting on some good music so I could have one of my tandas of the trip.

There were some DJs I loved to listen to: Mario at Nino Bien, Sunderland and La Marshall, Hugo at Practica 8/milonga 10, and Horacio at La Viruta. Horacio often surprised me pleasantly with his ingenious way of mixing orchestras and different period. I was dancing to four of Di Sarli 50s vocal, which were my favourites,  one Friday night at La Viruta. Just as I thought the tanda was over, he put on the ” Esta noche de luna”  Di Sarli con Rufino 1943. I couldn’t help but smile at it. It worked for me!

All in all, I am getting very confident with my DJ skill and music selection. After all, I am playing a lot similar tandas like the ones of the good DJs in BsAs do.  What I have learned this time: Don’t be inhibited by rules and formats (although I am still reserved about playing six milongas in one tanda.) , follow my own instinct, feel free to experiment. There is no big deal. If it works, great! If not, then try something else. Music should be fun to listen to and dance to.

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 dancable

Because 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?

I had a very good time dancing with a beautiful woman visiting from out of town. Very nice and giving embrace, smooth walk. And she has only been dancing for less than two years. We had a few mishaps, nonetheless I thought we both enjoyed the tandas.

On my way driving home, I was still immersing in the bliss of these lovely tandas.  Stopping at a traffic light, I suddenly realized that the reason I enjoyed our tandas so much (Those who know me, know how critical I am with my tango experience. ), other than the lovely embrace, despite the technique, was her musicality.

Yes, woman has her own musicality too.

I am sorry if my epiphany is already a well known fact. All I have read before was how women praised the men being musical and I haven’t heard of any one mentioning musicality of the woman. In the hindsight, some of my unforgettable tango experiences were due to the inspirations I had drawn from the woman’s musicality.  It was not because she moved or danced perfectly to the music. It was deeper. Through our embrace, our touching cheeks, I could feel the music from her body before we took a step. It was exhilarating to dance with woman who had good musicality. Technique was no longer an factor. Giving embrace, individual musicality, these almost guaranteed a dreamy tanda.

I just wish there are more women who would knowingly cultivate this quality, if they don’t have it naturally. Few women would respond to the music as if they felt impelled to sing along, with their feet, their bodies and their souls.

And too many teachers are teaching how to dance,  how to lead and follow,  few are teaching what inspires to dance.

The more and more I appreciate what Pedro Sanchez has said to me: ” Take it easy, listen to the music. It will tell you how to dance. ” It is true for the man, as well as for the woman.