Live Music & DJ's
Live orquestra from Buenos Aires!
Sexteto Milonguero
Sexteto Milonguero is a famous tango band often heard at the biggest milongas in Buenos Aires. In following the tradition of the golden era of the 1940's tango music, they aim to play great live music for dancing while still expressing the band's personal sound. Their only intention is to continue the function of the great tango bands, not let the tango move away from the neighborhood, the dances, the pop-culture, the milongas.
Through the diversity of places they have performed, such as in theaters, festivals, and concerts worldwide, they have managed to show and merge the different influences of their members: Argentina's popular music, jazz, classical, rock, etc.
With 10 years of career, Sexteto Milonguero, played milongas, theaters and festivals throughout Argentina, made 2 tours in Latin America and 9 European tours covering more than 20 countries, and many cities plus Canada, Singapure and China.
DJs
Robin Thomas (New York)
When Robin came back from his first trip to Buenos Aires 16 years ago, he realized that if he wanted to continue to dance tango every night, he would have to find a way to attend milongas for free. At the time, the concept of a tango DJ didn’t exist. Organizers would put on a CD, and often it would repeat to span the length of the milonga.
Robin wanted to play music as he had heard it in Buenos Aires: in tandas of tango, vals, and milonga with cortinas in between. He began to DJ doing exactly that, despite being told not to play cortinas as people would dance to them. Initially some people did dance to the cortinas, but Robin persisted until this format became the standard.
Over the next 10 years, he was invited to DJ in D.C., L.A., Denver, Portland, Miami, and some of the biggest festivals in North America, as well as, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Berlin, Seoul, Shanghai and Buenos Aires. Robin currently runs Nocturne in NYC, one of the largest monthly milongas in the US, and until recently the legendary RoKo, which was the largest weekly milonga in the US.
Avik Basu (Ann Arbor, MI)
Avik began his tango journey in 2002 and since then has danced, DJ'd, and performed all over North America. He sees tango not only as an accessible art form but also as a way to discover and improve upon oneself. He is devoted to sharing it and his instruction over the better part of the last decade has been instrumental in developing the Ann Arbor tango community.
Avik specializes in teaching social tango emphasizing connection, musicality, and improvisation. He has come to be known for his clear explanations which expose the core of any tango idea whether it be about movement or musicality. In addition to his regular classes in Ann Arbor, he has taught all over North America and beyond.
Some of the more interesting tango adventures he's been on include two month-long immersions in Buenos Aires, DJing Monday night at Salon Canning, teaching tango to a Bollywood actress in Mumbai, India, and touring the U.S. with tango band Trio Folias. Through it all, he continues to have a vivid memory of what it was like to start learning this challenging dance and this aids his teaching in a profound way.
An eternal tango student, Avik has taken classes from dancers in many tango traditions. The teachers who have left their mark most clearly are Gustavo Naveira, Susana Miller, Alex Krebs, and Robin Thomas. And in great measure, he has been guided by his experiences with his many talented students. To hear some of Avik's thoughts about tango, listen to his radio interview on WCBN-FM Ann Arbor.
Varo Boyajyan (Los Angeles, CA)
As an avid dancer himself, Varo has a deep appreciation for tango music as a crucial part of the overall milonga experience for each dancer. As a DJ, Varo strives to create a musical atmosphere that inspires dancers and connects with them on the emotional level.
While DJ-ing, Varo is always connected to the dancers-either by observing the energy and the interactions of the dancefloor, or dancing in the middle of it. In addition to selecting good tango songs, Varo pays detailed attention to the structure of the playlist.
Varo comprises the tandas and the relationship of tandas to each other in a way to establish a harmonious flow of the energy, and to develop emotional-energetic contrasts with a tasteful climax and rise that resonate within each dancer.
Varo regularly DJ’s at milongas in Los Angeles and Southern Calfornia. He has DJ’d along with Otros Aires and Narcotango. Varo is also invited to DJ tango at festivals all over the US.