Gotan Project

Forbidden Dance: No, Not The Lambada...Tango! 07.10.2003 Gotan Project Trip The Light Electronic And Dance The Night Away.

http://www.djmixed.com/djmixed/newsandfeatures/article.cfm?Article_ID=2642

By Yuri Wuensch

The French are arrogant, or so we're told. However, my conversation with the amiable Philippe Cohen Solal, Gotan Project founder, certainly quashed that stereotype. Though Solal has cause to be proud, as Gotan's deconstruction of tango with electronic elements has met with resounding success. The expertimental fusion of live tango instrumentation, dub and beats has received the support by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Thievery Corporation and Jazzanova, bridging the gulf between tango's barrio roots and 21st century dancefloors.

Did tango need an update? I was mostly just curious about how a mix of tango and electronic music would sound. When we did our first vinyl 10", I thought we could sell maybe 500 copies. I was then told we needed to do 1,000 copies because it was cheaper and thought we'd sell those over two years. I never expected such a response.

How did you sell almost half a million CDs? without a major label? It's really word of mouth that helped us. The buzz was amazing from the beginning. Before signing with XL, we worked with smaller distributors and labels; we wanted to work with people who felt strongly about our album. We didn't sign a big deal right away even though we were approached by the majors.

How has the tango community responded? The fundamentalists-the Ayatollahs of Tango-may not approve, but very rarely. The traditional tango scene in Europe is really behind us. In Argentina, the official tango radio station is using our music for their jingle. In a way, it's a little surprising because we've really changed tango music with our treatment. But we did our treatment with the traditional tango scene, not against or without it.

Does the electronic twist expose tango to new audiences? When we called the album The Revenge of Tango we never thought we'd be so right. In Europe, there's been an explosion of new tango clubs. At our shows, there's a lot of crossover with people aged from 15 to 65 dancing like they would to either house music or the tango. If people love Gotan Project, hopefully they'll explore tango's roots by picking up some Astor Piazzolla or other traditional Argentinean artists. Maybe older people will be inspired to pick up stuff by Kruder and Dorfmeister or Mad Professor.

Are the suits an important aspect of the Gotan Project? Tango isn't just music but a lifestyle. A suit puts you more into a tango way of thinking-it's a feeling you can dance. Gotan Project isn't just about music, but about image. On stage we have a lot of visuals-very abstract and very arty. I don't want to make comparisons, but we're definitely influenced by Kraftwerk. We've always been fans of their onstage presence and we've actually been called the Argentinean Kraftwerk.

The Rest Is History Movie reels, revolutions and refugees help best sum up the evolution of Gotan Project. A right wing uprising in Argentina during the 1970s forced leftist musicians into more liberal cltimes-some of the world's finest tango musicians can be found in Europe, including of course Paris. Shift to the late '90s. Solal is working as a musical supervisor for film when he hooks up with fellow Gotan guys Christophe Mueller and veteran Argentinean musician Eduardo Makaroff, who introduced Solal to the percussive and groovy side of tango.