Not the Wagon But the Project!

In the gobbledygook of names and chaotic mess of the world's music scene, it is usually only the business men and their "party women" who keep track of music trends. They know the book of the "who is who?" and "what's its what?" better than the rest. The reason is simple, it is because they depend on their knowledge of the CD sales and/or the revenue of the ticket offices in which the fat ladies do not sing but dispense the extortionately priced tickets of the live gigs instead.

However there is an exception to the above here in the UK and that is when we have the annual good news of the awards on the World Music front. It is done by the station: Radio BBC3. This month it presented its awards for the World Music 2007.


The Radio BBC 3 offers a chance to its listeners to champion their choices or to familiarise and be introduced to what else is popular around the world. The mainstream music DJs and the influencers of trends and taste do take notice and often discover a taste for something very different that originates from the Global World Music rather than the western pop culture music channels which are the norm.

The competition has entries from all over the world. From Africa, Southern Europe, Latin America, Asia, Far East, Middle East, and many other distant lands as well as the fusion with the known popular western music.

What was surprising this year was that "Gotan Project" was nominated, and won under the Club Global entry (FRANCE/ARGENTINA).

Personally I believe that the contemporary tango dance-world owes a great deal to "The Gotan Project" and its music. Fortunately many who were in denials of this for the last few years and also dismissed the Gotan's music as sloppy fad have now all been proven wrong.

What is even more fascinating is how some dance "instructors" and "organisers" who till not long ago made very harsh and dismissive remarks about anything to do with NEW tango have now changed their tune. Many of them have now jumped on 'The Project' and its band-wagon. They run weekend and even week-long workshops on whatever they can sell with the terms of "Tango" and "New" combined. A suffix or prefix, with a few high kicks and " 'shebang': it is done!" and whatever the language these are spelled with and/or written in that does not matter - as long as it works. By the way this is not a complaint about them and the band-wagon they are now on - it is an observation. The complaint only belongs to those who part take in the projects, and if they like it then that is also fine.

There is however one specific comment I need to make here to distinguish that those who all said "Gotan" and "New" are all bad news, don't they need to say sorry to Gotan and alike? They have all suddenly discovered the pull of the currency and the "djering"to account, (...and guess what?) they proclaim to have been an expert on the NEW all along. These experts now tell us: "We always believed in them being great & fun!"

There can not be much surprise on these, the band-wagon is now running, "Jump On!" is what we will hear from these "New" experts from now on!

Maybe all those who revere and religiously advocate only one school of thought – be it in tango or in life in general– they often find themselves wrong footed, and lost at times. This is no exception either to that sum.

The bottom line is best here when I say that I am very pleased to see others join in, 'yes!', them too. It is about time that we all realise that there is no religiosity to tango, none! If money and its projects help to bring some around to this change, so be it. The tango is best when it is well mixed, the old, the young, the classics and the new.

Once again let us congratulate the winners of this year: "Gotan Project"- Number 1 in their own category. If you like to enjoy their music: live on stage, here is their link from BBC Radio 3.

MilongaCat
The only cat who loves you back!