Not about the DJ

Yesterday, at the end of the milonga the host had immediately invited thanks from the dancers for the music.  Of course it is lovely to be appreciated, but from my small corner table I squirmed in the public spotlight.  I was more delighted when someone came up later to thank me privately and to say they had not realised I had played the music. I had been able to chat and dance because the gaps between tracks and sound of my tracks had been normalised for me meaning I did not have to be constantly at the controls managing gaps and volume (or pretending to). I was DJing from a very small device not a laptop so who the DJ was was not at all obvious.  Doing so also avoided the many problems of laptop DJing.

I don't remember DJs in Buenos Aires being applauded.  I feel it is more seen as just a job over there requiring competence, not special treatment.  When Solveig DJd in Cambridge - everyone wanted to applaud, me included.  It depends on the atmosphere.  But the feeling from the music at the end of the night, even after good music is often not the social duty of applause, but sometimes more naturally to chat with your last partner as you leave the floor.  Sometimes I feel guilty if I forget to applaud - but it has become a convention here in Europe, I do not think it is always something wholly natural.