Photo: Vaino Treksler, 2015
Igor “El Espejero” started dancing tango in 2011, and DJing in 2012. Since then he has been invited to play his music to over 350 milongas and events in London, Dublin, Bruges, Nürnberg, Buffalo, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Charlotte, New Jersey, Gainesville, Riga, Vilnius, Minsk, Kiev, Lviv, Odessa, Dnipro, Niš, Budapest, Brasov, Prague, Antalya, Kyrenia, Shanghai, Taipei, and Buenos Aires (Salon Canning and Club Fulgor), while actively DJing at various milonga venues and organizing own events in Toronto, the city of his residence.
His musical selection is firmly grounded in Golden Age, while his style is influenced by the abundant energy of the best Italian tango DJs, and by the profound and sensual choices of the younger generation of Buenos Aires musicalizadors.
Igor says: “I believe that it is the dance floor that dictates the choices to the DJ, not other way around. Thus, I neither program my music in advance of the event, nor I attempt to ‘educate’ or ‘challenge’ the dancers. My only goal is to deliver the best danceable music and abundant energy to the floor, from the first to the last tanda, without a single exception.”
EXPERIENCE
- Festivals/Marathons/Encuentros DJ:
Phil Mouve’s Photos, 2015
- Toronto Tango 8 Fest (2014, 2017-2019, 2022-2023)
- Transylvania Tango Marathon, Brasov, Romania (2023)
- Bosthon Tango Marathon, Boston, US (2019, 2022-2023)
- El Abrazo de Riga Tango Festival, Lavia (2023)
- La Sorpresa Tango Marathon, Nuremberg, Germany (2023)
- Maya and Marco in Florida, Gainesville, US (2023)
- SouthEast Tango Festival, Charlotte, US (2022)
- Toronto Tango Festival, Canada (2022)
- Elegante Tango Marathon, Northern Cyprus (2022)
- Toronto Tango Marathon, Canada (2022)
- Caliente Tango Marathon, Antalya, Turkey (2021, 2022)
- Riga Autumn Tango Marathon, Latvia (2021)
- Balkan Tango Blast, Serbia (2021)
- Faro del Tango, Odessa, Ukraine (2021)
- Dnipro Tango Weekend, Ukraine (2021)
- Vilnius Summer Tango Marathon, Lithuania (2021)
- Tesoromio Tango Weekend, Kiev, Ukraine (2017, 2018, 2021)
- Minsk Tango Weekend, Belarus (2020)
- Summer Tango Weekend, Vilnius, Lithuania (2020)
- Mountain Milonga Retreat, Salt Lake City, US (2019)
- Taipei Tango Weekend, Taiwan (2019)
- Encuentro de Las Brujas, Brugge, Belgium (2019)
- Winter Tango Marathon, Riga, Latvia (2019)
- Tango Fusion Marathon, Minsk, Belarus (2018, 2019)
- En Tu Abrazo Encuentro Milonguero, Chicago, US (2018)
- Loca Tango Project, Boston, US (2018)
- ESO! Tango Marathon, Buffalo, US (2017, 2018)
- Toronto Primavera Tango Weekend (2017, 2018)
- Sientome Tango Weekend, Shanghai, China (2018)
- Toronto Tango Film Festival (2017)
- Toronto Tango eXperience (2017)
- Remolino DJ Festival, Lviv, Ukraine (2015)
- El Congreso, Toronto (2015)
- Toronto Summer Tango Week (2015)
- Co-organizer & DJ: Milonga Zorro Gris (since 2022)
- Organizer & DJ: Tango In Mississauga (2018-2019)
- Organizer & DJ: Outdoor Milonga Arrabalera (2017-2022)
- “The Beauty of Pause” (Toronto Star)
- “You cannot hear your heartbeat” (BBC News)
- “Milonga Arrabalera” (Reuters Editor’s Choice Picture of the Week)
- Resident DJ:
Photo: Steven Thull, 2017
- Tula Milonga, Toronto (2015-2019)
- Milonga Ocho, Toronto (since 2014)
- Guest DJ:
- Milonga Deseo, New Jersey, NJ
- BOAM with friends from all over, Boston, MA
- Milonga Rest Art, Prague, Czech Republic
- Milonga del Angel, Budapest, Hungary
- Milonga Malbec, Kiev Ukraine
- Terrace Milonga, Odessa, Ukraine
- La Isla de Tango, Kiev, Ukraine
- Milonga Parakultural at Salon Canning, Buenos Aires
- La Milonga de Malena, Cleveland, OH
- Corrientes Social Club, London, UK
- Tango Secrets Milonga, West London, UK
- La Milonga della Gata Negra, Kiev, Ukraine
- DATS Milonga, Dublin, Ireland
- Milonga Buena Vista, Kiev, Ukraine
- Milonga Nueva, Boston, MA
- Seguime si Podes at Club Fulgor, Buenos Aires
- Toronto Tango Club (La Cachila), Toronto
- Milonga Maleva, Toronto
- Milongas, and Weekends at City Dance Corps, Toronto
- Milonga ReMix, Toronto
- Tango Tea at El Almacen, Toronto
- Tango Loft, Toronto
- Milonga Che!, North York
- Milonga Argentina, Toronto
- Practica La Coqueta, Toronto
- Milonga Palermo, Toronto
- Detailed schedule
FEEDBACK
Photo: Oscar Casas, 2016
“Last knight a Milonga 8 in Toronto Canada I was impress to encounter a fabulous DJ. He have control the atmosphere of the Milonga in constant go. Impossible to stop dancing. The music selection it was balance and follow the dancers needs of the knight. The music is the blood of the Milonga. Great job I’m happy fro you Toronto.”
