Bandoneón’s explosive process in tango’s formatting

Abstract

Explosive Process is the term used by Yuri Lotman to describe the qualitative changes that occur by introducing new information in a system of communication and culture, forcing it to restructure its semiotic layers. Unlikethe gradual processes, explosives are unexpected and, to some extent, untranslatable, expressing the condition of ambiguity of boundaries which accomplishes the translating function between the own and the stranger. In this paper, we seek to associate the stranger bandoneón to the explosive process that would have formatted the tango, assigning ita distinctive feature that remains today as a sign of tango.