Tango Records in the Digital Age: Between Innovation and Conservatism

Authors

  • Jimena Ponce de León CRAL-EHESS

Keywords:

Contemporary tango, Album, Digital technologies, Record, Post-production

Abstract

Tango was a central protagonist of the Argentine recording industry's massification during the first half of the twentieth century. The 2000s witnessed a creative re-emergence of the genre under new production conditions. Since then, sound possibilities are broader, works have been progressively dematerialized, home studios have proliferated, and the DIY's work logics have accentuated.

Drawing on a multi-situated ethnography (2016-2021), I analyze the tango record's current representation and the artistic decisions before, during, and after the recording. Through this exploration, I aim to answer three questions: what is hidden through the use of digital tools? Do they provoke significant musical contributions? And, what is the relationship between digital practices and labor flexibility?

Author Biography

Jimena Ponce de León, CRAL-EHESS

Jimena Ponce de León es etnógrafa, especializada en usos digitales y prácticas musicales. Realizó sus estudios universitarios en la Universidad de Buenos Aires, la Universidad Nacional de San Martín, la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, la Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento y la École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, donde forma parte del Centre de Recherche sur les Arts et le Langage. Fue galardonada con diversas becas de investigación, entre las que se destacan una fellowship en el Watson Institute de Brown University y dos workshops, uno en la École de Gouvernance et d'Économie marroquí y otro en la Universidad Católica de Colombia. Es profesora del curso Para una antropología del mundo digital del Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social. Ha investigado y escrito sobre las apropiaciones digitales en diferentes contextos: el juvenil, el educativo y el de la producción artística. En sus ratos libres es ingeniera pedagógica, bailarina de tango y luchadora por la igualdad social.

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Published

2021-11-08

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 2 (2021): Dossier: Current Tango: transmission, phonographic production, creation and “new pioneers”

Section

Dossier

License

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