Greetings from Tallinn Estonia! I arrived yesterday for the first night of the Viejo Tallinn Tango Marathon and will be playing here on Sunday. Last weekend I was attending the Tango Devoradores Marathon in Wroclaw Poland as a dancer only. I have never been to that many marathons and it's interesting to see these two marathons back to back both as a dancer and a DJ. The scale of the events is very different as the Wroclaw marathon had close to 350 dancers and 13 (!) DJ's, while the Tallinn marathon has about 150 dancers and 5 DJ's. In Wroclaw there were the pre- and afterparties and DJ's were playing only 4 hour sets but in Tallinn I fortunately get to play 6 hours, which I think is the perfect lenght for a DJ set.
There's also another very fundamental difference in the two marathons: The style of music. While in Wroclaw I had to wait for DJ number 7 Mik Avramenko from Ukraine to get a great set of traditional tangos centered around the likes of Troilo, Di Sarli and D'Arienzo - In Tallinn the event kicked off with classic tangos from both the first two DJ's Andrea Dedo from Italy and James Bates from Belgium and I'm expecting the same to continue.
I don't want to be a tango police here and commit a career suicide but I will share my view on the matter and it's something I've discussed with many other DJ's coming from a more traditional stance on tango music. There's nothing wrong with the occasional special selection and the Donatos and Lomutos etc. But many DJ's go so far into centering their set around the likes of Canaro, Donato, Rodriguez and some Guardia Vieja that the set feels out of balance and the occasional Troilo will not save the set for me. And it is not just that I don't get to hear my favorites but also the fact that the general mood and dynamics of the songs from these orchestras is so different that I feel like a lot of the passion that should be in the music is missing and instead all we're getting is at it's best nice and comfortable music for snuggling. I do want a lot more from my tango music. More edge, passion and yes even some drama. And yeah uptempo valses and milongas too. And then... I'm ready to snuggle also.
I know there's a theory that in order to keep people dancing all day and night long the music should be easier and smoother but I do not really believe in this. Of course you shouldn't play uptempo D'Arienzos etc the whole time but there's plenty of downtempo music with very strong qualities that are just as energetic as the best of D'Arienzo. I know I have issues and I want to dance to music first, friends and atmosphere second.
But then again.... the music has to be in relation to the audience as well. And no matter how much I did not enjoy everything played in the marathon, the majority of dancers did. The Wroclaw marathon was organized for the fifth time already and is probably known for a certain style which attracts certain dancers. In fact it was the very special basically alternative selections that received applauses from the audience. And again I have no problem with this. To each their own. It just shows how many types of dancers and events there are. And don't get me wrong... the Wroclaw marathon had great dancing and very friendly atmosphere and I'd consider going again and would love to play there myself one day. I didn't of course hear full sets from all the DJ's but I did enjoy a lot for example Darko Vicentijevic from Serbia. He was mixing a lot of orchestras especially in vals tandas but also some tangos. And he did it really well and overall had high energy in the music and I feel he was an excellent choice to be the last DJ of Saturday night. I also enjoyed the afterparty DJ's Jakub Ciczkowski and Kasia Gabryluk from Poland a lot.
I do like the Marathon format a lot as well as the Encuentros. I just hope that there will be more events in both formats that will have the music... in the lack of better words.... a bit more edgy and less cuddly.
