Rainier Pereira’s journey as a Tango DJ began at the age of 15 when he rented speakers for small Latin parties and started selecting music upon his friends’ requests. This early experience sparked a passion that would shape his career. By 2010, at 20 years old, he co-hosted the only milonga in his hometown, stepping in as a DJ due to a lack of local tango DJs. His interest in tango deepened, leading him to Buenos Aires, where he studied tango and gained insights from renowned DJs like Mario Orlando and Horacio Godoy. In 2014, Rainier moved to Buenos Aires permanently and started co-hosting the Cachivacheria Milonga while DJing at various practicas and milongas. His career expanded internationally in 2017 when he DJed at milongas and festivals across Europe while also performing and teaching tango for several years. In 2020, he relocated to the US, quickly becoming one of the most popular DJs on the East Coast, known for his sets at numerous festivals and milongas nationwide.

Rainier will DJ the opening milonga of the festival on Friday night.

Gustavo Rember is Buenos Aires-based, but much-beloved in Philadelphia. He will be DJing the Saturday night of the festival.

Karen Johnson is a queer TDJ based in Philadelphia, PA. She has been dancing queer, dual role tango for ten years, and has a longstanding obsession with tango music. Her sets are primarily traditional, highly danceable Golden Age tandas, with thoughtful contemporary and alternative accents. She loves creating warm, energetic settings where people are excited to dance every tanda.

Karen will DJ the Sunday night milonga.

Originally from Montreal, Gabriel taught, performed and DJ’d for over a decade throughout North America before settling in his current home of Washington DC.

Gabriel’s style as a DJ is to create multiple varieties of waves for the dancers to ride. He loves building different kinds of energies throughout his set, always keeping his attention on the dancers and tuning into their vibe to identify when and how to raise and lower the tide. His inspiration is YOU!

Gabriel uses excellent DJ equipment and is particular about the quality of the sound, as well as his choice of tandas and cortinas. His music spans all eras, and he uses that range to bring out each dancer’s emotions. Everything is thoughtfully selected to expand your experience and inspire your creativity and flow!