Hi David, I can only speak for myself here, when I DJ I play 98% Golden age music with one tanda of modern versions of traditional music by musicians who are currently alive (generally towards to end of the evening). I am referring to Orchestras that are popular in the milongas of Buenos Aires such as Romantica Milonguera, Sexteto Milonguero, La Juan Darienzo, Los Herederos del Compas, etc.)
I also play music that is widely known, occasionally I might experiment with a more obscure tango, depending on the audience, but it's always Golden age music.
I like the fact that no matter where I am in the world I can enjoy listening and dancing to music that is predominantly from the late 30s, 40’s and early 50s, it's what brought me to dance in the first place - the music is always first for me whether I’m dancing or DJing.
While I understand Robert’s point of view, I prefer to follow the traditions of the majority of milongas with DJs, by playing music that is structured into tandas with clear cortinas, as it’s a language that all tango dancers understand regardless of where they are in the world.
Playing random selections from different orchestras or going from a tango, to a vals to a milonga as suggested by Robert, would (in my opinion) not be ideal. As soon as I hear the first song in a tanda I know if it’s a tanda I’d like to dance, so I can either accept or decline an invitation to dance based on this first song, which would be impossible to do if there was no order or structure. I believe that the majority of dancers in Sydney would prefer a DJ that follows the traditions.
Beatriz
-- 1/06/2021 11:41:58 AM: post edited by Tangomagic.