Modern Tango World N° 4 (Bucharest, Romania) | Page 42

VJing & DJing
IGOR SHPIGELMAN (El Esperjero)
I am a tanguera. ATandas
tango dancer,
djane,
Victroleras,
andteacher,
Cortinas

journalist and story writer. A passionate tango lover, an addict, an admirer. At my first milonga back in 2003, I got
A friend of mine, milonguera from San Francisco, likes to repeat if you have a tango-related question, you
hooked
instantly.
would
not have
continued
if my
notrelated
played
will
undoubtedly
find anBut,
answerI in
the universe
of tango
lyrics. While
this teachers
statement ishad
mostly
Gotan
Project’s
firstabout
CD relations
in one of
lessons.
Since
then, my of
focus
is on
to
ìprofound
questionsî,
in their
and out
of milongas,
interpretations
codigos,
etc.modern
there
tango
as a dancer
DJ.DJ forums — When the first tango DJs emerged? and When
are
two both
trivia questions
oftenand
askedasinathe
the custom to play tandas separated by cortinas appear? There are unambiguous answers contained in the
tangos, themselves.

Who was this mysterious Victrolera? Victrola was the
trademark for the Victor Talking Machines gramoIn January 1931 Mercedes Simone, and, later in the phones that soon became a generic name for any
same year, Orquesta tÌpica Victor with Vicente Crisera gramophone of that era. Victrolera was the name
recorded a delightful tango La Victrolera, with lyrics of for the girl in charge of changing the disks on the
Melecio Peres to the music written by Pascual Clausi. Victrola,, the first DJs, as we now call them. We can
conclude that by 1930, victrolera was already an esVictrolera, noviecita de mi vida,
tablished job with a name, worth of a dedicated to
por quÈ te fuiste un dÌa
her job special tango, pretty much like pulpera from
y huiste con otro amor.
the famous vals La Pulpera de Santa Lucia, and that
si yo tanto te querÌa
this job was given predominantly to girls.
que eras alma y vida mÌa,
volvé, volé victrolera
If we move back in time a bit more, we might find
que me mata el dolor
out when the first victrolera emerged. Actually, we
can do this by reconstructing some of the events in
Victrolera, girlfriend of my life,
the recording industry and tango history. The initial,
Why did you leave one day
acoustic recordings appeared as far back as in 19th
And run away with another love?
century, and it was indeed promoted for the dance
I loved you so much
parties, as we can see from the 1905 advertisement.
That you were my life and soul,
However, the sound lacked both the quality and the
Come back, come back victrolera
loudness needed for any reasonable milonga.
And put an end to my pain
When the First Tango DJs Emerged?

Things changed dramatically
with the introduction of
electric recording and of the
new players ñ so called Orthophonic Victrolas. One of
these big cabinet is shown
in the 1949 movie, Alma de
Bohemioî, where victrolera
Eva saves the night of Alberto Castillo.
Victrola logo with the famous
His Master Voice

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