[Tango-L] some DJ questions (previously Melina?s_DJing_Primer)

[victor bennetts]

Hi list,
I have not looked at tango-l for months due to a new job keeping me incredibly busy and just glanced at it this morning to see a thread on djing. 
Great synchronicity as I am doing my first djing these days! So a few questions that I have been mulling over:
 
1. Many tandas have a stand out track like a Café Dominguez(D'Agostino), El Recodo(Biagi), El Adios(Donato) etc. 
At first I always put these tracks as the last in a tanda, but in dancing to them (and listening to the tandas in the car :-)) 
I decided that is actually a bit too predictable. I observed that actually I get better results when I put the tracks first or at least mix 
the strong tracks so they are first sometimes and last other times. In recent weeks I decided that actually it is best to treat the two adjacent tango tandas 
as related (VTTMTT) and keep a consistent mood across them. So now I have eight tracks to play around with. I can make the first track of the first tanda and the last track of the last tanda in the pair the stand out tracks. 
Does anyone have any thoughts on this or different approaches?
 
2. Since I have started collecting music for djing I have been listening to a lot of different orchestras. 
Some I really love and just seem to grow in stature each time I listen to them. My favorites right now are Donato, Calo and OTV. 
Some I just can't bring myself to play at all like Fresedo, Firpo, Piazzolla, Basso, Sassone. Apart from these I also have put together tandas 
from Biagi, Canaro, D'agostino, D'arienzo, Demare, Di Sarli, Laurenz, Lomuto, Pugliese ;-), Rodriguez, Tanturi and Triolo (hereafter 'the usual suspects'). 
Is there anyone else I should be collecting?
 
3. Where do I find good Nuevo (i.e. Neo/Alternative/Electronica)? I apply a simple test to all the music of 'would I like to dance to it' 
and I can't say much Nuevo/Alternative passes that test. I don’t really buy dancing to non tango music generally because even if I really like 
a track, when I go to dance tango to it I generally find it is either paced wrongly or the beat is too repetitive so dancing is boring. 
So my Nuevo tandas consist of Otros Aires, a couple of the Gotan tracks, and a couple of the Bajofondo Tango Club tracks. 
I also have a tanda of 'To Tango Tis Nefelis', 'Pa'l Que Se Va', 'Milonguero del Ayer' and 'Toca Tango' that goes down well.
I have trawled various sites and listened to neo tango, but without liking too much. Any suggestions on sources for alternative music or specific tracks?
4. Milonga tandas, should they be three tracks or four? I started out playing four tracks but does not seem to go down so well as three tracks.
 
I am sure these questions have been asked and answered many times before so I will go trawling in due course but welcome any fresh perspective anyone can give me. I have lots of other questions, but these will do for a start.
 
Victor Bennetts 
 
>- Yes: Pugliese was much "hipper" then, as he is now. Today, I would 
>not rank him so high, Melina Sedo & Detlef Engel