The Berlin based music label "Oriente" is well known for its exclusive repertoire of tango from all over the world, for example from Russia, Poland and Rumania. Now, there are two new CDs showing the worldwide enthusiasim for tango: "Istanbul Tango 1927-1953" from the series "Old World Tangos " and the second CD by Karsten Troyke "Noch amul! Tango oyf Yiddish Vol. 2".

This is worthwhile listening to!

Karsten Troyke: Noch amul!

The booklet shows the texts in English, Yiddisch, German and Hebrew.



This is what "Oriente" writes about the CD:

Even if Tango was born in Argentina, Yiddish is its second language. We prove, once again.

Considering the surprising success of “Dus Gezang Fin Mayn Harts” (Oriente RIENCD59), our first attempt to fill in the blank of Tango sung in Yiddish, it was a logical consequence (and a pleasure, too) to ask Karsten Troyke for another volume of the “Tango oyf Yiddish” series.

Again, Troyke and his musicians deliver “smooth renditions of lovesongs despite betrayal and as a remedy for sadness. Accordion, violin, clarinet and double bass sweep aloft the melodies.” (Hadassah Magazine) “There’s a history of Tango in Jewish theatre and art songs, and that’s apparent in the perfect fit of lyrics and slinky melodies. Troyke himself is an adept Yiddish singer. It’s not a pretty voice, by any means, but roughly expressive and very masculine – lived in. It’s not an album for scholars, by any means; in fact, it’s perfectly possible that the backing trio of accordion, violin and bass might well have you moving around the room with their easy virtuosity. These people are commited to their art form (Troyke is one of the leading contemporary Yiddish singers).” (Sing Out, from a review of “Dus Gezang Fin Mayn Harts”)

Varios: Istanbul Tango 1927-1953

The booklet contains interesting information on Turkish tango and its most important artists in English, Turkish and German.



This is what "Oriente" writes about the CD:

Welcome to old Istanbul! The fourth release of the successfull series „Old World Tangos“ by Oriente Musik deals with the golden era of Turkish tango. Recorded between 1927 and 1953 the tracks on this release will take you to the first decades of the Turkish Republic and introduce to you the Tango composers and singers of that time. Their tango was partly imported by translating the lyrics into Turkish and partly reinvented by mixing it with traditional Turkish music. Artists like Fehmi Ege, Celal İnce, Seyyan Hanım and İbrahim Özgür make this release an adventure of the gramophone era in Turkey. Find out about the unique path that the Turks forged in the history of world tango with the original recordings on „Istanbul Tango 1927-1953“.

Good news for dance schools, resellers and everybody who wants to extend his or her CD collection:
Because of structural alteration works in our warehouse we reduce our stock, The prices are super!

This offer is for all the friends of Latin American music!

A mix of individual CDs, the emphasis chosen by you can be Latin or Brasil and the assortment will be made by us... (only some few Tango CDs can be included ...)

Offer 1: 25 CDs for 119.- Euro + shipment
Offer 2: 50 CDs for 199.- Euro + shipment
Offer 3: 100 CDs for 299.- Euro + shipment

The offer for resellers and dance schools!

Purchase of at least 25 pieces per CD. Minimum purchase amount 500.-
Euro. The price per CD is 4.- Euro or even below. We will send a list
of available titles by email on request. You choose the CDs included
in the box. We offer extra price reductions for the purchase of larger
purchase quantities. The prices indicated in the offer for resellers
do not include VAT and shipment costs.

Our special offer is valid until the sale of overstock and ends on
March 8th, 2013. The CDs are first-hand, some of which are also
shrinkwrapped. Please use our contact form in case of interest.

A whole bunch of new Latin CDs has reached our shop: Salsa at its best, pop and also romantic tunes: In 2004, the salsa band N'Klabe released its first album. Here, influences from Puerto Rico, Latin America and the US meet and create fresh salsa. On this album, there are splendid versions of some of the greatest salsa tracks ever:

N'Klabe: La Salsa vive reloaded



Ricardo Montaner is a singer/ songwriter who keeps fascinating his fans with beautiful romantic ballads.

