Qué lindo es bailar
un tango así acompasado
gozar, soñar, vivir, sentir,
las vibraciones en el corazón
How beautiful it is to dance
a tango so rhythmic
to enjoy, dream, live, feel
its vibrations in the heart
El 13 (Música: Alberico Spatola /Letra: Ángel Villoldo)
EL 13 TANGO CLUB
THE FIRST DJING TANGO ASSOCIATION
Putting music at the heart of the dancefloor !
WHO ARE WE?
Association loi 1901 created in 2011.
President: Marc TOMMASI
Treasurer: Benoit GALINDO
HEAD OFFICE
229 Avenue de la Marine,
Résidence La Marine Bâtiment E
13600 La Ciotat – FRANCE
SIREN ID: 795 155 696
SIRET NUMBER: 795 155 696 00011
OUR ACTIONS
– Improve the quality of the musicalization of the milongas
– Broadcasting tango via radio and podcast; el13RADIO™
– Organise large-scale events centred on music
– Organise meetings around music and Djing
– Restoring inaudible tracks by the EL13REVIVAL™ process
– Sharing our experience through courses and seminars.
OUR RESOURCES
– Our International DJs combining their sensitivity and know-how
– A database of more than 50,000 tangos in all styles
– Mutualisation of experiences coming from the different circles of “social tango” in order to propose in the future, alternatives and relevant tracks.
OUR HISTORY
BIRTH
In 2011, 5 DJs (Benoit Le Rouge, Camille Boucher, Damien Diaz-Diaz, Gérald Gardier & Marc Tommasi) decided to create a tango association, not focused on dance, but on music.
To our knowledge, such an association did not exist. This seemed incredible as the craze for tango music and the emergence of the TJ (Tango DJ) grew.
Our goal was to talk about music, djing, to share our know-how, our very different sensibilities, to share our discoveries and to put in common the music that we each had on our side.
This was the most difficult stage because DJs, naturally solitary, are reluctant to share their music. It happened gradually and slowly.
The next step was to homogenise the database of tango tracks, particularly in terms of its form.
Finally we converged on a solution which is discussed here.
To remain to label, each of the titles of our base in a homogeneous way, which was not an easy task and which was done along a long process of several years.
In 2012, Gérald Gardier left us for personal reasons.
REY DEL COMPÁS
In 2013, we decided to create a djing festival, without knowing yet what form it could take.
Thanks to the town hall of Arles, which agrees to put at our disposal the church of the Preachers brothers, we have a magnificent place but also a gigantic challenge.
The church is huge, sublime… but empty.
No electricity, no parquet, no light, no toilets and only one small tap for water!
What floor? How to light the festival without being able to hang anything in the church? How to put 50 tables and 200 chairs, plus seating in the whole church? How to provide a proper sound system for a festival dedicated to music (the simple fact of talking in the church causes a monstrous reverberation and you can’t understand each other from more than 5 meters away! How many volunteers, where to house them, how to feed us?
After a long and very creative maturation, we decided, for the first edition, that the DJs would have a “battle”.
The best DJ of the festival, elected by the participants in a final vote, would be the “Rey del Compás” of the edition and would receive a silver ring with the effigy of Juan D’Arienzo!
We have two rings made in the USA (one for men, one for women).
The guest DJs play the game, but in the end we feel that the popular vote is not objective because the DJ of the despedida (who by the way wins the trophy) has a huge advantage and those who go first are at a great disadvantage. Some of the DJs are not too happy and this creates an uneasy atmosphere for the awarding of the ring.
We decided not to repeat this voting experiment.
The first edition was largely unprofitable but we were very happy.
Given the enthusiasm of the participants, we decided to hold the second edition in 2014.
We did not know that the second edition of a festival is the most difficult.
After the enthusiasm of the first edition and knowing in advance the mountain of work and energy to be deployed to finally lose money, the festival is difficult between us, although the participants are delighted: the festival lasts 4 days instead of three, there are 12 DJs on the edition and the sound is much better thanks to the intervention of an equalizer, the number of participants and the level of dancing increases.
In 2014, Damien Diaz-Diaz, leaves the group and makes a break with the tango. He moved to the Gironde.
The third edition in 2015, is excellent. Everything has improved. The dancers are over the moon and we have learned to work together. We finally managed to make a profit and pay off some of the debts from previous years.
The festival will have two more editions until 2017 when the town hall of Arles decides not to make the church available for this tango festival.
DULCE DE LECQUES
Without a festival, we are looking for a new venue. Of course, there is no shortage of community halls and wedding venues, but we wanted to find a place with a soul. Luckily, we visited the grand hotel Les Lecques, 100 metres from the sea in an extraordinary setting. The hotel offers us a room created in the 19th century with a sublime terrace
overlooking the sea.
Thanks to our network created over the years, the event is full and the first edition is a success.
The Festival is now in its sixth edition in 2022.
POR UNA CABEZA
In 2022, always looking for exceptional places, we visit the BORELY racecourse in Marseille. It is located in 50 meters from the beaches and in a very atypical place for a milonga. There are two tracks 80 m2 apart, but both tracks have extraordinary views of the Parc Borely and the racetrack or the sea!
Complicated to invest, with many unknowns, we decide to organize the first edition in early August 2022. Despite the heat and insufficient air-conditioning, the event is a success and welcomes 300 dancers with an impressive level of dance.
DJING
As time went by, our experiences as djs grew stronger. In the end, we musicalized a considerable number of milongas and tango events, in more than 10 countries. Listening to great DJs and sharing our experiences has been very fruitful for all of us.
And we are still as enthusiastic to share them!
CAMILLE BOUCHER LEAVES THE GROUP
By mutual agreement, Camille Boucher leaves EL 13 TANGO CLUB and the tango world.