TANGO PLAYLISTS
Year by Year, Orchestra by Orchestra, genre by genre
Year by Year, Orchestra by Orchestra, genre by genre
One of the great joys of tango is that it is both familiar and full of surprises. We all recognize the “hits” that keep the dance floor alive, but behind them lies a vast ocean of recordings — sometimes hidden, sometimes forgotten, sometimes waiting to be rediscovered.
To make this rich history more accessible, I’ve created public playlists (YouTube@ValentinMilonguero) organized by orchestra, including separate playlist for milongas and valses, as well as by individual year so dancers, DJs, and enthusiasts can explore how tango evolved across time and through the styles of its great maestros.
Using discographies and a open source (goplaylist) tool I built, I’ve matched available recordings to YouTube, bringing structure to available tango tracks. My goal is not to claim completeness which in my view is impossible to achieve with Tango music, but to share the joy of discovery. Whether you’re searching for overlooked gems to play at a milonga or simply curious about the sound of a given year, these playlists invite you to dive deeper into tango’s recorded legacy — and maybe find a new favorite along the way.
If necessary please read disclaimer page about playlist generation.
This project was inspired by the brilliant Tango By Year series created by Dag Stenvoll and Michael Lavocah. Their innovative podcasts motivated me to begin collecting tango recordings and organizing them year by year. Along the way, I’ve found great joy in discovering forgotten tracks and uncovering new gems that enrich our understanding of tango’s history.
Alongside the year-by-year series, I’ve also created playlists dedicated to the great tango orchestras, drawing on available discographies. These include the full journeys of maestros such as Di Sarli, Troilo, Pugliese, D’Arienzo, and many more — each with their unique voice and style. Below you’ll find these playlists filled with publicly available recordings, making it easier to explore and enjoy the richness of each orchestra’s legacy in one place.
Other Tango Playlists
In addition to years and orchestras, I’ve also prepared other playlists — bringing together valses, milongas, singers, and of course the many unforgettable versions of La Cumparsita. Collected from the public discographies, these playlists let you explore Tango tracks from a different angle:
Tango Valses (across 21 Orquestas), 869 recordings in total
Tango Milongas (across 21 Orquestas), 457 recordings in total
Tango Singers
La Cumparsita (across 21 Orquestas), 42 recordings in total