[Tango-L] DJing

[jackie ling wong]

this discussion is very interesting.  i would like to share some of  
my observations.  none are hard and fast rules.

1.  if there are more followers than leaders i will play 3 tangos per  
tango tanda to encourage more rotation.  sometimes i will start with  
4 but you can tell immediately if the community is a 3 tango tanda  
group whether there are lots of followers or not.

2.  in buenos aires when i dj i find that the cortina is longer and  
even the space between songs within a tanda are expected to be longer  
than in the USA.   i agree with the observation about couples staying  
on the dance floor and noticing when they don't leave and thereby  
cutting the cortina shorter.  i also agree with trini about long  
cortinas bringing down the energy at small intimate milongas.   
sometimes in very small groups, cortinas don't make sense at all.

3.  because i generally play a mix of alternative and traditional, i  
like to use the same cortina or a theme of cortinas  ...  motown like  
marvin gaye....  or ella fitzgerald...  for example.  using the same  
cortina or theme throughout the night makes it clearer when you shift  
between alternative and traditional.  some djs lower the volume but  
in a packed room i find that the cortina can get lost.

4.  i also have a friend in buenos aires that will play an electronic  
tango as a cortina and, if couples get up to dance, will play the  
whole song.  because i am known for playing alternative music, this  
would not work for me.

5.  performances in buenos aires tend to be more serious than here.  
at the festivals, coordinating the music with the lighting  
specialist, sound crew, the performers (and their choreography) and  
the announcer is a huge part of the djs job.  at the milongas,even if  
it's just coordinating with the dancers, it's intense but  
exhilarating.  the performers there expect professionalism from the DJs.

6.  i would say that alternative tango has not arrived in Buenos  
Aires but electronic tango is popular among certain groups.  luiza  
and pulpo are considering adding an alternative opening social  
practica to their week long festival.  okayyyyyy, i'm trying to talk  
them into it  ;-)

7.  if the alternative tanda i play is at the milonga speed, i will  
replace a traditional milonga set.  if it's alternative vals, i will  
replace a vals set(i am very picky about my alternative vals because  
i love so many of the traditional vals and have to truly feel moved  
in order to replace a traditional set)  alternative tango sets are  
grouped with an traditional set which is dissimilar. slower.....or  
lighter...or more dramatic.  i also tend to start the evening  
exclusively with traditional  sets and then will ease my way into  
alternative.

8.  live music... so hard to dj between their sets... they generally  
play tangos and then 1 vals and tangos and then a milonga.  so, i  
will either lead off after a set of live music with a vals or milonga  
tanda and will try to end with an alternative tanda.   again, this  
depends on the mood, the crowd, the energy.  sometimes i make  
mistakes and have to do the slow fade... but thankfully not very  
often.  i'm a work in progress.  :-)

9.  i like the format  T T V T M because i love milonga and vals and  
think the T T V T T M means i have to wait longer for the juice.   
think about it... 6 tandas and only 1 set of vals... seems more fair  
to be 5 tandas with 1 set of vals.  the problem becomes that some  
communities are not milonga communities.  why is that?  vals are  
always popular.

10.  which DJs are high on coke in BA?  don't doubt it but i don't  
know any that are.

11.  i also like that folks in BA will sometimes clap if they love a  
particular set.  it's very gratifying as a DJ.  it's important to  
make sure to your milonga attendees what to expect from a DJ.  I  
think you can safely assume that if you're going to an alternative  
festival that alternative music will be played but other times you  
don't know.  also DJs generally make it their job to understand what  
the host expects and will plan accordingly.  the problem becomes when  
people show up that normally don't because they expect and want a  
different format.  then it feels like walking on a tightrope.

those are my thoughts.  you won't get me to defend them because as i  
said,  variables change and people adapt to their situation.

jackie

www.tangopulse.net