This week's alternative tanda is a very high energy set inspired by Dubstep.

This set is a lot of fun and has gone over well here when I have played it. Personally I love dancing to "Too Close." I think this is an example of what I look for in alternative music to dance tango to. The thing that I love about tango is the structure: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse. You have 4 shifts of energy during a song, usually from more lyrical/melodic to more rhythmic/beat oriented. While I find "Radioactive" a little cheesy and pop music sounding, it has the shifts that I like for dancing. "Too Close" has those shifts also from very tender to very bold. I love those transitions. It gives me opportunities to go crazy and to calm down.

I like "Sail," but it has less dramatic shifts. Much of the alternative music that people play, I find very monotonous. They are long and sound exactly the same through the entire song. When do I dance close, when do I open the embrace? When do I go from rhythmic to lyrical? I would have to force those shifts rather than them happening organically with the music, because the music is the same throughout the whole song.

Listen to this Tanda

• More Alternative Tandas

This alternative tanda is really more of a modern tanda by Sexteto Milonguero.

The Sexteto Milonguero formed in 2006 with the simple desire to play the dance repertoire, usually heard in the milongas, including different styles of different bands, emphasizing the 40′s, and beyond the excellent versions heard for years, Sexteto Milonguero tries to give a personal sound to these great old songs.

The only intention? … follow the path of those great bands, and do not let the tango, withdraw from the neighborhood, the dancers, the popular, the milongas …"

Javier Di Ciriaco - Sexteto Milonguero

Listen to this Tanda

• Sexteto Milonguero
• More Modern Tandas

This alternative tanda is a fun set of Fox Trots by Enrique Rodríguez. The rhythm is similar to that of milonga. See below for some dance interpretations of La Colegiala.

Listen to this Tanda

• More Alternative Milongas

This weeks alternative tanda is an electronic set by Gotan Project and Tanghetto.

Listen to this Tanda

More about:

• More Electronic Tango Tandas

This weeks alternative tanda is a collection of modern classical pieces excellent for dancing tango. The first is a band called Apocalyptica, who covers lots of Metallica songs. This version of "Nothing Else Matters" has been popular for years as an alternative tango. The second song is from an Italian movie soundtrack called "Cuore Sacro." It is a beautiful song and I love dancing to it. The third song is from the Mr. and Mrs. Smith Soundtrack and is very bold and a great way to end this tanda. One thing that ties all of these songs together is that they all start soft and slow and then build and build to really wonderful crescendos.

Listen to this Tanda

After workshop demo, by Shelley and I to Cuore Sacro:

More about:

• More Alternative Tandas

This weeks alternative tango is a collection of songs by Astor Piazzolla. What amazes me about Piazzolla is how he can put so many emotions into the same piece of music.

This version of "Libertango" is a remix by Hi Perspective and is nice because it has a bit slower and has more of a beat than other versions. The only negative to it is that it has a very fast fade out at the end of the song.

"Cite Tango" is so light and playful and then it becomes soft and romantic. It feels like being at an amusement park.  You are having fun all day, but then it gets late and you start to get tired. You realize that the fun is over and that you must go home.

This version of "Tanguedia III" is from Tango Zero Hour, one of my favorite Piazzolla albums. This song is very aggressive, almost violent. You have to be bold and precise dancing to it. I also like to use lots of changes of directions (alterations). I have edited the song to remove the 22 second intro.

If you wanted to keep this tanda under 10 minutes, you could use Gotan Projects edit of "Cite Tango" which is 3.56 and then start Tanguedia III at the 1.34 mark.

Listen to this Tanda

More about:

• More Piazzolla Tandas
• www.piazzolla.org

This weeks alternative tanda is an electronic tango set by Bajofondo Tango Club and Gotan Project. These are 3 very fun tangos to dance to. One suggestion for dancers would be to take it slow and calm when dancing to these songs. I often see people running around way too fast, especially to "Pa' Bailar."

Listen to this Tanda

More about:

• More Electronic Tango Tandas

This weeks alternative tanda focuses on pop waltzes (vals).  "Hijo de la Luna" is a classic alternative tango song and has a great waltz rhythm for dancing. Sting's "Until" is one of my favorite waltzes to dance to. It is such a beautiful song and has a classic waltz rhythm. "Will You Remember" is a sweet and pretty waltz. Also, a note for DJs, I have trimmed the intro off of "Will You Remember" so that it does not take so long to get to the waltz rhythm.

Listen to this Tanda

Click here for more Alternative Vals Tandas