Ricardo Montaner: Viajero frecuente




This is the latest gem by Gilberto Santa Rosa. After having been in the music business for more than 25 years, he still delivers great modern salsa. This album was produced in co-operation with Ricky González, Marc Anthony's pianist, and Louis García. Don't miss out on this one!

Gilberto Santa Rosa: GSR



More new entries: Bobby Rivas, Alejandro Sanz, José Alberto el Canario. Have a look:
Latin news

The beats of Quinta Feira and Abacaxí create a highly explosive mixture, which makes you dance immediately. On stage, the two samba bands located in Hamburg/ Germany show a great percussion party.



The joy of the 17 drummers - men and women in their 20s and 30s, some of them joined the band when they were still children - is infectious!

The drummer Robin Fuhrmann (The Lion King) increases the band's energy with his powerful groove.

Get the DVD here:

Now, our download platform offers 38 new albums with classic tangos, amongst them already nine albums with recordings by Edgardo Donato. There are also ten albums by Juan d’Arienzo, seven by Francisco Canaro, five by Miguel Calo, two by Rodolfo Biagi and four by Osvaldo Pugliese.



Thus, our collection Tango Classics contains 253 albums altogether at this stage. And we continue working on it... For sure, you can find quite a lot which might be still missing in your current collection.

This link is the easiest way to find the new albums:

Selection of the albums with product numbers 200 to 253



Here, you will find 54 albums altogether, but it still gives you the best summary of the new entries.

Enjoy listening!
Matthias

Not an easy feat, but she has accomplished it successfully! Mecha Anzoátegui presents traditional and well-known Tangos on this CD, giving these frequently interpreted songs a fresh and personal patina with her Alto voice. With her fourth album Cuerpo y Alma, the singer has given us twelve Tangos and Milongas, accompanied by only two instruments played by the guitarrist César Angeleri and the bandoneon player Pablo Mainetti. Her full and resonant voice brings out the inherent melancholic character of melodies such as those of "Fuimos" and "Nieblas del Riachuelo". All twelve pieces are wonderful to listen to, especially now during the fall season.

The tastefully styled cover, held entirely in red and brown tones, is my eyes' first choice, on this early autumn afternoon. Looking at the cover, I am imagining a voice that carries the colours of autumn. As her first words reach my ear everything around me is melting into chocolate brown and red colours. The day is already coming to a close - some daylight is still reaching me through the clouds or is it fog? While I am pouring myself a glass of well-decanted Malbec from Mendoza and nibbling a few manís – peanuts – I am looking through my French windows watching the auburn autumn leaves float towards the ground against the backdrop of the clouded Lake Starnberg, with the first snow already covering the nearby peaks of the Alps. Or could it be river Riachuelo that features in so many Tangos and that Mecha Anzoátegui also sings about, the river Riachuelo in Buenos Aires, meandering slowly through the early morning wafts of mist, down there?

And when Mecha Anzoátegui is singing about a sentimental, coquettish French girl, as she does in "Griseta", she is daring to follow in Carlos Gardel's footsteps, just like so many other singers have tried before her. Gardel's rendering of Griseta is unique - no doubt about it - but when a woman sings about another woman, especially in this resonant Ato, then it allows for a whole set of additional associations to come forward "Griseta" – or "grisette" in French - was what in 19 century Paris seamstresses and female workers were called because they were wearing materials in a particular shade of grey. However, this label was also used for ladies of the bourgeoisie that consented all to willingly to being coquetted. This version is - at least for now - one of the few female interpretations of "Griseta".

My other personal favourite songs on this album are "Fuimos", "La pulpera de Santa Lucia", "Niebla del Riachuelo", and "Nada". These are all songs that have been recorded by a many great singers but Mecha Anzoátegui's voice gives these well-known lyrics a warm, autumn-like and colourful patina. And last but not least, these four pieces are just great to dance to and together they would make up a perfect melancholic tanda. So far, this singer has given live performances mostly in Buenos Aires. With this CD she may acquire a good reputation abroad, also. I would like her to achieve just that!

You can listen to "Cuerpo y Alma" following this link!

Susanne Mühlhaus www.sutango.com

Dance tango with renowned dance instructors from all over the world. Relax at the same time for a week amidst the hills of the Italian region Umbria.

















