Tango Is Alive! | Tomáš Kohl, Tango DJ

This is a story of unfulfilled expectations. Of "what might have been."

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.

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.

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 dancing with joyful abandon. Nobody is posing for a shot by the present photographer. The goal is simply to have fun.

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 crispy milongas.

The regular Monday milonga in Prague, Klub Joe, has solid attendance and a good mix of beginning and experienced dancers. As one of two resident DJs, I cater to their dancing pleasure about twice a month. Here's a playlist from a recent evening with a few comments.

Tango is alive in Germany, and more importantly, great new tango records are being made there, too. The album "Viento norte" by Sexteto Cristal is a gem. The band resides in Hamburg, and if I needed one more reason to visit the city, hearing them live would certainly fit!