DJ Traviesa - Punk Rock Disco DJ

A musical fixture in Buenos Aires, Nicolás Verón, better known as DJ Traviesa, divides his time between a residency at the much-lauded Dengue Dancing club and nights behind the decks at Niceto's monthly Brandon parties. He's also known for delighting downtown kids at clandestine after-hours and wooing fashionistas at upscale galas (he's the house favorite of local label AY Not Dead). More than a mere DJ, Traviesa is a forward-thinking performer who spends his Saturdays off on Facebook, offering his services to strangers throwing house parties, or spinning for faceless fans via his UStream channel, complete with a full light show. Traviesa is that deadly combination of genuine kindness and ferocious talent that gets people places, so expect to hear plenty more about him. Until then, this introduction will suffice.

Pulse: How did you get involved with Dengue Dancing? DJ Traviesa: My friends went to the first [version] that was in San Telmo, at the African bar. I started going, and that’s how I met Lolo. Also, there were only 30 of us then, right? It was easier. Lolo has this thing where he’s always looking for people. He made a proposal to me like he did with everyone else. When I met Lolo I thought he was a female friend’s new boyfriend.

Really? Yes, because we were at her place and Lolo shows up with that manly voice he has. Then at one point, we watched a Madonna tour video and he dropped this really specific fact; who had made her shoes for, I don't know, “Deeper & Deeper” and I was like, 'are you gay?' and 'Yes, obviously,' he says. We initially connected through that.

How long have you been DJing? Around six years, but I’ve been going out dancing since I was 12.

You’re also playing at Brandon in Niceto, right? I’ve played at Brandon, at Fuck Le Fashion. But where I play the most often is at Dengue. It’s also where I enjoy the most. It has something that other parties don’t have. I think the venue is super important. It’s designed to be a nightclub. Because nightclubs now, you know, what with all the security concerns, they end up being a cube with a gigantic emergency exit; no decoration, no place to sit, horrible lighting. And Gong, it’s this thing that’s there from long before.

What are you listening to now? I don’t listen to music. I only consume it.

Never? I don’t put on an album, no. I search for, download, and listen to music, but am always thinking of using it. I lost the habit of putting on an album and just listening. I miss that a little.

What are some of your favorite albums from when you were younger? The important ones, that defined your aesthetic. True Blue by Madonna. Here in the 1980s there was this label that made tapes with a whole set on one side and on the other, a mix of Italo, house, stuff like that. My mom gave me one of those, but I didn’t like and I exchanged it for True Blue. This year, though, I downloaded a bunch of songs that were on that cassette, but without intending to! I wasn’t ready back then, I would have saved myself many years of…of I don't know what. But I was 11. I didn’t understand Italo yet.

Did you go when Madonna came here? Yes, two days.

And she’s okay now? Um…she’s not at her best. I really like Madonna but I’m not a devoted fan. I have friends who are orthodox Madonna fans. Fundamentalist orthodox, terrorists. They’ll say, 'This song is great' and I’ll say, 'NO! It’s not good!' “Hey You," for example, makes me feel embarrassed.

Do you like Gaga? Gaga to me is like a bunch of other people's ideas stuck in a blender. I can’t stand her. There’s a party that stopped calling me because I don’t play Lady Gaga. They made a Lady Gaga statue and would put it in the DJ booth. It was too much. I only had one Lady Gaga song. The following DJ couldn’t spin because his equipment broke. I had to cover for him without having any Lady Gaga songs. I almost got beaten up. I think it was the worst night of my life.

Is playing at Dengue influencing the music you enjoy? The other day I started playing minimal and house and then I ended up putting on electropunk and disco and Julio Iglesias. I opened with Whitney Houston. Something I liked about the clubs when I went dancing was that they still played slow songs. I always liked that time in the middle of the night when they played slow songs.

It's enough time to relax, you can have a drink, you can... Meet somebody. One day at the beginning I played some jazz and the owner of Gong came and congratulated me. Do you know the owner of Gong? The really, really, really old guy? He comes out and says, 'Congratulations, Mr. Traviesa.' I almost changed my name after that.

What’s the translation of the name, ‘naughty person’? Umm…tranny. It’s wordplay. Do you know what a travesura is? Well, transvestites are called traviesas in prostitution slang. So that’s where it comes from. It’s a controversial name because I know that with this name, Creamfields will never call. At the same time it’s good, because it turns away prudish people.

Do you think there's an association between your music and a type of person within nightlife here? Like, do you take it as a compliment if someone says 'He’s a really famous DJ among gay people', or do you prefer… No, I would like to reach everyone. The more I can expand my horizons, the better. I’ve done it several times on Facebook. I’ll put 'I want to play music at a house party' as my status. People I don’t know call me, and well, I do.

And do the strangers like your music? It’s more difficult in those situations, because there isn’t something that musically brings us together, therefore I have to play everything from rock to what I like. Sometimes I enjoy doing that type of thing with people I don’t know, where I don’t know what music they like and gradually warming them up until they’re just there.

Like baby steps. Yes, but even stepping away from what I like to do, for the sake of them having a good time. Do you know the Party Train? It’s a bus shaped like a train that drives around with a party inside. This lady who was organizing a party for her twin boys said, “Last year I took them on a Party Train, but they’re too old now. This year we hire a DJ." And I was doing lights for this DJ who had to adapt to that type of audience; 12 year-old boys. But it was one of the best parties I’ve seen in my life because it was the first time these kids were hearing loud music with lights. It was the first time they were dancing. That was great.

When you have free time do you go dancing? Yes, at Dengue. Otherwise, lots of parties at other people’s houses. Have you been to Mi Casa? It’s this semi-abandoned house with a steel door, totally unauthorized. Throwing a party there, you run the risk that at any time the police could arrive and everything would have to stop. Or that you have to lower the volume of the music until they leave and then continue. But it’s nice.

Listen to DJ Traviesa on Pulse Radio