Episode 4

To those who know me, it’s no secret — I’m a vals person. What does that mean? Simply put, valses touch my soul. They make me happy. They draw me to the floor again and again, until music and movement become one.

In this episode, I want to talk about valses. Every experienced DJ knows that if you want to fill the dance floor, you play a vals tanda. So let’s take one example — Adoración — a piece that just might surprise you.

Adoración — One Title, Many Stories

Adoración is one of those curious cases in tango/vals history where the same title hides different musical identities, and that’s why your discography looks a bit contradictory at first sight. Let’s unpack the context.

In tango’s Golden Age (and earlier), it was quite common for different composers to publish pieces under the same title, especially evocative ones like Adoración (which simply means “adoration” or “worship”). Unlike today, there was no strict system to prevent reuse of titles. That’s why you’ll see both tangos and valses with identical names — they are distinct works, not different versions of a single piece.

• Roberto Firpo 1924 - Not available - Tango

• Juan Maglio 1928 Vals

• Juan Maglio 1930 Tango

• Quinteto Pirincho dir. Francisco Canaro 1956 Vals

• Antonio Bonavena and Antonio Buglione 1931 Vals

• Eduardo Bianco con Manuel Bianco 1939 Tango

• Alfredo Gobbi 1947 Vals

• Rodorlfo Biagi 1951 Vals

• Armano Pontier 1958-1960 Vals

• Jorge Dragone Vals

• Fabio Hager Sexteto con Juan Carlos Godoy y Ricardo Marin 2011 Nuevo Vals

DJ challenge

As DJs, we’re always searching for new versions — and sometimes tango manages to surprise us, even confuse us a little. But that’s part of the joy, isn’t it? So, to spark your curiosity: how many versions of this vals can you hear in this set of tracks and how many interpretations of the same vals?

Most dancers are familiar with Biagi’s Adoración, bright and rhythmic — a staple on the dance floor. But Gobbi’s interpretation truly deserves attention. His 1947 vals carries a quiet elegance, a tender lyricism that invites you inward rather than propelling you forward. It’s romantic but restrained, emotional yet refined — the kind of piece that makes you pause for a moment, just to listen. But I hope you will agree with me that Canaro's version sounds remarkably sparkling.

The only challenge, from a DJ’s perspective, is building a tanda around it. For instance, Gobbi recorded surprisingly few valses — about thirteen in total — and even among those, styles vary greatly. Still, for those willing to step beyond the traditional “one-orchestra tanda” rule, there’s room for beautiful experimentation.

I’ve tried it myself — mixing Gobbi’s Adoración with valses from other orchestras that share its emotional color — and the dancers loved it.

If you’d like to explore further tango valses, I’ve compiled a playlist featuring over 20 orchestras and almost 900 vals recordings, spanning decades of tango’s evolution.

Welcome to the vals lovers club. And may your next vals tanda be the one that reminds you why you dance.

#tango, #TangoArgentino, #tangodancer, #milonga, #milonguero, #tangodj