Bangi still lives
Dec 03, 2009
TODAY (Friday 4 Dec), as has been the custom for the last two years, Ange Noire will be celebrating the life of Wilfred Bangirana aka DJ Bangi. Since he was cut down two years ago, the industrial area night club has set aside the first Friday of December
By Paul Busharizi
TODAY (Friday 4 Dec), as has been the custom for the last two years, Ange Noire will be celebrating the life of Wilfred Bangirana aka DJ Bangi. Since he was cut down two years ago, the industrial area night club has set aside the first Friday of December to celebrate the man and his music.
Even though he never made the music, for a whole generation of Kampala revelers the music will always be synonymous with DJ Bangi.
When Bangi was in attendance, be it first at the Viper Room and then later at Ange Noire, his music playing got our month off to a good start, filling our hearts, quickening our step while also, lightening our wallets.
He cut himself a unique niche – everybody knew, if you wanted Oldies music, Bangi was the first port of call.
Bangi tended to his part of the garden with energy, style and feeling.
Every time he played Cool & the Gang’s Let’s Go Dancing (Oh la la la) space was at a premium on the dance floor.
This drifted into Eye of the Tiger, sliding on to Chaka Khan’s I Feel For You before easing into Smooth Operator by Sade and crowning it all with AEIOU, meant beer bottles were abandoned, the visit to the washroom would wait, seducing us to stay a little longer into the night.
But his mastery stretched beyond the eighties. I can swear I danced to I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash or Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together of 1972 to Dionne Warwick’s Walk on By that was a released in 1963, the year of his birth.
Many a romance has blossomed on Bangi’s dance floor, been consummated to CDs cut by his mastery hand, sanctified before he played at the wedding’s after party and the oldies passed lovingly on to a new generation.
I will not embarrass myself trying to capture the essence of the man.
Bangi’s Oldies’ nights, and therefore the man, had to be experienced to be appreciated.
My top 20 Bangi hits
1. Rush - Luther Vandross
2. You are my lady - Freddie Jackson
3. If you don’t know me by now - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
4. The sweetest taboo - Sade
5. I feel for you - Chaka Khan
6. I’ll take you there - Staple Singers
7. Sexual healing - Marvin Gaye
8. Electric avenue - Eddy Grant
9. Higher love - Steve Winwood
10. Frankie - Sister Sledge
11. Ain’t nobody - Rufus & Chaka Khan
12. We don’t have to take our clothes off - Jermaine Stewart
13. Sugar, sugar - Archie
14. Just the two of us - Bill Withers
15. Can’t get enough of your love baby - Barry White
16. Living in a box - Living in a Box
17. She drives me crazy - Fine Young Cannibles
18. Karma chameleon - Culture Club
19. Girls just wanna have fun - Cyndi Lauper
20. Wake me up before you go, go - Wham
TODAY (Friday 4 Dec), as has been the custom for the last two years, Ange Noire will be celebrating the life of Wilfred Bangirana aka DJ Bangi. Since he was cut down two years ago, the industrial area night club has set aside the first Friday of December to celebrate the man and his music.
Even though he never made the music, for a whole generation of Kampala revelers the music will always be synonymous with DJ Bangi.
When Bangi was in attendance, be it first at the Viper Room and then later at Ange Noire, his music playing got our month off to a good start, filling our hearts, quickening our step while also, lightening our wallets.
He cut himself a unique niche – everybody knew, if you wanted Oldies music, Bangi was the first port of call.
Bangi tended to his part of the garden with energy, style and feeling.
Every time he played Cool & the Gang’s Let’s Go Dancing (Oh la la la) space was at a premium on the dance floor.
This drifted into Eye of the Tiger, sliding on to Chaka Khan’s I Feel For You before easing into Smooth Operator by Sade and crowning it all with AEIOU, meant beer bottles were abandoned, the visit to the washroom would wait, seducing us to stay a little longer into the night.
But his mastery stretched beyond the eighties. I can swear I danced to I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash or Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together of 1972 to Dionne Warwick’s Walk on By that was a released in 1963, the year of his birth.
Many a romance has blossomed on Bangi’s dance floor, been consummated to CDs cut by his mastery hand, sanctified before he played at the wedding’s after party and the oldies passed lovingly on to a new generation.
I will not embarrass myself trying to capture the essence of the man.
Bangi’s Oldies’ nights, and therefore the man, had to be experienced to be appreciated.
My top 20 Bangi hits
1. Rush - Luther Vandross
2. You are my lady - Freddie Jackson
3. If you don’t know me by now - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
4. The sweetest taboo - Sade
5. I feel for you - Chaka Khan
6. I’ll take you there - Staple Singers
7. Sexual healing - Marvin Gaye
8. Electric avenue - Eddy Grant
9. Higher love - Steve Winwood
10. Frankie - Sister Sledge
11. Ain’t nobody - Rufus & Chaka Khan
12. We don’t have to take our clothes off - Jermaine Stewart
13. Sugar, sugar - Archie
14. Just the two of us - Bill Withers
15. Can’t get enough of your love baby - Barry White
16. Living in a box - Living in a Box
17. She drives me crazy - Fine Young Cannibles
18. Karma chameleon - Culture Club
19. Girls just wanna have fun - Cyndi Lauper
20. Wake me up before you go, go - Wham