1215  Opinions on Gotan Project

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 10:51:30 -0400
From: Alan McPherron <mcph+@PITT.EDU>
Subject: Re: Opinions on Gotan Project

On Tue, 29 Apr 2003, Daniela B wrote:

> I was curious as to listeros opinions on the music of Gotan Project...
>
> Regards Dani
>

My opinion: great to listen to, but I find only a few tracks at
all pleasant to dance to.

-- Alan McPherron, Tangueros Unidos de Pittsburgh

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 11:53:29 +0200
From: Eero Olli <eero.olli@ISP.UIB.NO>
Subject: Opinions on Gotan Project

Hi, everybody

I like Gotan Project. They gave a fantastic concert here in Bergen last
year. It was a double concert, with first Røyksopp (a local band with MTV
cred), and then Gotan Project. 95% of the people were there because they
like electronica. The rest because they dance tango.

Gotan Project's normal setup is a combination of a tango orchestra and two
people doing the sampling. They used a big screen (half-way see through) in
front of the orchestra on which they projected some experimental tango
videos. You could only sometimes see a musician, who was in the spotlight,
through the screen. Near the end of the show, the screen was dropped down,
and we finally could se the orchestra.

Even if melodies, some instruments, and some rhythms of the music are
clearly tango, the overall structure of the pieces is more like house: 6-7
minutes without a breathing space. It lacks the normal phrasing of tango,
which makes it repetitive and monotonous to dance (just like good house
should be). One the level of melody the phrases are there, but the strong
beat that does not stop, dominates over the complexity available in tango
section of the band.

One can dance something similar to tango to Gotan project: its good for a
sweaty power-milonga. At their concerts there is not dancing as people are
standing in a tight crowd on the floor. They will give a concert here in
two weeks and I am definitely going. The concert is part of a local jazz
festival, not a tango festival. So Gotan project is introducing some tango
elements to new audiences. I hope that we can highjack some of the people
at the concert to tangoevents.

Best,
Eero