My Two Cents on Music Selection

Music is one of the three essential pillars of a successful milonga, along with a welcoming atmosphere and a well-educated crowd. For me, great music is the heartbeat of the dance—it evokes emotion, shapes movement, and sparks creativity. No matter how perfect the other elements may be, without good music, true fulfillment remains out of reach.

Regrettably, the music at our milongas does not always meet high standards. Too often, DJs opt for less compelling tracks while leaving true gems buried in their archives. I’ve heard arguments that dancers crave novelty—that they grow weary of dancing to the same old pieces again and again, and that they would rather take risks than be bored. While understandable, this mindset fuels the tendency to prioritize innovation at the expense of musical quality.

New or lesser-known tracks can certainly add an element of adventure, but they are not the core preference of most dancers. In practice, people gravitate toward familiar, danceable classics—songs that ignite the desire to dance precisely because dancers know them well. Just as musicians refine their craft through repetition, dancers deepen their connection to music through familiarity. Rather than chasing novelty for its own sake, DJs should strive for a thoughtful balance, introducing occasional surprises while maintaining a strong foundation of high-quality, time-honored classics.

All too often, DJs fall into the trap of personal preference—some favor fast-paced songs, others lean toward slower tempos. Some prioritize rhythm, others highlight melody. Some prefer vocal pieces, while others avoid them altogether. Some stick strictly to tradition, while others push contemporary sounds. In my view, a well-crafted milonga playlist should be anchored in the Golden Age, offering a thoughtful mix of tempos, moods, orchestras, eras, and styles to avoid monotony. A balanced selection keeps dancers engaged and energized. Most tandas should maintain a comfortable walking pace—neither too fast nor too slow—to match tango’s natural flow. Occasional departures into slower, faster, or newer tracks can add a touch of freshness and keep the night dynamic.

When selecting music for a milonga, danceability should be the top priority. DJs must recognize that not all tango music is suited for dancing. During Argentina's history, between 1955 and 1983, military regimes in Argentina discouraged tango as a social dance, leading to the emergence of tango music designed primarily for listening rather than dancing. These tracks often incorporate erratic rhythms or jazz influences that make them difficult to follow. No matter how innovative or artistically compelling they may be, such songs should be reserved for listening contexts—not the dance floor (see Tango Music and Its Danceability).

The best tango songs, in my opinion, are those that contain opposite moods. Good tango music is heterosexual rather than homosexual in nature—its rhythm exudes intensity, steadiness, and strength, while its melody conveys sweetness, beauty, and deep sentiment. This contrast mirrors the dynamic of the two sexes in the dance, who in essence are playing music with their bodies. Men and women are different instruments, each with a distinct sound, expressing a different mood. Neither is replaceable, and both are essential to a fulfilling experience. When one mood is missing—either rhythm or melody—the music loses its richness, its expressive gender dynamic, and its emotional depth (see The Characteristics of Classic Tango).

I believe tango, as an intimate dance, is best danced to music that is moving and inspiring. DJs should select songs that are beautiful, soulful, sentimental, and rich in syncopation, avoiding tracks that are emotionally flat, melodically uninspired, or rhythmically monotonous. In reality, truly danceable, high-quality tango tracks are vastly outnumbered by mediocre or undanceable ones. A skilled DJ must have the discernment to recognize this distinction and curate a playlist that ensures only the most evocative, soulful, and danceable tracks set the tone for the milonga.

I firmly believe that only the highest-quality, danceable pieces deserve a place in a milonga playlist—so much so that I remove all unsuitable tracks from my personal collection. The truth is, curating a successful milonga doesn’t require thousands of songs. A three-hour event calls for just 15 tandas—or 60 tracks. By carefully selecting 600 outstanding pieces, a DJ can craft ten full milongas without a single repeat. Quality, not quantity, is what truly matters.

I feel deeply grateful to the DJs who consistently deliver exceptional music—Tine Herrmann, Paul Akmajian, Burak Ozkosem, and Julia Ingram, to name a few. Every time I hear their music, the journey—no matter how far—feels worth it. Sadly, such experiences remain rare. I believe event organizers should set clearer expectations regarding music quality and that DJs should consider making their playlists public. This transparency would allow dancers to make more informed choices and elevate the standards of our dance. I hope, as our tango continues to grow, the music played at our milongas will improve as well, ensuring that wherever we go, we can always enjoy the very best dance experience.

Tango and Equality

Tango was born among society’s most marginalized, and their legacy still lingers in the dance. At its roots, tango is a lowbrow art—raw, unpolished, sensual, soul-searching, and deeply human. It reaches into the heart of our shared condition, offering solace and recognition. Beatriz Dujovne likens dancing tango to the experience of childbirth: ecstasy intertwined with struggle, agony, sweat, pain, and joy. Whether maid or queen, she writes, all women share the same birthing experience—just as all people, in tango, share something deeply universal. “Tango is all of us in life’s common places,” she says. “It is who we are at the core, behind our social masks (see The Tango in All of Us).”

This shared humanity offers profound spiritual support, especially to those most vulnerable. In tango, they find liberation and dignity—because here, everyone stands on the same footing. All dancers are created equal, whether taxi drivers or CEOs, servant girls or first daughters. In the embrace of tango, you connect not with someone’s status, but with their essence—as a fellow human being. It’s where Cinderella meets Prince Charming and falls in love. “It melts down differences by zeroing in on our commonality,” Dujovne writes. “It feeds our hunger for being on a level with others.”

Equality has been a foundational ideal in the United States since its inception. When early immigrants suffered injustice under the English crown, they demanded equal treatment. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These words, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, laid the constitutional foundation for the nation.

Yet more than 240 years later, the gap between rich and poor has only widened. Power tends to corrupt. As subjects of tyranny, we championed equality; but once in power, we began perpetuating the very injustices we once opposed. Human nature is a balance of self-interest and compassion. When these forces are held in equilibrium, societies thrive. But when self-interest dominates—when we elevate individualism and personal liberty to justify selfishness, when we reinterpret founding principles to favor the rich over the poor, the powerful over the powerless, when monopolies flourish under the guise of free enterprise, when money buys legislation, when the law becomes a tool of the privileged, when freedom is exploited to promote arms sales, violence, doping, exploitation, or cultural decay, when personal liberty is used to undermine traditional family values, when divorce, promiscuity, single parent family and same sex marriage become the accepted norms and are sponsored by the state, we get ourselves further and further into the mess we are in now.

Ours is the lesson of freedom lost for the vast majority of people when we only seek personal freedom (see The Freedom in Tango). Only a few can "win" in a system where equality and justice are not prerequisites for all other rights. True freedom means freedom from being violated, not freedom to violate. It is the right to act within laws that protect the common good—not the license to harm others. It is a self-restrained liberty grounded in the belief that all human beings are created equal—not the right to do whatever one pleases at the cost of others. It is freedom from poverty and fear—not freedom to prey and shoot.

In short, a truly free society is an equal society—one built on compassion and cooperation, not competition and self-interest. It is a society where individual rights do not override the collective well-being, where no one's freedom is deprived by another's freedom, and where brotherly love, coexistence, empathy, and sharing are shared values. It is a society consistent with the spirit of tango.

The following video captures these themes beautifully. It’s artfully directed, thought-provoking, and laced with humor—from the crowd’s reactions to the sparkle in their eyes, to the old woman being carried away. The performance is superb, with exquisite musicality and choreography. I particularly admire the ending, where the quiet dignity of the underdog triumphs over the arrogance of the elite. Watch it in full screen for the best experience.