--------
1. Francisco Rotundo / Enrique Campos, Floreal Ruíz - "El viejo vals" 1951
2. Alberto Mancione / Jorge Ledesma, Héctor Alvarado - "Un cielo para los dos" 1955
3. Héctor Varela / Argentino Ledesma, Rodolfo Lesica - "Igual que dos palomas" 1953
Now... I've prepared a few tandas for my special selections for this marathon and here's one of them. I do not know yet if I will play it but I've been listening to the tanda a lot and I like it. I recently found the song "El cielo para los dos" and wanted to create a tanda for it. I first heard a version by Lagrima Rios on the excellent "Cafe de los Maestros" tango documentary and the beautiful melody stuck to my memory. This version by the unknown orchestra of Alberto Mancione is quite excellent but not quite perfect. Still a great song in my opinion. I start the tanda with the well known "El viejo vals" by Rotundo and end it with Varela's "Igual que dos palomas". All of the songs have two singers which gives the songs nice energy also. When I have a long set I like to play one vals tanda from the 1950s and this might be the one on Sunday. I hope you enjoy it.EDIT: I had "Un cielo para los dos" as the last song originally but when I played this is Tallinn I chose to have it as the second song and finish with the vals of Varela, which I thought of as being more clear and danceable and giving the dancer a nicer way to finish the tanda.
The cortina is dedicated to my friends and the tango community in Skopje, Macedonia.
Antti wrote: "I did not enjoy everything played in the marathon, the majority of dancers did. ... it was the very special basically alternative selections that received applauses from the audience."
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that alternative music got applause probably indicates that actually no, the majority of dancers did not like all the music. That applause is a way of saying that they didn't like the other music as much as the alternative. It is at least as much a protest than a show of appreciation.
At a typical trad. milonga, great mainstream music played all night get's no applause. (Though perhaps there's some applause for the DJ rather than the music, at then end.) None is needed. Because there's no protest to be made by the dancers who are there.
"I don't want to be a tango police here and commit a career suicide but I will share my view on the matter and it's something I've discussed with many other DJ's coming from a more traditional stance on tango music. ... The Wroclaw marathon was organized for the fifth time already and is probably known for a certain style which attracts certain dancers"
Perhaps it was be career suicide Antti for you to use the highly descriptive and useful certain single word that you are thinking? :)
Identifying whether an event is going to play alternative music can be hard to know from the event description. The fact that an event is a marathon i.e. itself alternative in format is a good indication. Also, the fact that is DOESN'T say anything about the music that will be played. And finally that the event advertises "Great Music by The Best International DJs!" and then presents a like that os this Wroklaw marathon: http://www.tangomaraton.pl/infoen/djs/ . I imagine most of those DJ must be bit embarrassed by that.
"Canaro, Donato, Rodriguez... nice and comfortable music for snuggling"
ReplyDeleteDancing D'Arienzo, Troilo, Tanturi, Biagi, the wilder side of De Angelis, over-the-top di Sarli, and lots from the 50s and 60s non-stop hour after hour I find less "edge, passion and drama" but simply exhausting, and after a while, as with too much of anything - boring. It's one fast way to kill the magic of those good orchestras. I like a balance. But perhaps I misrepresent you. But then perhaps you misrepresent those first orchestras you mention too. I can't say I find anything particularly "snuggly" about Lomuto's Catamarca, for instance, or Gólgota or La gayola, or even Criolla Linda, which I find more raw than sweet. Donato? Well, there's El huracán but since that's about a hurricane, it's probably not a great example of "cuddly". Admittedly it doesn't have the (great) drama of the de Angelis version, but then it was 1932 not 1948. Perhaps Sombra gaucha then but that's more like a brisk walk then a cuddle. Lágrimas? Nope, that's more like "Leave me alone" than "Cuddle me". I'd rather play than "cuddle" to El distinguido ciudadano - or much Donato for that matter. Rodriguez? No way. Despite something upbeat about his tracks, Rodriguez is just too sad & angry. Who would cuddle to Tabernero? Or No te quiero mas or any number of them. I just don't think it does to be too simplistic about these things.
"Dancing D'Arienzo, Troilo, Tanturi, Biagi, the wilder side of De Angelis, over-the-top di Sarli, and lots from the 50s and 60s non-stop hour after hour I find less "edge, passion and drama" but simply exhausting, and after a while, as with too much of anything - boring. It's one fast way to kill the magic of those good orchestras. I like a balance. But perhaps I misrepresent you. But then perhaps you misrepresent those first orchestras you mention too. "
DeleteYou do misrepresent me. No need to go from one extreme to the other.
