Last Tango in Paris

Argentineans are as fascinated by Paris as the French are infatuated with tango, a mutual affection that, over the last three years, has even reached the European charts in the form of the Gotan Project. This Paris-based team includes French producer Philippe Cohen Solal, his Swiss partner Christoph H. Muller, and Argentine guitarist Eduardo Makaroff. In the studio, the trio creates a sound that combines electronic beats with the drama and passion of traditional tango. Live, they add to the mix a full-fledged Argentine tango band comprising piano, violin, and bandoneón (accordion) players, plus a singer.

Since it was first released in Europe in 2001, their debut album La Revancha del Tango (Tango’s Revenge, now available in the U.S.) has sold 700,000 copies worldwide, turning the former underground sensation into an unexpected smash hit. “We didn’t want to be the flavor of the summer and be forgotten right after,” says Makaroff during a phone interview from Paris. “We didn’t expect to sell so many albums either. I would credit it to the strength and power of tango.”