The baaing of the sheep and the chirping of the cicadas melt with the sounds of Pugliese or Canaro. The wind blows trough the olive groves, a little dance under the firmament at night.

In 2013, many well-known teachers will be there offering classes for all levels. Unfortunately, we have had to reject many last-minute applications this year, thus we recommend to book now for 2013. You can book as a couple or a single traveller. Single travellers receive the confirmation after a second person has been found. Here is more information on the programme 2013:
Tango holidays in Italy 2013

Win a Tango-CD booking right now through us. You can select between

The Cuban singer Mayelis Guyat and her band make you dance instantly! Their repertoire includes traditional as well as modern music resulting in a hot mix of salsa and timba, pop, funk hip hop and Latin jazz. This band was founded in Berlin and consists of eight musicians from Germany, Cuba and France. On their CD they also present their own songs which are better than many works of top stars.

Are you curious now? Listen to the CD:

Mi Solar: Havana Berlin

Inspired by their fascination for "Tango Nuevo", three young musicians founded the group "Luz y Sombra" during their studies at University of Arts Berlin.

With creativity and passion, the trio is since then arranging and performing the multifarious opus of Astor Piazzolla throughout Germany.

Featuring violin, clarinet and piano, the group emerses the audience into the emotional world of Piazzolla's music, a music full of desire, grief and joie de vivre at the same time.

Here, you can listen to the CD and buy it:

Luz y Sombra: Werke von Astor Piazzolla

Book the last seats available! The Salsa festival at the end of November has become an international top event during the last years. 700 dance enthusiast went to Havana in 2011. The festival 2012 is almost booked out according to the organisers, but only almost. We still have some vacancies for you... and there is more! Our offer is not limited to the last week of November in the rather modern part of Havana - we show you Cuba from different points-of-view. And because our dance school - yes, we have been offering highly qualified classes in Havana for about 17 years for Salsa and all other rhythms danced in Cuba! - is located in the historic city centre, and because we accommodate you in real Cuban appartments in the middle of Havana, the first week could be even more exciting than the second one, which adjusts more to programmes one can find somewhere else.

We offer individual pick-up service at the airport. During the first week, you stay at a carefully selected Cuban upper standard appartment with friendly Cuban hosts, who you might not want to leave again afterwards (It happened to many travellers, but you can always come back...) There is a Cuban tour guide for you, who speaks Spanish, English and French. And you study the individual dance classes at the "Academia Danza y Movimiento“, during which you can dance with your personal Cuban dance partner without having to pay an extra charge.

For the second week, you move to the Mirimar district, situated at a distance of about 12 km from the historic centre, and you stay at one of the festival hotels. Please read here how this is going to be:



This is truly an experience which makes you get to know Cuba during two weeks from very different perspectives. And you can also arrive earlier or stay longer...

More information about „Baila en Cuba“ with „Danza y Movimiento“

Ready for new Salsa? There we go! Cheo Feliciano and Rubén Blades, Johnny Rivera, Bobby Rivas, Victor Manuelle, N'Klabe and a great 3CD-compilation will make your heart beat faster:

Cheo Feliciano und Rubén Blades: Eba say ajá

Johnny Rivera: El noble de la salsa

Bobby Rivas: Las calientes

Victor Manuelle: Busco un pueblo

N'Klabe: La salsa vive

Varios: Beginner's guide to salsa (3 CD)

Prince Royce, Elvis Martínez, El Chaval de la Bachata, Lenny Santos, Elvis Crespo, Juan Luis Guerra... this list of new bachata and merengue CDs is really impressive! The following links lead you to the corresponding CD and the audio samples:

