That same old [tango] music

I don't think we have any milongas in Sydney where the tango DJ plays the same playlist time after time.. if we do I have never heard about them. And certainly when I do the playlist for the Milonga de Mis Amores it is almost completely new every time - I even create new tandas, though I do have a handful of favourites, usually ones that people have commented on and these will re-appear from time to time. 

So I was quite horrified to read on my tango friend Bora's blog that "Canning had unusually less traffic that night and it seemed very quiet. Like at every other milonga, the playlist hadn’t changed from the last times I had been there".!! and later on she says " There are many ways to kill the mood at a milonga. Canning highlighted three that night: 1.Poorly arranged music, 2. Poor performances that leave people cold, and 3. Random chacarera to pick up the pace."

I didn't go to Canning when I was in Buenos Aires in April, partly because last time I was there I didn't enjoy the milonga... and time was short, but when I go again next year I will check it out for myself.

You can get away with the last two if the music is good and the chacarera only occurs because it is chacacera, not to pick up the pace - there are Sydney milongas that do the last two, but have great DJs.

I'd be really interested to hear from people in other parts of the tango world about what their DJs do... Do you find the same playlists recurring at the milongas you go to? Do you recognise familiar tandas?
Photo: Nuevo Chique where the DJ was described to me as the ''best in Buenos Aires" and his music was sublime.

Christmas Milongas and Christmas prices

Tis the season to be jolly! And most of the time I don't find it difficult, but sometimes I feel the grumpy old lady coming out in me as I wonder why some of the milonga organisers think it is okay to thank dancers for their custom throughout the year by putting up their prices. Of course if they are offering their clients the bonus of a live tango band,  special performances by visiting dancers who have to be paid, or supper or a meal, or if their venue has put the price up on hiring the space, then of course they need to... but just because it is Christmas?
I haven't been to all the Christmas milongas I would like to because of this - the tango budget only goes so far.
A member of our family is visiting from the US and she tells us that in the US they just go from one festival to another - no sooner is Thanksgiving over, than it's Christmas, then Valentine's Day, then St Patricks Day, then Easter... and I've probably missed one or two I am wondering if they do milongas for each Festival Day - and if they do, do they put up the door price each time? I hope that Sydney's milongas don't go this way. It is great to have a theme occasionally, but it can be overdone - and it is possibly to price yourself too high for your clients (I'm watching this happen with another activity I do regularly - the price hike has made me cut back to 2 classes a week, from 3).
In the ideal world it would be good if all the milonga organisers saw their end of year milongas as a chance to thank their clients for their custom (as some do) - rather than an opportunity to put up their prices.
Enough of the grumpy old lady... thank you for reading Angelina's Tango Blog! I wish you
a Jolly Christmas, a Happy New Year - and lots and lots of great dancing.