January 29, 2017
My Two Cents on Music Selection
Among the many factors that make a milonga successful, music stands as one of the top three, alongside a friendly environment and a well trained crowd. Great music deeply connects dancers, stirring emotions, synchronizing movement, and sparking creativity. Without good music dancers are not able to fully enjoy the dance no matter how good other conditions may be.
Unfortunately, the music played in our milongas is not always good. Many DJs play songs that are not of the highest quality and leave the best pieces rest in their computers. I've heard the theory that dancers like to try new songs, that they don't like to dance to the same old pieces again and again, and that they'd rather take risks than be bored, etc. Such arguments aggravate the tendency to seek novelty at the cost of the quality of music.
It's true that new tracks are adventurous to dance to, but that is not the main thing tango dancers are after. In fact, most dancers prefer well know, danceable classics over unfamiliar tunes with erratic or unpredictable beats. Familiar and danceable songs heighten their desire to dance because, like singing and playing music instruments, they can perform better with pieces they know well. DJs should resist the urge to be unique and novel, and instead take a balanced approach to cater to most dancers.
Too often, DJs get stuck in their own preferences. Some lean too heavily on fast songs, others on slow. Some favor rhythmic music, others lyrical. Some prefer vocals, others play only instrumentals. Some stick to traditional, while others contemporary. I believe most songs played in the milongas should be Golden-Age, and should be combined with different tempos, moods, flavors, orchestras, eras and styles to avoid boredom. If all the songs sound similar, dancers will grow bored. A balanced blend caters to most dancers and helps maintain their enthusiasm. The majority of tracks should be at a comfortable walking pace, which is most suitable for tango dancing.
When selecting music, I believe danceability should be the foremost priority. DJs should know that not all tango music was made for dancing. In Argentina's history, from 1955 to 1983, tango as a social dance was discouraged by military regimes, resulting in a lot of tango music produced primarily for listening and not dancing. These tracks often have undanceable rhythms or jazz elements that are hard to follow. Such songs should not be played in milongas no matter how novel and creative they may be (see Tango Music and Its Danceability).
I believe the best songs for tango dancing are those juxtaposed with opposite moods. Good tango music is heterosexual rather than homosexual in nature. Its rhythm is masculine - strong, steady, firm and forceful, and its melody is feminine - sweet, beautiful, sentimental and evocative, reflecting 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. Both are indispensable and irreplaceable and they must complement each other and collaborate harmoniously to create a beautiful dance. The absence of either mood makes the music less symphonic, gender expressive and satisfying (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, sentimental, soulful and rich in syncopation, and avoid songs that are dull in emotion, plain in melody, and monotonous in rhythm. In fact, high-quality, danceable songs are much smaller in number in comparison to songs of mediocre quality or songs created for listening and not dancing. A DJ should be able to distinguish them and play only the most beautiful, soulful and danceable tracks in the milonga.
I am a firm believer that only the best songs should be played in the milongas, so fervent that I deleted all songs that are not suitable for tango dancing and only kept the top-tier, danceable songs in my computer. The truth is, you do not need thousands of songs to play for a milonga. For a three-hour milonga, you need just 15 tandas or 60 songs. If you carefully select 600 exceptional tracks, you can play for ten milongas without repetition. It is the quality and not the quantity that counts.
I always feel indebted to good DJs like Tine Herrman, Paul Akmajian, Burak Ozkosem and Julia Ingram, to name a few. Every time I hear their music, I feel worth the trouble to travel a thousand miles just to enjoy the music. But the fact is, such pleasure is rare. I believe event organizers should be clearer with DJs about music expectations. I believe DJs should make their playlists available to the public so dancers can have a choice. I hope, with the growth of our tango, the music played in our milongas will also improve, so wherever we go we can always enjoy the very best dance experience.
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Check out this article that makes a similar argument: https://tangovoice.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/tango-dj-fundamentals-part-1-selecting-music-for-dancing-and-tanda-construction/
ReplyDeleteIndeed! DJs bear a heavy responsibility for the milonga. As do the organisers in their choice of DJ.
ReplyDeleteDJs who observe dancers' responses to their music, and who are prepared to reflect critically on their musical choices, have a chance of doing a good job. In a recent blog-post, I described some indicators which I look for when DJing. Others may find them useful.
Thank you for your article. Your words warming my heart as a tango dancer. You are absolute right that the way of DJing has changed in the last years.
ReplyDeleteThe way you write about tango gives me feelings of milongas 10 years ago were the music resonates with my inner world, lets me feel the smoothing body movements of a woman dancing with me, tickling my inner creativity.
As I grew up as a dancer with every new step or element that I learned of the dance I was able to interpret one or more peaces of the music that I couldn't "feel"/"get" before. A new world opens up each time. What a gift of this beautiful dance.
I remember in the early days of my dancing career I bought a CD of milongas. 2 of them I really liked and the others I don't. "They are not nice to dance on." After a few years of dancing I heard the CD again and ... 21 tracks I liked to dance on and 2 were "not so good". A few years after this I have now a different feeling of the tracks. Some are "danceable" (I can't resist to dance), some are "nice" and the others I would rather listen to but wanting to dance on.
And out of my experience I found out that nowadays often DJs are playing music that THEY "got". So that as the DJs expertise of dancing is his/her way of playing music, good or bad.
Maybe it is also cause the way of dancing has changed in the last 5 years. No more emotions, no smooth dancing on the steady flow of the music. It is more expressive, sometimes aggressive, or totally boring cause they don't dance to the music at all. The only way to get them motivated is to play new music or music that is so chaotic that is has not much in common with tango music.
And as you mentioned it so do I like music that is "good" and known to me and my body dances by itself just by listening to the music and feeling the woman in my arms.
It makes me sad of how the world of tango has changed. So many dancers who are too unexperienced trying to talk me into their view of dancing and music preferences (that means NO preferences). And way too many of those are now DJing. Very often in the last years I was about to quit dancing.
Where are the days of dancers who know how to dance and DJs who know what and how to play music. Music that makes me shiver, lets me wanting to close my eyes and dance, never let loose of the woman I'm holding in my arms.
As you write about tango, the music, the speed and the inner variety of the music you seem to be one who "knows".
Thank you
Arne