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Who's playing the music at

Festivalito Rural  2019

DJs

All dancers, all friends …

Tomaž Leskovšek Slovenia
Thursday, bridge milonguita

Knowing and feeling the music is for me a very important part of dancing tango. And this led me on my way to DJing. I now try to convey the beauty of mainly Golden Age tangos to the gentle embrace and smooth movement of dancers.

Boštjan Rezar Slovenia
Friday, welcome milonguita

I was first a dancer and only later I became a DJ, therefore my DJing focuses exclusively on dance. As a beginner DJ I see a perfect milonga as both fun and calm with a heartfelt energy flow. Expect the lightness of Rodriguez and the rhythm of D'Arienzo, the liveliness of Biagi and the romantic feeling of Di Sarli while playful milongas and energetic valses will keep the flow of the milonga. What counts for me at the end of the milonga is a nice warm embrace so I embrace you all and see you on the dance floor!

Melina Sedó Germany
Friday, evening milonga

... describes herself like this [source]:

I have been DJing (and greatly enjoying it) since 2004, during our travels as well as at our own events. I also give DJ-seminars in which I speak about the role and work of a traditional Tango-DJ.

Traditional arrangements: I arrange the music in tandas with cortinas and in a fixed sequence of tangos, milongas and valses. I use only classic tango music, mostly from the “Golden Era”, the 30s and 40s of the last century. Now and then I make an excursion into the late 20s (e.g. Orquesta Tipica Victor) or 50s (Carlos Di Sarli), and quite rarely I might play a track by a contemporary orchestra.

Danceability is my primary concern: I only play music which is fit to be danced to in the salón. Experimental or undanceable music like electro tango, non-tango, Piazzolla, show dance orchestras or tango cancion is never heard where I DJ. I also don’t play salsa or chacarera.

An interesting and varied selection of music: During the time between 1925 until the end of the 1950s so many wonderfully danceable tracks have been recorded that any milonga is much too short to present even a fraction of them. Since every orchestra has its own distinctive style, it never gets boring or monotonous when I DJ. The happy faces of the dancers attest to that.

Singers are part of the orchestra: For some time now claims have been made here and there that only instrumental music is truly danceable. Neither I nor the DJs in Buenos Aires agree with that. Roughly 2/3 of all tangos contain vocal passages in which the singer becomes part of the orchestra and transmits melody, mood or important content. In Buenos Aires, every milonguero knows the lyrics and you can often hear them softly sing along as they dance. This ratio is reflected in my choice of music.

This is an interview with Dj Melina.

Dawn Porter Great Britain
Saturday, afternoon milonga

Dawn loved traditional tango music from the very first time she heard it. First a dancer, then an organiser (Encuentro Una Mirada, now in its Third Edition), she has now started to use her love and knowledge of the music built up over her years of dancing to choose music for the dancers herself.

Travelling to encuentros across Europe, Dawn has been exposed to music from the finest DJs and over the last couple of years has been inspired and encouraged to begin a different chapter in her tango life. Playing music mainly from the Golden Age, varying the mood and bringing contrast to the set, Dawn plays music you will know and love and aims to keep you dancing until the end.

Lampis Greece/USA
Saturday, evening milonga

... has been fascinated by tango and continuously tries to expand his understanding of this complex art form. He strongly believes that appropriate music is a critical factor for an emotionally fulfilling evening of dancing and he aims to achieve exactly that with his music selections. He focuses on traditional music that brings the dancers on the dance floor and keeps them there until the very end of the milonga. Lampis is a sought-after DJ and has been invited to festivals and major events from coast to coast in the USA as well as abroad. [p.c.]

Alja Ferme Slovenia
Sunday, farewell milonga

In a way, Alja keeps it simple. You will surely know the first song of her tanda and it will drag you to the dancefloor. And while she will carefully weave the evening through the tandas of various moods, those who know her will not be surprised that the evening will leave a pleasantly romantic aftertaste. (Also, DJ-ing the last milonga at the last edition of your own encuentro: how symbolic is that? ;-))