Prince Royce: Phase II

Elvis Martínez: Esperanza

El Chaval de la Bachata: Por el maldito dinero

Lenny Santos: Aventurero

Elvis Crespo: Monsters

Juan Luis Guerra: Colección cristiana

Trío Central - Falsa Alarma

First of all: „Falsa Alarma“ ("False Alert") by Trio Central is simply brillliant and one can only wish for such a false alarm! My favourite pieces are "El Pollo Ricardo" and "Boedo" - the wonderfully playful piano is just ingenious here as well as the replying bandoneon. Or perhaps all of the songs are my favourite pieces?
The piano is cheekily providing the tune for the bandoneon in "Organito de la Tarde". The interplay of these two instruments is breathing fresh, new life to the the Di Sarli classic "Bahía Blanca" which we have been listening to almost too many times. But, hey we would love to listen to it again now in this fresh interpretation by Trío Central. Very convincing is the title piece "Falsa Alarma", composed by the pianist Pablo Woizinski. The bandoneon player Christian Gerber is also a member of the successful Quinteto Angel. What instrument does the third musician of Trío Cntral play again? Oh, well, contrabass. Well, since Patrick Süsskind's eponymous novel the destiny of double bass players has been well-known. One only perceives them marginally, but honestly, Rodolfo Paccapelo's contrabass would seriously go amiss as a structural frame and as a strong background sound. Eventually, in "Tango Apasionado – Finale" the contrabass player has his moments of fame. A feast to your ears, and my legs can't keep quiet either on listening to "la Retirada", written by Juan Carlos Cáceres. This CD contains even two versions of this piece. The piano can almost cope with this piece on its own when I perceive the contrabass in the background and only after a good third of the piece is over, the bandoneon comes in and give "Retirada" a whole noe drive.
And really, we can't say that we are missing a single further instrument here with this Trio. Trío Central provides fully-fledged Tango delicatessen and the pieces are almost all superbly danceable. A great debut CD by this formation of three young musicians from Buenos Aires and Berlin, that doesn't leave any wishes unfulfilled. Oh, there would be one though! I would really love them to come to Munich and perform live at my milonga, one of these days. Well, until then I can happily while away the time by listening to their CD...

Susanne Mühlhaus www.sutango.com

15 albums with 179 tango tango, vals and milonga tracks by Carlos di Sarli - this continuation of releases belonging to our series "Tango Classics" presents an array of recordings from the 1950s. Please click on the following list for a survey - even tango experts will not know all the titles published here ...



To the 15 new albums by Carlos die Sarli


Some information about the series “Tango Classics”

Klaus Johns, born in Hamburg and deceased in 2004, spent his life collecting one of the largest tango archives in Europe. After his
death, the material copied from the original recordings on almost 600 music tapes was archived. The life span of this cultural treasure on tapes is limited, and according to specialist evaluations the complete material in its present form would be lost within a few years. Thus, "Danza y Movimiento" decided to digitize a good deal of the archive.

In Klaus John’s lifetime, DyM already produced a series of tango CDs from the existing repertoire together with this very energetic musician, composer and collector based in the tango scene in Graz, Austria. These productions are highly esteemed by tango experts because of their high editorial value. Our compilations of tangos, milongas and valses known worldwide are also part of this repertoire.

The series "Tango Classics" publishes the material at hand without putting a special thematic emphasis. Although, if possible, every album presents a single tango artist. The purpose of our series is to make titles accessible that might still be missing in someone’s collection. All the 2000 music tracks currently available (May 2012) can be downloaded individually, and they are also available in FLAC format, free of compression-loss. The recordings were slightly edited in order to reduce strong background noises of the original sound carriers. All the recordings are legally protected, but they can be licensed for tango projects at favourable conditions.

This is a complete survey of all the albums already released in the series:

"The series "Tango Classics""

