Claudia Petit:I try to propose different atmospheres during the night, not to play the same mood for a long time

New Great Tango DJ Interview. Today we meet, Claudia Petit. 

Happy reading.

From the beginning : I suppose that your first approach with tango, like for other dj, was with the dance. What inspired you to get into console and play music? A conscious decision or was the result of chance?

Both of them : with my friends Judith and Nicolas, we started a weekly new milonga (Les 9 Billards) and we decided that all three will play the music on it. 

What was your early taste of tango? There are significant differences with the current scene? My first class of dance technique... very big difference with today.

Do you remember your first engagement as a tango dj? Not the first one....

When do you prepare or construct your Set? A long time before the gig, on the day of the milonga, or do you improvise freely during the evening? I improvise freely during the evening, but sometimes I can prepare something just to play a track that obsesses me in the moment or a new track that I never played.

Have you ever played a boring set? Did you maybe understand too late that the milonga could not give you the right motivation and you could not wait to finish? Regrettably yes. But I always have pleasure to listen tango music, so I finish the night with my CDs by trying to work a little for my personal  luggage around djing.

Do you accept whatever gig is o!ered to you or do you try to select engagements, preferring a special location or fascinating evening with friends? At the beginning, all engagements were perfect to me. At the moment, as I have too much work with  teaching tango, I prefers to go to a milonga to dance and to listen the good music of my colleagues. So, I select the engagements at the moment. 

How would you define your style? Generally, people say that I play an energetic music... 

Has it evolved over time? Into which direction? I hope that it has evolved over time. I try to propose different atmospheres during the night, not to play the same mood for a long time, either feel like jumping from one thing to another...I try to build something which looks like a story that you tell during a few hours.  

What can influence you during an evening, the audience, the dancers, the acoustics of the location, the duration of the Milonga...All these points can influence me.

Do you prefer playing alone or sharing the night with a / colleague. Do you generally prefer to work alone, or with friends who you feeling? Or, you love the thrill of experimenting with a colleague ever heard until then?

I prefer playing alone, but sometimes it is nice to share the night with another DJ. The thrill... no, just playing music and I'm happy when it gives some pleasure for who is listening or dancing it.

If someone asks you the name of a track, do you give him the requested information, perhaps mentioning the CD where he can find it, or do you refuse and thus force him to engage into an adventure of search and find? 

I give him the requested information.

The audience bothers you with absurd requests: what do you do? Are you a jukebox? No, I'm not a jukebox ! I really not accept this kind of requests.

 Do you like to dance and listen to your colleagues enjoy the selections and styles of others from your performances?Of course !Do you believe that the art of “musicalizador” is different for geographic areas? Argentina, USA, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean ... or is it similar in every countries? I think that the art of "musicalizar" is rather a personal business, a personal taste. So in the same country do you have a lot of DJs with their characteristics each one.But we always have the orchestras or singers or tracks which are "in" at one moment and so, every DJ plays it... sometimes it can be a little too homogeneous.

Would you like to have a milonga just for you, furnish it with the appropriate facility to your desires, try to create a wave that satisfies you over to play when you want and create a calendar of events to measure your tastes? Even if you have, organize a milonga, there are a lot of points which will make this milonga not only YOUR milonga... it must be for the dancers who come to dance, I mean, you can't do a milonga just for your satisfaction.... even a successful milonga is the one where everybody find his pleasure. 

Three orchestras that can not miss in one evening.D'ArienzoDi SarliPugliese

Your three favourite orchestras, which may also be different from the previous ones. 

At this moment : D'Arienzo, Di Sarli, Laurenz

Suggest a tanda of tango instrumental, a tanda of tango singer, one of vals and milonga.

Tanda instrumental:Di Sarli (40s) : Siete palabras, El pollo Rcardo, El pollito, La racha

Tanda with a singer: Canaro con Maida : Ojos negros que fascinan, Cadena de amor, Callecita de mi novia, Desaliento

Vals:Tipica Victor : Temo, Samaritana, Sin rumbo

Milonga: D'Arienzo : Milonga del recuerdo, La cicatriz, Milonga del 83

What are the three bands or singers you can not stand?

I dont know very well Firpo... but except for some tracks with singers,  I'm not a fan of Firpo's intrumentals ; either Salgan (even if I really like some tracks of Quinteto Real)

What is the band most underrated by the general public and which is the most overrated? 

Underrated : Gobbi instrumentals; Troilo instrumentals from the 50s (renowned difficult)

Overrated : Fresedo

Your top three nights (in your opinion of course ...) one special night at the 9 billerds in Parisone spécial afternoon at The "Comptoir Général" in Parisone crowded night at one tango festival in Turin, Italy

We are less serious: Last night a dj saved my life. Are DJs sexy? have you ever had a relationship with a fan or a flirt with a colleague?Yes, some DJs are sexy... no, I never had it.