As more tango communities emerge in the US & existing ones become more mature, there have been a rise of discussions regarding tango DJing. It’s a great thing that people are becoming more aware and talking about music. In passing through different communities I have heard many points of view regarding these discussions. Most seemed to stress that the primary focus of the DJ is to please the dancers (customers). Personally, I think that pleasing the dancers is simply a result of a good job DJing and should not be the primary focus point.
Seldom do DJ discussions take into account the audience in which the advices should apply. Most seemed to be focused on aspiring DJs who are new to tango and either trying to start a community or trying to get more involved in an existing community. For those new to tango who want to DJ, I think the advices from most of these discussions would be useful & helpful.
Having been a part of a more matured tango community I see another group that is often neglected in the DJ discussions. As a tango community matures, sometimes there are those who have been dancing for 10 or 15 years and are interested in becoming more involved with their community by DJing. I’ve also seen musicians who have gotten into tango and after a few years of getting into the music, they have expressed an interest in DJing. For those people who truly love the music and are confident in thier taste of music, I would encourage them (as they become DJs) to also play what they love. Share your love and share what you love!
It would be tragic if every single new DJ plays the same tandas. There seems to be a phenomenon happening where people are sharing more MP3s but most tandas played at milongas are usually the same songs sometimes in different orders. Getting 20 GBs of music from someone, no one has the time to comb through it to see what’s new and what they would like. Instead new DJs seem to be relying on what works and plays the same tandas. I think that this may be fine for new communities, but for the older ones to keep growing and evolving, I think it’s important to have some fresh perspectives and tastes. This is where the DJs who have been involved in tango music for a long time come in. Don’t forget to play what you love. Share your love. You might be surprise how many people out there also love what you love.
