This was an email reply to our USF college student club friends (Trista and Josh) who inquired about how to start up an alternative milonga in their community.
Hi guys, I suggest two paths to try:
1. Have an event that has traditional music the first half (i.e. 8pm to 11pm) and then switches to alternative music the second half (i.e. 11pm to 1am). It is like two milongas in one. This has worked well in a couple of communities (based on reports from DJ friends).
2. Have a mixed music event like CELLspace which has 1 traditional set followed by 1 alternative set. This has a track record of several years of success (since 2003). There are also example playlists on my
DJ Resource page.
In either case, you must clearly label what your event is and how the music will flow/change. If people understand the boundaries they are apt to enjoy the evening better. Find the best DJs you can...even if you have to hire two DJs (one that is good a traditional music and one that is good at alternative music). Lastly, there will always be resistance. People will love it and people will hate it, no matter what you do. Don't give us and make adjustments as necessary (slowly over time) to tweak your event based on what your main audience is telling you...
Hope this helps?
Hugs, Homer ;)
