Since I began to DJ for milongas and practicas more frequently, I would like to state my view on the topics of DJing for milongas and organizing those.

To me, DJing for a milonga is a concert, and organizing a milonga is a show business.

There are great DJs in the night club scene, who lead the audience through wonderful experiences. To me, milongas are essentially the same, and there are milonga DJs who do so. The DJ leads the dancers through highs and lows, eventually toward the climax of the night.

To do this, selecting and ordering songs is essential. Sometimes, I hear DJs not choosing nice songs. However arranged, they wouldn’t make the milonga fly. Sometimes, I hear DJs utilizing nice songs, but not in a good order. Say Remembranzas by Pugliese followed by Amor y Vals by Biagi. If a milonga is a nice song, each song is like a note or a phrase of the song. Every pianist utilizes the same 88 keys, but the order of those keys being pressed decides what kind of music you will hear. Also, pacing with the dancers and leading them is the key.

Also, I believe that the energy you put into the activity of DJing really makes a difference. When a pianist presses a key with a lot of emotional energy, with intention, it sounds totally different from someone’s mindlessly pressing the same key.

People come to a milonga to have a good time, especially when they pay. The ideal milonga for me is like a good concert, or a very entertaining movie. Just like a well organized night club. You come to the milonga and are carried away by its atmosphere, music, dancing, etc. You pay for experiencing that another world. Thus, details are important to create and maintain the right chemistry. That’s why it has been taking time for me to actually start one.

Meanwhile, I’m grateful that I am in the DC area that has a big tango community and can support multiple milongas, and grateful to those who have been building the tango community here.

This is it for now, and I hope to see you all at a milonga. Check DJing schedule on the left sidebar to know when and where my next DJing is.

Rick