Tango Music is not always for the Milonga and it is also not always for tourists. My humble estimation is that only less than 40% of all tangos are for the dancefloor. So recently I was really puzzled, when I found out that a well known tango teacher did not know “Qrquesta Tipica Fernadez Fierro” (OTFF).

Bringing CDs back from Buenos Aires is a must for Tango DJs, and I used my last trip to complete my collection of OTFF. I bought “Mucha Mierda (2006)” and the new album “TICS – Tan Idiotas Como Siempre (2013)”. People have asked me, why I buy music, that will probably never appear on a milonga.

 

 

Actually I had a nice conversation with a friend from Buenos Aires regarding the music of this orchestra: asking him about the uniqueness of this music, he answered with a question. Tango is about feelings deep from the soul. Do you expect to listen only to the nice and beautiful music? Do you think tango is complete without feelings of anger, rage and desperation? This music is really chromatic with an extreme range of emotions from soft desperation to explosive wrath.

The OTFF (an orchestra with 13 musicians) was created in 2001 in Buenos Aires, is organized as a cooperative and produces their own CDs with independent labels. The OTFF even runs their own club since 2004 (the Club Atletico Fernandez Fierro in Abasto). The OTFF understands itself as a part of the NewTango movement to revolutionize the “stiff tango scene” of Buenos Aires.

You can look up all the information on their web site: http://fernandezfierro.com/

The music is actually modern contemporary tango with extended dynamic and emotional range, sometimes traditional, sometimes dissonant, chromatic and disturbing. The typical music of OTFF is not intended to please and not constructive, but desperate and furious. The music does not want to change the world or pretend that everything is love and perfect. It just wants to cry out in desperation, violence and anger.

For me this is the essence of Tango and it makes OTFF to one of my favourite orchestras. Some songs are danceable for modern style tango dancers (“Orlando Goni”, “Adios Bardi”, “A los que se fueron”, a Binelli tune), some songs are good for shows (like “Milongero Viejo”, actually a Di Sarli tune), and some songs are purely traditional with a disturbing aftertaste. As an example the traditional “Recuerdo” (which I consider a link between old Golden Age and modern Tango Music) and the traditional “Corrientes y Esmeralda”.

Here a little trailer showing the philosophy of OTFF

Starting with some easy listening, like a new interpretation of an old Gardel song:

And now, OTFF at its best:

Enjoy,

-Ricardo