Tangounion

Tangounion
Website	https://tangounion.net
Initiator(s)	Eric Lindgren
Project domain(s)	DJing, Music

The TangoUnion project, created by Eric Lindgren, is a specialized tango music tool designed as a "graph search" engine for tango music. It allows users to explore tango music in an interconnected way, starting from any anchor point such as orchestra, year, genre, or singer. For example, you can find all recordings by D’Arienzo with Laborde singing in the 1950s or explore other orchestras Laborde recorded with during that period. The tool integrates a Spotify-like music player with this search functionality, enabling immediate listening to search results.

The idea came from Eric's experience teaching students who were learning to DJ tango music using Spotify, which he found inadequate for capturing the communal consensus on the best danceable recordings. He aimed to combine deep discography data with the convenience of streaming platforms, primarily leveraging YouTube's extensive tango collection.

The project has been a multi-year effort with several hundred development hours, running currently as a prototype with hosting costs around $40-60 per month. Eric acknowledges the challenges of time constraints and balancing this passion project with personal work.

TangoUnion is primarily a tool for exploration, curiosity, and sharing rather than replacing professional DJs' music libraries. It is particularly helpful for students and newcomers to tango music who want to dive deeper and discover new tandas.

Success for Eric has meant realizing his vision to a functional level that satisfies his creative drive. While the user base is modest, the tool is appreciated especially by those exploring tango music afresh, and it occasionally sparks conversations at tango festivals.

You can read the full interview on Awaken Tango: [Tango Innovator Q&A with Eric Lindgren](https://awakentango.substack.com/p/tango-innovator-q-and-a-local-teacher)