Andy has DJ'd at encuentros, festivals, and marathons across the US and Europe since 2012. He was the organizer of the Newport News Encuentro (E+) since 2014. His music is primarily Golden Age 1930-1950, striving for balance and harmony, with rhythmical and lyrical tandas, plus occasional drama. When an external monitor is available, Andy displays information about the current and next tanda in a consistent format that is informative and useful.
During the pandemic, Andy provided weekly virtual milongas on Zoom, Tandas Around the World, in place of the evening milongas in Europe and the US. In 2021, Andy launched Milonga as a Service (MaaS), a 24/7 tango service in the cloud that is always on and always free at tinyurl.com/Andy-Dj.
Fernando grew up in a tango family, half in Seattle half in Argentina, where he spent his early years falling asleep under tables at the milongas. Being multilingual, he interpreted for countless Argentine tango teachers coming through Seattle. This is how he, at the age of 6, became Susana Miller's oldest (and youngest) student, earning the nickname "El Sobrino." He first started helping his father DJ their family-run milonga "La Garua" in Seattle in the early 1990s.
In 2010, he became a full-time tango teacher when he and his partner, Jenny Jiang, opened their own milonguero-dedicated tango school in Shanghai. Since then, he has DJed at many events across China, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Korea. But it was while DJing at "El Beso" (2021 - 2022) in Buenos Aires, under the constant feedback of the milongueros, that refined his methods into the traditional and engaging style he has today. Now he and Jenny are back stateside sharing their passion for the essence of tango in social dancing communities across the US.
Kipp discovered Argentine tango on a life-changing trip to Uruguay, where she and her husband, Phil, were instantly intrigued by the embrace, the music, and the culture. What began as curiosity quickly became a shared passion and a meaningful part of their lives.
As both a dancer and a DJ, Kipp treasures the connection that tango creates—on the floor and through the music. She approaches each tanda with care, listening closely to the energy of the room and honoring the rich traditions of the genre. For Kipp, DJing is not just about selecting songs; it's about supporting the dancers' experience and helping create moments of beauty and connection.
It is always a true pleasure and a heartfelt honor for her to share music with the tango community.
Lua is Italian and lives in Lisbon working as a historian. She discovered tango in 2004 while walking along the banks of the Seine River and was completely fascinated.
Since 2011, she has been organizing tango events in Lisbon (Milonga da Lua) and DJ'ing at milongas and encuentros throughout Europe and the United States.
Lua has been invited to DJ at renowned milongas like El Beso (Buenos Aires), Café Dominguez (Milan) and Milonga Florida (Paris), as well as popular encuentros such as Ensueños, Promotora, La Franteña, La Ola Milonguera, Tutto in un abbraccio, Alba Milonguera, Pico Blanco, among others.
For her, each milonga is unique. Each tanda tells a story. Each tango brings back memories of moments already danced. Today, her musical selection combines the tastes of all the milongueros she has met within the tango community.
Paul Akmajian started dancing Argentine tango in 1998 and has been a TDJ since the early 2000s. In addition to DJing regularly in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, Paul has been a featured DJ at numerous festivals, marathons, and encuentros across the US and beyond, including in Asheville, Baltimore, Charleston, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, Port Townsend, Salida, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Miguel de Allende, Seattle, Vancouver, Phoenix, and Tucson. As a DJ, Paul strives to keep everyone energized and dancing long into the night by playing the highest-quality, most familiar, time-tested, and dancer-approved music from tango's Golden Age.
When not spinning tunes, Paul indulges in his other passion; you can view his work at akmajianart.com.