I wrote the post in a bit of a hurry and surely it's not my finest work and left many things unclear. The words "snuggly" or "cuddly" don't propably cover very well what I tried to describe.
Still, I do think that most of the mentioned orchestras lack the edge, a lot of the passion and have often in comparison simple arrangements. Anything sad or angry from Rodriguez doesn't impress me and apart for a handful of songs the music bores me to death. The ghosts of "Gato" haunt over the entire Donato catalog. And Canaro and Lomuto seem a lot closer to European tango to me than Argentinian. Put all these together and play only the slowest valses from Troilo, mid 40's D'Arienzo, 60's Calo, 50's Vargas, 20's Di Sarli and you do end up with a very alternative take on Argentine tango. And this is not much of an exaggeration for what I heard in this particular marathon. A lot of the music is cute, funny, nice, quirky, lovely, soft, smooth, simplified, strange etc.... but not much more. Surely there are others who do go for other extremes and as soon as I hear Salamanca I'm out the door.
But I am not asking for an ultra-conservative or a showy drama approach to the music played either. Having 13-15 DJ's for one event I of course expect a wide variety of music and styles. I guess I just really don't like the styles many go for. And the balance is off. Way off.
I'm glad this week's post suggests that "Gato" is hardly a reason to write off all of Donato. I know experienced dancers who like it, though I'm not a great fan. I can't think of many who'd want to hear 4 Donato, or 4 Canaro in a four hour set (though I can think of one or two who play it). Far more would prefer I think 4 d'Arienzo. A Di Sarli every hour can drive me up the wall, or at least to the bar next door. All the more reason for balance I think.
DeleteBut there are milongas where there are predominately beginners, dancing with beginners who, not unsurprisingly, seem to prefer Canaro say, to full on Troilo and d'Arienzo. All the more reason to adapt to your crowd.
I like the arrangement & interpretation of "El viejo vals", it's easily the best version of those I find though I have a feeling if I heard it too regularly the tune might become a bit grating. I don't like the sound in "Igual que dos palomas". Maybe it's reverb but it makes the bandoneons especially, sound harsh & brash. I don't mind the piece - for listening, ideally with different sound, though it reminds me rather of a guy with a rose in his teeth. I struggle to imagine that being danced well but then we're back to that old chestnut - differing taste. "Un cielo para los dos" - crikey! No thanks. For one thing I can't bear the singers. But it's always interesting to hear alternative tracks - in this context, I mean.
Yeah it does have a bit of the rose in the teeth feeling. :D
DeleteI played it and the dancing seemed alright. Surely it's a bit more tricky and the structure is less danceable than in the other two songs.
Looks like alternative is here Rodríguez, Lomuto and Donato. :)
ReplyDeleteChris: I really don't think applause is show protest. Especially at marathon on Sunday, where the people are so tired that it is easy to move them. On Reguelar milonga is no chance to do it, because it ends before they stop to think about they daily live. I need to add that maratonistas feel the music way more than casual dancers...
"Looks like alternative is here Rodríguez, Lomuto and Donato. :)"
Delete:) :)
Re applause - I think the point re applause (mid-milonga) is if the dancers were enjoying dancing so much, they wouldn't be applauding, they'd be dancing because great music and great dancing doesn't give you the feeling to applaud, it gives you the feeling to dance. The times I've heard applause mid-milonga, it feels weird. It feels affected and generally pretentious to me, on both sides of the applause. But then I haven't heard a lot of it - probably because I tend to stay away from the kinds of places that happens. Applause at the end, is altogether different. But I find applause mid-milonga embarrassing for DJ and clappers alike because to me it says a lot besides the applause. I feel a DJ who's doing a good job will have dancers absorbed in the music and in dancing. My feeling is a DJ should be invisible. I've even seen DJs conduct and headbang and punch the air (all to trad) and I find it bizarre at best.