Vladimir Vereschagin:My style is not to allow people sit – they have to be motivated to dance – so if I see full dancefloor and empty tables, I am really happy. Mainly I am playing with moods in the music all the time and if I have long milonga at some moment I have to put really powerful music to give new batteries to dancers.

More and more talent in tango come from the East, a real melting pot of creativity. Our journey continues with Vladimir Vereschagin, one of the leading DJs in the European scene. Absolute master of musical selections, control 100% of the needs of dancers. Vladimir has got the key to managing the mood of the night. One other conversation not to be missed to discover more deeply the secrets of the milonga.

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?

Of course my first approach with tango has started from dance. It was happened 8 years ago, when my friend asked me if I want to try one class in her new tango-school. At that time I just divorsed and felt myself ready for something new in my life….. Finally that was tango. After 2 years of studying and dancing tango my teachers (at the same school in Moscow) asked me if I want to DJ at school party out of the city. And I replied why not – let's do that)))) I have to say that at that time we did not have plenty of tango DJs in Moscow like nowadays – just 2 or 3 DJS plus tango teachers, who organised their own milongas. So it was chance frome one side, but my relations with music started from my childhood – I always enjoyed to discover music, styles, histories – I am sure that was linked with the chance of course)))

What were your early taste of tango? There are significant differences with the current scene?

If you ask about tango itself, it was always very private and social for me. That influence my approach to DJ and use the music, which definitely fits dancers who come to the milonga. The major difference with the current approach is my experience, knowledge and more deep understanding of how to change the mood of the dancers, but not to leave them with the feeling that they are empty or sad after leaving milonga, where I DJ.

Do you remember your first like tango dj?

Of course I remember – I was really nervous and was not ready on 100% with the collection, but when I started to get positive feedback from dancers, I realised that they like what I am doing. After that I have started to enjoy DJing and still love it.

The difficulty of the search for songs on cd often burned, the explosion of the Web and the consequent relatively easy to find in the music. Do you think this paradigm shift has changed the way of working of the DJ?

May be I am really laisy, but I started to buy CDs only one year ago, and even not so much. My collection came to me preferably from other DJs throughout the world, so I am lucky guy))) Only if I hear something really intersting, danceable I search the song on the web. Coming back to your question web in general and technology change our lifes, not only DJ work…

When you build your performance? Long ago, during the journey to the milonga, or sudden moment by moment?

This is good question. Short answer – I love to improvise, but improvise if I really know the music very well. So I do a lot of homework before milonga on regular basis. Especially before the festival I do preparations. I have ready tandas in my playlists, but I try not to put them all the time.

Have you ever played in a boring night? Have you understand too late that perhaps the milonga could not give you the right motivation and you could not wait to finish? Do you accept whatever you offer or try to make a selection preferring location and fascinating evening with friends?

Yes I played in a boring nights – moreover I realised that as DJ I can not change anything. I think each milonga has to have critical mass of dancers otherwise it is half empty. And of course my selection depends on the place, time and dancers who come.

How would you define your style? It has evolved over time? And in which direction? What can influence you in an evening, the audience, the dancers, the acoustics of the location, the duration of your performance ...

My style is not to allow people sit – they have to be motivated to dance – so if I see full dancefloor and empty tables, I am really happy. Mainly I am playing with moods in the music all the time and if I have long milonga at some moment I have to put really powerful music to give new batteries to dancers.

Do you prefer playing alone or sharing the night with a / colleague. 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 to play alone – even if I know the person we are all very different – DJ is connected to the dancers first of all and can not be connected to another DJ at the same time. May be I am not so professional to share it with someone else))))

If someone asks you the name of a track you say it to him, perhaps suggesting where the CD is included, or invite him to venture into the trouble of searching?

Now I know a lot of track names – and I am free to suggest, which song I play. Also I always offer if person like it to send it via e-mail.

The public bother you with absurd requests: what do you do? Are you a jukebox?

I always reply to them – may be it will be right moment tonight to put this music. Of course sometimes such requests help me to realise what people want now, so I listen always very carefully.

Do you like to dance and listen to your colleagues enjoy the selections and styles of others from your performances?

Of course I do, but beeing DJ I am very critical to the way of djing of my colleagues.

Do you believe that the art of “musicalizador” is different for geographic areas? Argentina, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean ... or is it similar in every countries?

They are 100% different. For example I do not like the way of DJing in Europe now – for me it is boring, a lot of 20s, 30s – milonguero music.

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?

I am not sure that i understand this question. But I want to say that I am tango dancer first of all and this helps me to make one wave with the others – I never put what I really do not like by myself.

The classic point-blank questions you have to answer, you cannot refuse:

Three orchestras that can not miss in one evening. 

Di Sarli, D'Arienzo, Pugliese

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

Di Sarli, D'Arienzo, Pugliese

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

Instrumental Di Sarli – El Abrojo, Champagne Tango, Una Fija, Don Juan
Tango singer Troilo-Fiorentino – Toda mi Vida, Yo soy el Tango, Tinta Roja, Te aconsejo que me olvides
Vals Biagi- Viejo Porton, Cuatro Palabras, Adoracion
Milonga Canaro – Un viejo se enamora, la milonga de mis tiempos, parque patricios

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

For milonga - electrotango in general. I do not understand how to motivate dancers to feel something with this music.

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

Underrated – Troilo (especially in Europe)
Overrated - Donato

Your top three nights (in your opinion of course ...)

Milonguero Nights 2012
Hamburg marathon (I do not remember a year), but I DJd there first time
Beirut Tango Festival 2012

We are less serious: Last night a dj saved my life. The DJ rule is sexy? have you ever had a relationship with some fans and some flirt with your colleagues?

Ahahaha….In tango everything works in different way – I never had something like this)))))