The very first piece makes me wander off into the land of daydreaming. „Prepárense“ - „Prepare Yourselves!“ is the appropriate title of the first Tango by Astor Piazzolla on this CD by the Ensemble Libertango. And so I am preparing myself for further auditory pleasure which this CD promises. Piazzolla provided nine further compositions to this CD. The perfect chill-out music accompanying a longdrink or cocktail at sunset - and letting the day's events pass review again before I eventually leave it all behind and allow myself to indulge in the freely floating associations that this music evokes. During spring in Buenos Aires („Primavera Porteña“) I see the lush blue-violet coloured blossoms of the jacaranda trees, perfect beauty beyond comparison.
Piazzollas Four Seasons in Buenos Aires provide the framework for this CD, with further pieces harmoniously arranged within this structure. But I admit, I am understating things here! Listening to this CD again, I consider the structure no less than brilliant! „El aeroplano“ by Roberto Firpo magics the mild spring evening breeze onto my cheeks – I am actually able to say this right now because I am writing this in spring time and in the evening too! Via „Triunfal“ by Piazzolla we continue the journey to the summer in Buenos Aires („Verano Porteño“). What joy! And I can already feel the sweat running down my temples because I cannot remain on my seat when listening to the summer Tangos and valsecitos. Rarely have I enjoyed a more vivid interpretation of „Bordoneo y 900“. I find myself sitting in a theatre - is it the Teatro Cervantes in Buenos Aires? - and barely half into this piece I cannot resist jumping up from my seat and wanting to applaud the orquestra. „Desde el alma“ does not get me back onto my seat but instead I start dancing, oblivious to my surroundings.
Following the subsiding autumn gales of the „Otoño Porteño“ I contemplate Piazzolla's „Ballad for an Insane“ and I find myself levitating into the night carried by the question and answer game of „Nocturna“. „Lágrimas y sonrisas“ is so wonderfully danceable in this smooth interpretation by the Ensemble Libertango, peaking in a fulminant ending. I immerse myself further in the autumn, accopanied by the sensitive approach and, by the same token, so intense interpretation of „Nostalgias“, where the various instruments seem to bring to the fore contradictory thoughts and feelings and at the right time unite them all back to harmony.
Winter in Buenos Aires („Invierno Porteño“) first makes me slide into melancholy and then instils me with newly found confidence and I really think that it is a successful transition to „Libertango“. Here, the piano evokes the sound of the falling winter rain which is then replaced by the supporting bow instruments. This is followed by the accordion intervening and all together they eagerly advance to the grand finale. I just love this piece!
Immediately I listen to „El Porteño“ once again and I discover more magic... Unbelievable!
This CD will definedly accompany me on my next flight to Buenos Aires. At the moment, I can hardly image a more enjoyable transition from Europe to Argentina. “.

Susanne Mühlhaus

Orquesta Típica Misteriosa Buenos Aires - Tango de Salón
3 bandoneons, 3 violins, a contrabass, a piano and 2 singers: This young orchestra of ten musicians have set their sights on following the lead of
Carlos di Sarli, that is to play pieces melodically, in a steady and therefore danceable rhythm and with a romantic touch. And it is exactly that what they have achieved with this CD!
Fresh interpretations of popular Tangos like "9 de Julio" in a slower version, which provides room for a playful piano tune. I listen eagerly to the fresh tunes of "En esta Tarde Gris", "Loca", "Recuerdo" and "Nostalgias".
Thanks to the voices of Marisol Martínez and Marcelo Rey traditional Tangos such as "En esta tarde gris" (Rey) get a contemporary flair. Martínez' voice lets us see the rising mist above the river Riachuelo. slowly meandering its way at the southern rims of the City of Buenos Aires. And we believe Marcelo Rey that he wants to get inebriated in the face of a hopelessly lost love (Nostalgias). The first few lines are particularly catchy "Quiero emborrachar mi corazón, para apagar un loco amor, que más que amor es un sufrir..." ("I want to drown my heart to extinguish a crazy love that is more suffering than love...").
Javier Arias is the musical head of this formation. 4 members of his former enseble Orquesta Típica Fervor de Buenos Aires are part of the Orquesta Típica Misteriosa Buenos Aires.
My personal favourites of this CD are "9 de Julio", "Recuerdo", "Nostalgias", "Felicia" and "Perdóname". Of the 14 pieces 8 are instrumental versions; there are 13 tangos and 1 milonga. And there are also 2 folklore pieces as bonus tracks (Chacarera and Gato).
This thoroughly danceable debut CD recorded by this orchestra will not only enrich the music library of all tango dancers and Tango DJs but it also whets everyone's appetite for furhter recordings of the Orquesta Típica Misteriosa Buenos Aires.
You can also see and listen to this orchestra live in Buenos Aires since they play, as the house orquestra, at the Milonga "La Misteriosa" in Humberto Primo 2758, every Wednesday. The Orquesta Típica Misteriosa Buenos Aires live.
Susanne Mühlhaus

was the question our Cuban travel partner asked us yesterday after she had received the list of participants for our Easter journey to Cuba from March 31st to April 14th. Indeed, not only the Cuban female dancers are waiting for their dance partners. Male dancers are also appreciated by the group in order to go out dancing in the evenings together.

