This weekend was pretty hectic. I was DJing in Bristol on saturday and in Market Harborough (Leicestershire) on sunday. Both milongas went pretty well, I can say that most of the time two thirds of the people were up dancing and I got good feedback in the end of it.
However, these two milongas had completely different audiences and requirements. I know Bristol tango rather well, not a place for many of the most contemporary of sounds and La Rosa's Whiteladies milonga doesn't go out of that way. However, when I put Sin Rumbo from Otros Aires everybody stood up and went dancing. I decided to follow that with Mi Corazon from Bajofondo and the same. In the end, an Italian tanguera told me that she really likes this kind of music but nobody ever plays it. I got the impression that, allowing for some exceptions, this was the general feeling. Are DJs making a good job?
In Market Harborough there is an older crowd that likes their golden age tangoes. They are very English and it would be the last place that you'd think neotango would be danced to. Well, in fact, I was asked to put some and when Whatever Lola Wants (I was asked to put that, to be honest is not on my favourites to dance to) came on, everybody looked at each other and rose up to go dancing.
My point in this post is that what you like to dance is not necessarily what other people like to dance. My tango mentor, Ricardo Oria, told me once that the DJ's ego has to stay at home. In a milonga, the crowd is who is paying to dance and you have to be flexible enough to cater for the requirements.
The golden age will always be the golden age! I don't think we'll ever get a period like it. But, more importantly, tango is more than the golden age. The good DJ is the DJ that understands that.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
DJing tango - not just chucking your favourite music
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4 comments:
hello rick I dJ regular in our milonga in aveiro and in the first milongas we put a lot of electronic tango it was a private dance just me and sandra dancing...
so i began to put more tradicional tangos and few elect tangos and teh milonga step by step becames a sucess
now we are in the " third fase " i put tradicional tangos that i like and all the people dance but when i put alternative tangos the people contnue to dance.
conclusion: The Dj is the responsabile for the evolution of the comunity in the "baile" and in preparing the people to dance other tipes of music
Hi Rui y Sandra:
I wrote a huge reply but I lost it so I'll have to abbreviate. A DJ is pivotal in a starting tango scene but that may not be the case in an established tango crowd. I learnt that very well in Porto.
As for DJing newer stuff there is a hot debate on Tango-uk yahoo group pages that I do not want to dwell on but I think that you have to adapt music to your crowd. As simple as that!
Ah there goes the power of a DJ down the well... It's sad, why can't people just try to appreciate the unique taste of the DJ? Why does the DJ have to be the slave of the crowd? I know that a milonga cannot survive without the crowd, but then what about the DJ's preference and style? ESPECIALLY when it is a guest DJ, why can't he/she bring in something new to the already-established community some members of which may be bored with the music that they get normally! WHY? WHY? WHY?
Obviously that a DJ has to put his own style and his own music selection. And an invited DJ is to bring new stuff to the community, within certain limits to the community. Anyway, guest DJ is a bit different from what we're discussing here. But I've told you about my Porto experience.
I will always throw in some electronic tangos unless I am told that NOBODY will dance them. Going back to Porto, I put a couple of Bajofondo tracks and the dance floor went from full to me and someone that probably didn't want to be there anyway. It's because of moments like this that DJs have to be careful. You don't want to ruin your and everybody's else night by being stubborn and insensitive.
When I am invited to DJ in a milonga where I don't know the crowd I always probe the crowd's preferences before I start. Then I always stretch it a bit but I have learnt on my very own skin, not too much...
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