The online column “Piazza Navona” today is pleased to tell you about Tango through the Otros Aires, the Argentine musical group that managed to blend the tradition of Argentine dance and music with contemporary sonorities.
The new week of the online column “Piazza Navona” begins with music … or rather, with Tango! It is considered a real philosophy of life, a feeling, a way of living and thinking… Carlos Gavito, considered the personification of the Tango as well as the greatest tanguero in the world, said:
The secret of tango is in that instant of improvisation that is created between step and step. Make the impossible a possible thing: dance the silence.
The guest of our virtual square today is Miguel Di Genova founder and creator of the musical project Otros Aires which, in 2018, was declared of Cultural Interest for the City of Buenos Aires.
Miguel Di Genova, Argentine musician and architect, is the spearhead of this project (about music and videoart) in which many musicians and artists move such as, for example: Diego Ramos (piano and arranger), Hugo Satorre (bandoneón), Lysandre Donoso (bandoneón), Marisa Mercadé (bandoneón), Joe Powers (harmonica), Mariano Heler (Guitar)…
In any case, the intent of this project is to create a meeting point between the present and the past, between tradition and innovation between tango and electrotango. In this way the traditional tango meets new sounds, taking on a new aspect without losing its nature and its deepest sense. Thus, Carlos Gardel, Juan D’Arienzo, Osvaldo Pugliese keep on living in our history and in our contemporaneity.
But let’s tell us all about this is Miguel Di Genova, one of the world’s leading exponents of electrotango.
- How was born your interest for Tango?
It was always there but I think Piazzolla made it stronger. When I was 20th I became fanatic about his music. At that time I used to play rock and remember I always mix some tango structures on my rock music.
- What is your idea of Tango? And how was born your band?
I always thought that we really need to represent our own time with our music. I love traditional Tango. I love to listen and dance to it. Traditional Tango probably represents my feelings but it doesn’t represent my today’s way to express those feelings.
Otros Aires was born in Barcelona. It was a project I started myself with electronic sequences, videoart, my guitar and my voice. I was living in Spain for 3 years so I really needed to bring my culture back to me. That was how it started, playing in bars. I had also some Spanish friends collaborating with me in some recordings. Then I came back to BA and I finished it with Argentine musicians.
- You renew some classic Tangos (Gardel, D’Arienzo…) and mix them with modern and electronic music. Could you tell me more about this kind of work?
The idea is to play with the time. I tried to make a bridge between different moments of the history (beginning of the XX century and beginning of the XXI century) and let them happen on present time. I tried to represent the idea of a non linear time.
- What is your favourite Tango?
Barrio de Tango, Niebla del Riachuelo, Mariposita…. it is complicated to choose just one.
- Could you tell me more about your album Perfect Tango?
This project was consequence of experiences at a Songwriters Retreat made at Miles Copeland´s Castle in France on 2013 (Miles Copeland was manager of The Police, Sting, etc). On that opportunity I was invited to write songs and collaborate with some mainstream artists, songwriters and producers like: Mika, Babydaddy (from Scissors Sisters), Meghan Kabir, Kathy Dennis, Greg and Bob Wells, etc so I made some songs which finally were included on the album (Solo Esta Noche) and this experience was also an inspiration to make other songs. When I got home I was working in a very different way than I used to. Some of them were also included on this album. Let´s say that it is probably a cross mix between tango and pop music (to try to find a definition for it).
- What do you want to tell through your way to live and to feel Tango?
I have a love and hate relationship with the Tango world. I really love Tango, it has wonderful things (embrace, deep feelings, connexion with our history, etc) but sometimes I see the same Tango world I love as an stupid, conservative, repetitive, ignorant and non-creative place at all. As I told you… love and hate. It is just depends on the day.
So…enjoy the Tango!
Haris Mihail & Malika Pitou Nicolier performing on the stage of Casino’s theater, during the International Tango Festival of Aix les Bains with Otros Aires.