More information about our group travel to havana Easter 2012

The music we want to present to you this week, comes from the Rio de la Plata again.
And in the broadest sense we are dealing with tango here...

Because we are gonna deal with Juan Carlos Cáceres, the Orquesta Fernandez Fierro and the Sexteto Ojos de Tango.


Cáceres: Noche de Carnaval
On his latest album Juan Carlos Caceres recollects the tradition of Rio de la Plata music… and goes beyond it at the same time!
For besides notable tango and milonga elements on this Caceres invigoratesmurga and candombe, the traditional carnival music from Argentina and Uruguay. These styles also explain the title "Noche de Carnaval" But the title also hints to the playful and exuberant athmosphere - as well as to the colorful melange which on principle suspend all (genre) rules and instead focusses on doing things for the fun of it. In this sense the title says it all!
And that is why to tango, milonga, murga, and candombe also charleston, swing, and jazz are added. Still this album is by far not all about fiesta - the more solemn moments even prevail. But the musicians have a lot of fun playing and you can definitely hear that! And meanwhile Cáceres interweaves the carnival rhythms skillfully with the pensive chant of his bassy, sometimes slightly rough, sonorous, and expressive voice!
The Authenticity, which Cáceres, this "tsunami of magma and champagne" conveys with his very unique mixture of styles is certainly (on the one hand) due to the fact that he has taught and done research on the music from his native region. On the other hand he has earned his spurs back then in one of the most frequented jazz clubs in Buenos Aires. And the versatility which he gained in this way has given him the unique ability to make the bandoneón dispensable and still create the right atmosphere… you really won't miss it! (e.g. track 11)


Orquesta Típica Fernandez Fierro: Putos
For Fernandez Fierro in, contrast, the bandoneón is vital - but in a quite different way!
These guys are (that gets pretty clear on this CD) something like the punk rock of tango. And that is not only noticeable by the provocative names of their albums - the last one was entitled "Mucha Mierda", this one is named "Putos".
And it even is substantially wilder than its predecessor! Calmness is limited to a few passages within otherwise highly dramatic songs. These young rebels - who even throw a piano down a pedestrian bridge as a pastime and don't refrain from making political statements in whatever situation - have more energy than three symphony orchestras! And they absolutely do their own thing. They have already rejected a major deal and sicking to their independent style, their by now fifth album consists of two identical CDs. The cardboard sleeves can be cut along the perforated line and in one of them you'll find a note, telling you to keep one and give away the other
This album has got an extreme power and is musically highly sophisticated - even though it might not be the best choice to put on for a milonga


Sexteto Típico Ojos de Tango: Ojos de Tango
This one is by far the most "classic" of the presented CDs
The Sextet of pianist, composer, and arranger Analia Goldberg imprints a very rhythmic, often staccato like style into their tangos, which still is quite different from Biagi or D'Arrienzo. Some Passages are almost ascetic, but only to underline the then following change of dynamic.
These musicians play creatively with reduction, emphasis and breaks so that many tangos on this CD can be experienced totally anew! For example "La Mariposa" (track 1), El Huracan (track 4) or "A Evaristo Carriego" (track 6).
Absolutely noteworthy are the guest singers on this production! Especially awesome is the vals "Caserón de Tejas" (track 3), intoned only with piano and voice. And these harmonize in an unbelievable way!

For the beginning of 2012 we have tango news, made in Germany from Cuarteto Bando and Iwan Harlan. In many aspects they differ from each other: quartet vs. solo artist, analog vs. digital, traditional vs. electro, East vs. West
... but what they do have in common is the passion for tango!

