Deep, dark magic

Shrewsbury Milonga came and went. The magic of the night carried us away and Eduardo and I had no time to do the interview (A glimpse of his cellar) . We decided to catch up by phone. Eduardo promised to wear his best shirt. Assured, I waited by the phone at the allotted time. True to his word he called. I started at the beginning ofcourse..

Liz: Eduardo, when do you remember first hearing tango?

Ed: As a kid, it was in the air you know, from when I was small it was the music of the city. We breathed, the air was full of music. Tango is a celebration.

Liz: and the celebration, what is it that you do?…

Ed: I call them to dance. Sometimes it’s the beat, sometimes the melody,the violin, the piano.You can just be taken by the atmosphere of the track…I start with a playlist but I get possessed and it becomes very fluid. I assess the dance floor, it intrigues me, like reading a novel entering the spirit of the night. I use that to create a dialectic between the dancers and myself. It’s an arrangement. You have to dance a narrative through the whole night. I don’t like the rigidity of a concept I don’t use a structured way

Liz: So you don’t play cortinas? (giggle)

Ed: No I don’t do cortinas. Often when I dance I pay no attention to the tandas.When something comes on that grabs my attention I want to dance. I don’t listen to whether its number one of a tanda or number three. It's irrelevant.

Liz: So what inspires you?..

Ed: When people enjoy themselves, letting themselves go, not caring about what other people think... I like the natural..

Liz:...and what music sets your skin tingling and your feet swimming?

Ed: Ah that is the essence of my craft. To delight, to excite, and entertain I keep a night of total surprise. When people come and want to know what a track is or have my playlist its like a child trying to pull apart a spider to see how it works. What makes the spider has gone already and nothing is left of the spider.To have that moment when you hear a strain of music and it intrigues you is my craft, to give it away, is to spoil the anticipation and the pleasure. Like a magician sharing the secret of conjuring. I wear no suit no hat, my way is unconventional. Some people curse me.