Dark-OH: My choice of music is getting wider and wider with every new song that I find “danceable”. When it is about structure of milonga evening, I look at it as a making of love: if you do it too rough with only strong rhythmical music all night it will be like a raping (for ears); if you do it too soft, others might fall asleep because it will be boring after a while.

Today we meet another great TangoDJ: Dark-OH. A deep love for the tango which also reflects a great love for music, as a musician ( violinist). It's very interesting studying his approach to the art of djing, reading his words " When it is about structure of milonga evening, I look at it as a making of love: if you do it too rough with only strong rhythmical music all night it will be like a raping (for ears); if you do it too soft, others might fall asleep because it will be boring after a while. During a time I was changing my structuring of tanda, changing a way of choosing a songs for miloga climax and lot of other things… I was growing up and still I am. Yes, a lot of details influence me on a milonga – dancers, place; is it a regular, festival or marathon miloga, is there a performance or concert, duration of milonga, quality of speakers (sometimes problems with technique can be “pain in the …” ) ". From Serbia, one of the tango capitals in Europe another great interview. Read and enjoy!!!.


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?


You know how almost all of the people say that when they were just a little kids, they knew that one day they will do the things in which they are good now. Well… it wasn`t my case. Yes, my first contact with Tango music was through dance. After few years of dancing, my good friend Angelica, famous actor from Belgrade was organizing a milonga and she asked me to be a DJ. I said: “Yes” - strangely very self confident, because I knew, somehow, that I could do it. When I was much younger, I finished music school and played violin. Then, I hated it… But now, I feel that I was lucky with it, `cause it helped me in this. If nothing, wit some musical education you develop some sense for music. Off course, there are always some DJ`s who are great musicians, but horrible DJ`s… I just strongly believe that it is not a good way for starting to be a DJ after one year of dancing and having a strong agenda for being a DJ just because it is “cool” .



What were your early taste of tango? There are significant differences with the current scene?
Even when I started to DJ, I tried to structure a whole music on milonga based on a “classic” tango music and now I`m kinda proud of that beginning… It took a lot of time to research about the “rules” of Tango DJ-ing before my first night when I played. Off course, some of the tandas I played then I find quit ridiculous now. Now, a lot of thing are different. My affinities change. With every new song listened, or with every new DJ heard on some other event, I change a bit, even unconsciously. Uh, and I must add that the beginning was quit stressful – while putting music for the first time I realized how big responsibility it is to create a mood of dancers on a milonga. But, all of that was mixed with a nice feeling of doing something good.


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?
A search for some song can be very interesting, but also difficult if you are impatient. When you buy a CD, one you were looking for a long time, you feel like a child in a candy shop and that is a beauty of it. And you appreciate money given for it and time wasted for search. Easy access to a world of Tango music on internet is also very nice, you don`t need to go to Buenos Aires or somewhere else to buy CD`s, shopping on internet makes life much easier for DJ`s. I think that it is good that Tango music is accessible this way. Everybody can get it and decide whether to enjoy it just for themself or try to “share” it through DJ-ing. Really, nothing else can give you that great feeling when you find some song you were searching for some time! It is like you did some big thing for humankind. Correction, for a “dancerkind”


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

When I started to DJ I needed some kind of playlist. After a while, I learned to rely on my senses and to work at the moment and on the place of milonga. And that is an art of DJ-ing. Some people approach to me and ask me during a tanda: “What will you play next?” Sometimes I really don`t know until the end of current tanda. DJ`s are not a composers of music, but creativity is a key word when you are structuring a songs in tanda, or building an atmosphere with tandas and that is influenced with lot of things. I think that a person who is DJ-ing is a medium between Tango and dancers. Tango music is constant in its greatness, dancers are every time in a different mood and my job is to get them closer to that stadium that Tango music has. Very spiritually thing… No, DJ just need to be present in a moment and observe…

Have you ever played in a boring night? Have you you understand too late that perhaps the milonga could not give you the right motivation and you could not wait to finish?
Hm… boring night… I always try to start from myself in a way that I`m the one who is the most responsible for an atmosphere on a milonga. I read somewhere that dancers are the one who create a mood of milonga and that if they are in a bad mood, good place and a good music can not do much. My job is to make this statement false. If the dancers are in a bad mood - try to change it. But, you can not allow yourself a luxury of being in a bad mood – dancers will feel it.

Do you accept whatever you offer or try to make a selection preferring location and fascinating evening with friends

When I`m invited somewhere to DJ, it might sound like a cliché, but I really try to give my 100% whether I play for 5 or 500 people… I can`t remember any reason or any place that can push me away from DJ-ing…


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 ..