Let's start with Cuateto Bando y Caio Rodriguez.
"Reflexión del Tango"
is the name of the second album of this quartet, founded by the bandoneonist Jürgen Karthe. While on their first album "Tango A Tango" they presented strictly instrumentals, this time they collaborate with the singer Jorge Daniel "Caio" Rodriguez who lends his velvety-soft and clear voice to the emotions which make this CD alive and almost tear it appart.
Among the overall 22 songs there are many traditional tangos, most of them grandiosely reinterpreted. Especially remarkable in this respect is for example the version of "Percal" (Track 17). In Addition to these the album is rounded of – besides two "Piazzollas" – by three self-composed Songs (Tracks 5, 6, and 19)!
Even though the "Bando" in the name of this quartet is a diminutive for bandoneon it becomes clear pretty soon, that there is absolutely nothing to belittle about this skillfully played music! Jürgen Karthe's bandoneon is rather wholehearted, expressive, and obviously very experienced. And the piano often appears mighty and powerful. For example in "Ventanita de Arrabal" (Track 3), one of my favorites on this CD. "Gricel" (Track 4) is another one of the songs I like best and the self-composed "La Primavera Tarde" (Track 19) is big as well... and I could go on like this a little further

The Cuarteto, which was founded in 2006 and has firmly established itself in the international tango scene since then, is the third formation of Jürgen Karthe's, following the Sexteto Andorinha and the duo Tango Amoratado.
So for all of you who like this CD, listening to the other productions as well as to the first CD of Cuarteto Bando should be extremely worthwhile.

From these more classical arrangements we move on to modern electronic interpretations of tango:

Iwan Harlan's "Elonga Musik Vol. 1" is electronic, experimental, emotional... and danceable.
Which is certainly due to the fact that Harlan himself is a tango teacher. On top of that he is a sound engineer and musical multi-talent and after several other musical projects he has finally decided to delight us with a (E-)tango album!
The sound he creates is changing between extreme drive and a melancholic, intimate atmosphere, which makes you blind out everything except for your own dance. At other points the album has more lounge and sometimes a bit pop. But across the board we can rely on a good rhythm as for example in the guest apperances of Harlan's own Balkan ensemble "Turlitawa" (Tracks 12 und 13).
besides quite some "nontango" influences on "Elonga Music Vol. 1" you'll find many elements which we've all come to appreciate the stars of the e-tango for. "Conspiration" (Track 6) is a very good example for this. And "Bouffon" (Track 2) could become a 'classic' and accompany us for quite some time on nuevo-milongas!

Our download section keeps growing...
One of the latest gems is a CD of a promising band from Italy: the Orquesta Caminito. The title of their album focuses on the essential: "Tango"

I'm not gonna conceal the fact that this album really amazed me - quite like "7" by Sexteto Milonguero!
Just looking at the selection of songs already tells you about the impressive versatility of this "Orquesta":
From solemn Tangos (La melodia de nuestro Adios, Ensueños, Para Osmar Maderna) to highly dramatic songs (El Recodo, Tanguera, El Huracan, A Evaristo Carriego) to quite merry and cheerful music (La Colegiala, Morena, Mairposa)... and even the deeply melancholic "Oblivión". Moreover the names of these tunes make clear that the five musicians can play everything from "Golden Era" to "Nuevo". Whether Canaro, D'Arienzo, or Piazzolla, die stylistic nuances are masterfully performed!

Probably my two favorite songs on this CD are "Ensueños" (Track 4) and "La Colegiala" (Track 5). The latter has got nothing to do with the well-known Latina hit For quite some time I wondered, what kind of music this is exactly, because it doesn't get along with tango dancing and is missing the typical milonga rythm... now I've learned, that "La Colegiala" is actually a foxtrot. Whatsoever. This song, which starts like a children' song and throughout the rest of the tune is pure joy, fun and energy, is exactly the right thing to put on in order to raise the spirits, previously immersed in plaintive tangos. And I actually like this version even better than the original from Enrique Rodriguez!

Other songs which I like particularly are "El Huracan" (Track 3), "El Recodo" (Track 1) and "Tanguera" (Track 9) as well as "Pacienca" (Track 13). Here is a live performance of the latter, so you can get a first impression:



The man at the microphone is playing the trumpet on other recordings (for example Tanguera or La Melodia de Nuestro Adios). The sound of brass instruments in tango I only knew from "La Tubatango" so far... but it fits perfectly in the program here!
So this man is Alberto Polese, of whom we also included some earlier (previously unreleased!) CDs in our download section, too. For Example this one (attention, it's not tango ).


The repertoire which the gentlemen from Orquesta Caminito list in their blog, comprises more than five times as many songs as the ones which made it to this CD! And this raises expectations, that we won't have to wait too long, before their next album will be released