Mario
When I was in Buenos Aires in 2016, it was Dany Borelli who played traditional music. The most traditional dancers, who were the older set, went largely where he went and I followed them. A more self-effacing guy - who doesn't dance tango - you could not hope to meet.
Other traditional DJs were Vivi La Falce (who was trained by Dany), and Mario Orlando in Salon Canning (as was). As I recall, Mario doesn't dance either. I think it was Mario who joked he was of the rock generation. I asked Mario if he played Troilo with the singer Marino. He said something along the lines of A los milongueros no les gusta bailar Troilo con Marino. Les gusta Troilo con Fiorentino. Esa música tiene un ritmo más marcado y les gusta más ese ritmo para bailar.
Mario, I recall, did play the odd "hidden gem" - long-standing readers will recall this is not a term of approbation. He played one of only two tandas I heard from the 1920s while in my three and half weeks in Buenos Aires. One was a 1920s Canaro (Mario Orlando in Salon Canning) and one early Lomuto - I think; (Horacio Godoy, early in La Viruta - which is to say around 1AM). I remember the Canning dancers largely shunned it. That ought to be a lesson for us but I can't tell you how much of that stuff I still here in the UK.
But first and foremost, he was a professional which means you aren't influenced by your own preferences. He was at the service of the dancers and played what he knew they wanted and generally avoided what they didn't. They liked music with a beat. Numbers where the singer comes in early, where the singer dominates don't have that and are less good for dancing or at least for dancing en pareja, in a couple and in the social ronda. I have no doubt dramatic tracks are better for showing off which means dancing selfishly.
These were the DJs, and it was primarily Dany, who were most popular with the most experienced dancers in the most traditional milongas in Buenos Aires. That music is traditional music.
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