What does midnight look like in the Paris of South America? For those of us cursed with a golden-age mentality, Buenos Aires can be a reprieve from all the baggage that comes with modern reality.
This city is captivated by nostalgia, and even if a venue wasn’t born decades ago, many owners pay close attention to details in the hope of capturing a little of the magic of bygone eras. The bar at the Sofitel hotel transports customers to Montmarte with themed evenings every Thursday, whilst Sunday strolls in San Telmo’s markets act as a gateway to the past.
But once all of yesteryear’s magic gets into your system, where does one go when the lights go down? And just where, prey tell, do you plan to wear that poodle skirt?
From the city’s shadowy jazz bars to sultry milonga halls to lively peñas folklóricas, this week’s Top 5 brings you our pick of places to live out your dream era.
Club 74 gets its funk on Saturday nights (Courtesy of Club 74)
Disco Night at Club 74
Legend has it that the 80s stunted the growth of Club 74. Born in 1958, the club progressed with the ages until deciding to remain in a disco time capsule a few decades ago. The white stucco walls match the white stucco couches, giving the whole place an igloo-like feel.
The Saturday night fever is still burning every weekend, with a DJ who pretends he’s never heard of Lady Gaga. A surprisingly mixed crowd boogies on the dance floor – some dancing to remember, and some channeling moves they’ve surely only seen on TV.
The club has a celebratory atmosphere – there are usually several birthday parties going on – and it’s a refreshing escape from the moody indie-rock scene of today.
Saturday is definitely the night to go, as it’s the only night of the week when the dance-floor lights up, in true retro fashion like a flashing Rubix cube. And really, what good are revolving mirror balls without the neon lights?
Club 74 is also renowned for its themed parties, and April’s Madonna/Michael Jackson tribute doesn’t sound like one you can miss.
For more information on Club 74 visit club74.com.ar
Swing Dancing on Friday nights (Photo: Lauren White)
Swing Dancing at Teatro Mandril
There’s more than one way to swing in Buenos Aires, and if you choose the kind on offer at San Nicolas’s quirky Teatro Mandril, cameras are even allowed.
A little alcohol helps to loosen up limbs as the crowd make eyes at each other around a dimly-lit, college fundraiser-style bar. Every brand of hipster seems to be gathered there on a Friday night; the retro hipster, the punk hipster, the popular girl-turned hipster, even the odd Dad hipster.
Around midnight everyone starts to gather in the back room, near the stage and dance floor. Drinks are abandoned and tables shuffled against walls to allow for the gyrations of 200 or so guests.
Guys and girls are split and line up facing each other as a male and female instructor teach the sexes their corresponding steps. After a few minutes of learning basic steps the couples grab a partner and the room transforms into a fire inspector’s nightmare. Patrons spill into every spare corner and the dance floor becomes a mere suggestion of where you should be. After about 10 minutes of practice, the sea of men and women splits again to learn more complex moves.
The party loosens up around 1:00am when the swing orchestra starts playing, and those with less ability slink back to their drinks. A few men and women own the dance floor into the early hours, while the rest watch in awe or just abandon the moves and dance with friends.
To see a video of the type of music on offer at Teatro Mandril, click here.
Milonga de los Consagrados with Orchestra Ernesto Franco playing on the stage. (Photo: Cherie Magnus)
Tango Milonga at Centro Región La Leonesa
A gentleman lets his fingers walk up the bare back of his partner; the woman’s platinum-blonde bob allowing for full exposure of her elegant shoulder blades. Only when she is spun around do you realise the woman is pushing 60 years old, and dancing better than anyone you might have seen at more touristy milongas.
Welcome to La Leonesa, where the only clues to people’s ages are their faces and their elbows. Both men and women dress to impress. Some arrive in pairs and are seated at the black and white-clothed tables surrounding the dancefloor by a burly bouncer-type host in a velvet blazer. From then on, eyes dart around the room hoping to be caught.
After receiving their cue to dance, the women’s eyes take a rest, with many choosing to follow their partner’s lead with their eyes closed.
The large hall lends a slightly eerie, echoed quality to the music, and its yellowed Victorian wallpaper only adds to the authenticity for traditionalists.
Vendors seem to have found their target market here, as you can’t escape the kiosks of tango heels, posters and apparel positioned on the way into the hall.
Regulars say the best times to go are Thursday night’s Niño Bien event, or Saturday afternoons. You can dance if you want to, but you should know it’s very likely you’ll be out-shined by someone. Something about this place suggests it was no one’s first spin around the floor.
To read more more information on Centro Región La Leonesa click here
The art deco entrance of Virasoro Bar (courtesy Virasoro Bar)
Jazz Evening at Virasoro
Although not included on our Top 5 Jazz Clubs, Virasoro has a quaint appeal for a more tightly-knit, interactive jazz experience. Before going on stage, the band greets and jokes with the incoming crowd in the nook of a lobby. After a few beers they get up to play, leaving sheet music strewn about the floor. The venue’s unpretentious, art deco space holds a small crowd of mostly young enthusiasts who come with a small group of friends or as a pair.
The band performs in front of a continuously rolling, black-and white projection that plays jazz performances and interviews by yesterday’s great players.
The screen casts a blue-grey light on the seven band members, who play about three steps away from an audience consisting of only around eight crowded tables.
After a few glasses of wine, the candle-lit ambiance and gentle beats put you in a more subdued state, making it hard to focus on film screenings.
The only downside was the impatient waiters. Make sure you have your selection ready, and with a solid Spanish accent to hand, or be expected to, well, wait.
For more information on Virasoro Jazz Bar, visit virasoro.com.ar
Folklórica Los Cardones (courtesy Los Cardones)
Peña Folklórica Los Cardones
When a gringo pictures Argentina, Los Cardones is likely what he sees. Peña folklórica originated in the northern provinces of the country (Salta in particular) in the 1950s, and the culture has trickled down to Buenos Aires and beyond.
This large bar has walls block-coloured in bright yellow and orange, windows framed by flowery vines, and a photo of Jesus on the cross hung prominently behind the stage. The club pays homage to Salta by featuring a small menu of traditional regional fare, and a large photo of Salta’s cathedral that blankets nearly half of the wall.
Traditional folklórica is performed with three guitarists, one drummer, and perhaps a violinist. This is frequently varied however, with some acts featuring only one smiling guitarist, and an occasional drummer that seemed to be part of the crowd until he was given the nod to go up on stage. The atmosphere is friendly, loud and proud. The audience is frequently encouraged to join in by clapping with the music, and is never told to “shhh” like in other bars.
Raul, the club’s MC, introduces each performance with the same enthusiasm you’d expect if he were opening for his own son.
“We’re the first peña folklórica in Buenos Aires,” he boasts several times before the musical acts begin, and encourages the crowd to sit so close to the stage they’re almost on it.
For more information on Los Cardones, visit cardones.com.ar
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