– Oscar Casas, Buenos Aires
“Fue una noche muy linda para nosotros! Gracias por la buena música q nos regalaste!!! Te esperamos para milonguear!! Un abrazoo”
– Emanuel Orlando, organizer, Seguime Si Podes, Club Fulgor, Buenos Aires
“Thank you Igor for the tantalizing music! 
🎶 You were a big hit!”
– Milton El Gallo, organizer, Milonga Nueva, Boston
“You can DJ in Buenos Aires at any time…”
– Carlos Rivarola, Buenos Aires
“Voted Best Milonga in Toronto by us!”
– Carlos y Alison Boeri, on Milonga Tula in Toronto
“Great music Igor! Thanks! We had a great time I wish we can dance till 3am!”
“Yes, last night was magical. I love every single tanda!”
– Bulent Kavabagli and Lina Chan, organizers, Milonga Ocho, Toronto
“… It was a full crime scene of retro fashion and laughter. Thank you El Espejero for the fantastic music and arranging the vinyl. It’s not an easy job at all! Looking forward for more!”
– Lina Chan, organizer, Milonga Ocho, Toronto
Photo: Vaino Treksler, 2015
“Awesome xmas milonga!
Beautiful music by El Espejero”
– Jessie Faye Lavin, organizer, Milonga Argentina
“Oh what a night! No body wanted to leave. The music took us a mystic place of a night in Buenos Aires.”
– Bryant Lopez, organizer, Milonga Argentina, Toronto
“… ‘спокойно’ – это не про Игоря. Продумывая танды и взаимодействуя с танцполом, он стремится постоянно подкачивать энергетику милонги. Приверженец Золотого века с вкраплениями старых секстетов, тащится по Д’Арьенцо, обнимается как черт.”
– Natalia Orlova, organizer, Milonga Buena Vista, Kiev, Ukraine
“Every Tanda was smoking hot. El Espejero, you rocked the house. Bulent & Lina Tango, what a great way to close the year of 2015 of Milonga Ocho”
– Dionysius Prakash Sarvesvaran, Toronto
Photo: Vaino Treksler, 2016
“El Espejero and Elena you were phenomenal!!!
Thank you for such a wonderfully crazy night:)))”
– Irina Rabinovich, Toronto
“Какая милонга вчера была в день танго!!! До самой Кумпарситы танцпол был полный! Спасибо тебе, дорогой El Espejero, тебе удалось сделать счастливыми всех сразу…”
– Yulia Zemlianikina, Toronto
“It was a gathering of lovers: lovers of tango, tango tea virgins and veterans alike, embraced each other to the music selection of El Espejero and danced the the dance of love. Thank you all for creating the beauty of human friendships with your warmth on a cold wintery day.”
– Dionysius Prakash Sarvesvaran, organizer, Tango Tea, Toronto
Photo: Vaino Treksler, 2016
“Yesterday, at the Milonga Ocho there was a special feeling created by El Espejero – the feeling of solemn celebration of tango. No single tanda was not noticeable, but all were beautiful and special. Impressed. Happy.”
– Elena de Garcia, Toronto
“As I intimated, your music was especially awesome last night. With at least two different partners, I remarked effusively on how nicely the tanda was building and how perfect the sequence of songs felt.”
– A. D., Guelph
“Спасибо огромное за незабываемую милонгу в Turk’s Head, Игорь! Последняя танда подкралась совершенно неожиданно и как-то слишком скоро… 🙂 Надеюсь услышать Вас вновь!”
