As Raf Walschaerts already enthusiastically announced live during Kommil Foo De Luxe in the AB, in early 2011: ORQUESTA TANGUEDIA PREMIERE IN THE AB AT THE END OF 2011!

Or also Bart Steenhaut later in De Morgen, 5 star review along with that of Kommil Foo De Luxe: 'But yet – and that is no small feat – they still manage to surprise, live, despite all that familiarity. To a considerable degree, that is the merit of Orquesta Tanguedia: an eight-member group that had completely re-thought the songs of Kommil Foo in a tango arrangement for the occasion. Sounds far-fetched on paper but in reality it worked wonderfully, also because each and every member of the group is a virtuoso musician.'

18 years of Orquesta Tanguedia

Sexteto Tanguedia was established in 1993, a year after the passing of Astor Piazzolla, the Grand Master of Argentina's Tango Nuevo. Tanguedia consisted then of six porteños from Antwerp with diverging musical backgrounds but a common passion for the Tango Nuevo. In 1998 the ensemble was revived in order to graduate with great distinction from the Antwerp Conservatory, majoring in chamber music, mentored by Theo Mertens.

After some try-out concerts and a successful cooperation with the Ballet van Vlaanderen, in 2002 the Sexteto toured the Flemish cultural centres for the first time. Their first CD was also released that year, 'Sara verso il mattino', produced by Theo Mertens (Wild Boar Music). As of 2004 Ben Faes and Gwen Cresens also began to add their own new arrangements to the repertoire. The double CD 'In bocca al lupo' (again with Wild Boar Music) followed five years after their debut CD.

In 2008, Gwen Cresens was asked to write 'Tanguedia' arrangements, for a 14 songs by Kommil Foo and Boudewijn De Groot, as part of the Vol Pension show in Leuven's Municipal Theatre. This experience led in 2010 to a collaboration for the tour ‘Kommil Foo De Luxe’, a show containing the best of Kommil Foo.

In 2011, Orquesta Tanguedia returns to a smaller team: six musicians, the pianist as singer, a new guitarist and pianist, a broader repertoire. After 15 years it's slowly becoming time to leave the path of Piazzolla’s music every now and then. The new Orquesta Tanguedia is ready to experiment with other tango composers, French influences and especially own compositions. The borders of the genres fade, but the fire of the tango, the passion and the melancholy, remain clearly tangible in Orquesta Tanguedia's world.

To close, also Karel Michiels in De Standaard again, 4 October 2010: 'Not that all Kommil Foo's best songs have now suddenly received a tango arrangement. There is just as much subtle latin jazz in de set, and filmic music, and classical. But the melancholy of the tango is certainly a constant factor and it connects ideally with the duo's magical-realistic blues... It”s as if Kommil Foo's songs now finally come home, in the Orquesta Tanguedia version.'