Sorry… but, I can`t define my style. I don`t like when people say that some DJ is very “energetic” or very “romantic”, or “he plays just Tango from La Epoca De Oro”. I love almost all. But, there is a difference - some things I love, but I never play on a milonga. From the beginning and until now I was changing and my DJ-ing was changing. My choice of music is getting wider and wider with every new song that I find “danceable”. When it is about structure of milonga evening, I look at it as a making of love: if you do it too rough with only strong rhythmical music all night it will be like a raping (for ears); if you do it too soft, others might fall asleep because it will be boring after a while. During a time I was changing my structuring of tanda, changing a way of choosing a songs for miloga climax and lot of other things… I was growing up and still I am. Yes, a lot of details influence me on a milonga – dancers, place; is it a regular, festival or marathon miloga, is there a performance or concert, duration of milonga, quality of speakers (sometimes problems with technique can be “pain in the …” )



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?
Usually, I play alone on a regular milonga, where I`m a resident DJ. It happened to me that I played with a people I saw for the first time in my life. It was interesting – best thing is when people notice with just listening that a DJ`s have switched. When you play on a marathon it is inevitable to share an evening or a day. When I play on a regular or festival milonga, I love to play alone, think that every DJ does, cause I have my own vision of evening , something like an atmosphere I`m trying to make.


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?

This is a funny one. I always answer politely. But, if a person is persistent in asking for not one, but almost every song (it happened ones that a person was coming whole night, looking on desktop and trying to write down whole tanda that was playing), I suggest to him to try to search a bit by himself. In one way it is good for him and I try to make him understand how I value my time – it happened that I heard some song and I loved it so much, but I never wanted to bother a DJ for a song title, and after a year I find it by lucky chance. For the easy-going persons who wants it all and in a moment, there is a nice song from Rolling Stones called “You can`t always get what you want”…


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

Uhhhh… absurd requests… I`m always trying to be nice to everybody. Usually, the longer the people are involved in tango they have less absurd requests. There were a lot of funny requests: to play La Cumparsita in the middle of evening because the guy who asked for it likes that song very much; or request like “Can you play that song (and than a person starts to sing badly) na –na- nana-naaa”; this one is pearl of absurd - one idiot (maybe not politically correct, but that is the word) who was sitting behind me asked me to move because he can not see a girls on a dancefloor, I was blocking his view. Hm, there was no polite way for handling this guy. DJ is not u Jukebox… If somebody asks you in a nice way, you can always put that song, if you feel like playing that song…


Do you like to dance and listen to your colleagues enjoy the selections and styles of others from your performances?
While I DJ I never dance. Therefore, listening to other DJ`s and dancing on other choice of music is always a great thing. Also, this way I can dance(enjoy) and learn something new at the same time.



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?

I think that there is some difference between geographic areas. Some DJ`s from Europe don`t know or they don`t care about some “rules” and play something that is not to be played in Buenos Aires . Also, there are some general waves, like a flue, that hits whole Tango scene. In Europe, when I travel to a different countries I see that people react the same on some songs that are more” famous at the moment” . Like it was a case with Invierno… But, you can not make some rough generalization. There are just good and less good DJ`s. The good ones are different from each other with their taste and choice of music they play…



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 was lucky to start to DJ on a great milonga in Belgrade “Milonga de Angelica” and now I regulary DJ on “Milonga Alma”. This places offers me everything I need. I only wish sometimes I could clone myself and dance on the music I play. Just kidding! Also, in every other town in every other country, I feel good when I play. I don`t need too much time to get “familiar” with a dancers and a dance floor. Calendar of events? I don`t complain when it is crowded…




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

Three orchestras that can not miss in one evening.

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

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

I need to put four as an answer. Orchestras of Carlos Di Sarli, Juan D`Arienzo, Osvaldo Pugliese and Anibal Troilo.


My three favorite, in this moment, are the orchestras of Roberto Firpo, Francisco Lomuto and Rafael Canaro.


OK… Made in this moment, virtually…

Tanda of Tango instrumental (Orquesta Manuel Pizarro):


C`est mon gigolo


Consejo sano


La espuela


Tu caricias



Tanda of Tango with singer (Orquesta Juan Polito)


La Bruja


Una carta


Medianoche


Trago amargo


Vals tanda:


Tu palida voz (Francisco Canaro)


Luna del Plata (Miguel Calo)


La Pulpera De Santa Lucía (Alberto Castillo)


Milonga tanda:


Rebeldia (Angel Sica)


Milonga nueva (Jose Tinelli)


Mi vieja linda (Emilio Pellajero)



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

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

There is only one thing I really don`t like – La (Los) Tubatango. And… when DJ plays foxtrot instead of milongas. It is very subjective… Hm, that was a second thing. It is enough…


When it is about non contemporary orchestra, I think that Pedro Laurenz is underrated, maybe because I adore him and want to hear it more… Most overrated? Can`t answer that one…


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

Naming any milonga where I played as better than others wouldn`t be nice to others. But, whenever I finished playing and after that people were a bit happier – it was a good night!



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?


I will answer in a less serious way - I just make love with Tango music and with a dance floor. Now, to be serious – main DJ rule is: Play only Glam Tango with sexy cortinas! Just kidding…