– Ellina Shmarkovskaya, Dublin, Ireland
Photo: Ievgeniia Vasilenko, 2017
Congratulations Igor! You made MILONGA OCHO a great success every time ! We all know how many hours a DJ has to work to get one evening of good music. Thank you for the amazing work and looking forward to dance to your music many many hundred times in future!”
– Lina Chan, organizer, Milonga Ocho, Toronto
“Спасибо за волшебную милонгу! 
Душевно и тепло…Впрочем,как всегда.. El Espejero,я была в предвкушении…Но реальность превзошла все ожидания! И да…Спасибо партнёрам за незабываемые танды! 
”
– Irina Zarenina, organizer, Milonga della Gata Negra, Kiev, Ukraine
Photo: Stanislav Parkhomenko, 2021
“Sunday was such a gem!
El Espejero 
I have no words…
and you know what I mean
THANK you!”
– Natalia Shylova, organizer, Tesoromio Tango Weekend, Kiev, Ukraine
“Очаровал, околдовал, затанцевал вхлам и вусмерть, пленных не брал(с))), живыми не ушли – уползли))) Каждая танда была в тему, каждый трек – на своем месте, каждая кортина – в кайф! СПАСИБО!!!!!”
– Katerina Yegornkova at Tesoromio Tango Weekend, Kiev, Ukraine
“thank you for your wonderful music!! fantastic night.”
– Mina Tango, organizer of Corrientes Social Club, London, UK
Caliente Tango Marathon, Antalya, 2022
“Your animated persona along with your fabulous playlist, made our tango-time spectacular & memorable!! Thank YOU!!”
– Sandra Uri, at En Tu Abrazo Encuentro Milonguero, Chicago, IL
“Thank you for inviting Igor El Espejero to Cleveland. You are the best Dj ever! It’s obvious that you have a passion for your work and love what you do! It was so much fun”
– Victoria Gavrylyuk, at La Milonga de Malena, Cleveland, OH
“Folks like him is why tango never dies!”
– Tom Lee, on the subject of “milongas clandestino” in 2020
“Thank you Igor, that was the best set I’ve ever danced to. Forever in your debt!”
– Gaye Harris, organizer, at Las Carolinas 2021, US
Elegante Marathon, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus, 2022
“You have been wonderful. We will always remember how you helped tango out of the shadows in these dark times. Gaye and Steve”
– Stephen Correl, organizer, at Las Carolinas 2021, US
“From bottom of my heart my gratitude goes to Bravehearts who hold the human dignity integrity and hopes high all the time. These events held by Bravehearts gave to a dancing community hope for tomorrow, mental health, physical strength an opportunity for socializing during this inhumane lockdown.”
– Odzun Odzneci, Toronto, Canada
“We enjoyed another great milonga in Prague. The DJ El Espejero was fantastic!”
– Mike Frerichs with Catherine Sattlethight at Milonga Rest.Art, Czech Republic.
“Thank you, Irina and Igor, for the lovely milonga. For myself this is the most welcoming place in Toronto to dance. Music is perfect and the place is the closest to what milongas in Buenos Aires feel like. Thank you.”
– Inna Klimbovskaya, at Milonga Zorro Gris, Toronto
“I personally really like Igor for his amazing talent to give a cool and needed GROVE to people on the dance floor. ”
– Eleonora Kalganova, at Milonga Deseo, New Jersey, NJ
QUALITY OF SOUND
“In recent times there have been two major papers which sustainably unveiled a new approach towards transferring and dealing with tango records […] The Equalizer for Tango DJs is a comprehensive guide which shows how to use an equalizer to get the best sound out of a given tango recording. Showing precisely how the sound spectrum of a tango recording goes and where frequencies might be attenuated or amplified to obtain a certain result to fit the venue or the sound quality.”
From “D’Arienzomania – Review of the new Tangotunes transfers”,
by Jens-Ingo Brodesser
“El Espejero, Technical features of your equipment can impress me little, but the music you play … and which sounds like at a concert hall… is very impressive !”
– Liga Losseva, Toronto
Current Equipment
- 16″ MacBook Pro 2022
- NI Traktor Pro, Focusrite, SPL, API, Klanghelm, VoS/TDR and Bome software
- Halide HD, Audient ID4 and FiiO K3 sound cards
- Numark DJ2GO mkII MIDI controller
- Radial Workhorse Cube 500 series housing with:
- Fredenstein f609 dual tube, class A pre-amplifier
- Fredenstein Artistic Optical Leveler
- Crane Song Insigna passive parametric EQ with class A tube output stage
- Shure SM-58LC microphone
Tango en el Espejo 