This blog has so far been covering my discoveries of contemporary tango.It may appear that I only care about the present but it is not so: I am deeply invested in the tango tradition. D'Arienzo's Ansiedad with Alberto Echagüe still moves me tremendously as it did when I first…
It takes two to tango but at least three to make tango, and possibly four to create a rich enough sound space for tango to flourish. Quarteto Sol Tango manage that beautifully.Their new release "Sin palabras" has only been out since early January, and I have already included a…
There was a show at this instance of the regular Monday milonga, and as a result, more people than usual showed up.Despite my original intent, no 1960's music made it into my set. I alternated primarily between 1940s, 1950s and 2010s.The the beginning, I played a slow chill-out…
Do you ever meet a song that you just can't get out of your head afterwards? I bet you do. As a DJ, I try to keep my musical relationships casual and uncommitted. Despite my best efforts however, some songs do occasionally drill deep into my memory circuits and keep…
This is a story of unfulfilled expectations. Of "what might have been."I frequently browse Bandcamp searching for new tango releases, and find it immensely useful. No longer do bands have to go through the long journey leading towards an album release: nowadays, they can simply record it, supply an…
The inaugural edition of my milonga has ended up being a fusion of 1940s and 2010s. It has not been pre-determined, and yet I am not surprised. The venue is rather compact, and I did not feel I had enough space to let the 1950s romanticism flourish.this is about…
I am a big believer in having "skin in the game", to quote Nassim Taleb. The last time I organized a milonga was in 2013, and inasmuch as I love guest-DJing wherever they'd have me, I feel I should put my DJing to the real test now again.Milongas in…
When you say tango, two images pop up competing for my attention.One of them has dancers clothed to impress drinking the Argentine tea and dancing elegantly in a ballroom. Moving with utmost precision and always trying to wow the onlookers.Another captures people in everyday clothes drinking wine and…
A fresh new record arrived to my collection of American-made tango music, the "Guapeando" album by "Cuarteto Tanguero" out of Indiana. Conveniently, it comes with three tandas of music: one in a brisk Troilo instrumental style, another with a lot heavier Pugliese / late Troilo charm, and one with swift and…
I confess: my standards for mixing tandas are very liberal. Let's say I have a lovely vals, for instance "Cuando florezcan las rosas" by Ricardo Malerba c. Orlando Medina. It feels perfect for the moment. What other tunes would complete the tanda?The established rule would be to complete the…