"Bingo Bango" is a song written and recorded by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx for their debut album, Remedy (1999). The track, which contains a sample of Bolivar's "Merengue" and as a result, Jose Ibata and Rolando Ibata are credited as songwriters, combined dance music with various elements of Latin music. It was released by XL Recordings as the album's fourth single on 27 March 2000, and later became the duo's third No. 1 song on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. The song also peaked at No. 6 in Iceland and No. 13 in the United Kingdom.

"Bingo Bango"
Single by Basement Jaxx
from the album Remedy
Released27 March 2000 (2000-03-27)[1]
GenreLatin house
Length
  • 5:58 (album version)
  • 3:45 (radio mix)
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)
  • Felix Buxton
  • Simon Radcliffe
  • Jose Ibata
  • Rolando Ibata
Producer(s)Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx singles chronology
"Jump n' Shout"
(1999)
"Bingo Bango"
(2000)
"Star" / "Buddy"
(2000)
Music video
"Bingo Bango" on YouTube

In other media, "Bingo Bango" appeared in television shows and films, such as the American version of Queer as Folk, The Dancer (2000), and various televised sports events. A 2012 cover version by American Hot 8 Brass Band received positive reception. In 2011, Basement Jaxx's Felix Buxton and musician Jules Buckley created an orchestral version of the song and included it in the live album Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest.

Production edit

"Bingo Bango" is a four-to-the-floor dance song that was primarily influenced by Latin music.[2][3] It contains elements of samba,[4] calypso,[5] house,[2] and techno,[2] and was said by Barry Walters of Rolling Stone to also "layer ska on top of salsa."[6] AllMusic's John Bush noticed the use of horns throughout the production, which Michaelangelo Matos described in The Rolling Stone Album Guide as "carnival-bound horn blasts."[7][8] Bush additionally wrote that, similar to "Rendez-Vu", "Bingo Bango" was another Remedy (1999) track that shared "the Nuyoricans' penchant for Latin vibes."[7] A sample of Bolivar's "Merengue" also appeared in the song.[9]

In 2011, Felix Buxton collaborated with musician Jules Buckley to re-arrange fifteen of Basement Jaxx's tracks for a live orchestral show.[10] "We made it into a Viennese Waltz for the simplest reason: why the hell not?," Jules stated.[11] Andy Gill of The Independent wrote that this new version was based around waltz-time harpsichord and "raffishly muted" trumpet.[10]

Critical and commercial reception edit

Matt Hendrickson from Rolling Stone called "Bingo Bango" an "a calypso romp," while Alice Fisher of The Observer described it as "riotous".[5][12] In a review for MetroActive, Michelle Goldberg praised the song's "brilliant melding" between the different genres. She claimed it was done with a "gleeful naturalness so that the foreign sounds never sound like superfluous spice."[2] On the other hand, British music magazine NME was extremely negative, stating:

"Bingo Bango", is no less irritating [than the other Remedy tracks], though less brutish in its execution and more like the bothersome exhortations of an over-exuberant toddler; the vocal sample is ‘nagging’ like a grandmother disapproving of a new haircut and ‘catchy’ in that same ghastly way that any advert with Michael Winner in is memorable – just because it sticks in the head doesn't make it good.[13]

The orchestral rendition received a favorable review from The Independent's Andy Gill, who labelled it a "delicate, sugarplum-fairy re-imagining." He further wrote: "[The re-arrangement] becomes as unashamedly widescreen as a Spielberg film score by John Williams, speeding up as it goes along like a Greek or Cossack dance – just one benefit of its being freed from sequencer rhythms."[10]

Commercially, "Bingo Bango" achieved moderate success. On 29 July 2000, the song topped the Billboard Dance Club Play chart and stayed there for two consecutive weeks.[14][15] It was the duo's third No. 1 on the chart, following "Red Alert" and "Rendez-Vu", both in 1999.[16] "Bingo Bango" later peaked at No. 7 on its year-end edition of 2000.[17] It also peaked at No. 13 in the United Kingdom and No. 99 in Netherlands.[18][19] In 2004, MTV Dance ranked the song at No. 65 in their Top 100 Ibiza Anthems list.[20] The results were voted by various industrial disc jockeys and artists.[21]

Promotion and other usages edit

 
Hot 8 Brass Band (pictured) recorded a cover rendition of the song and met with a positive reaction

Basement Jaxx directed a music video for "Bingo Bango" and included it on their video compilation The Videos (2005).[22] The song also appeared in their 1999 Essential Mix of the Year-winning DJ mix, broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in May, and on their greatest hits album, The Singles (2005).[23][9]

On Hot 8 Brass Band's second studio album, The Life & Times Of... (2012), the band's cover of the song was highly acclaimed by AllMusic's Al Campbell.[24] Campbell said: "In the context of brass band music, ["Bingo Bango" is not a track] that would immediately come to mind as complementing that style. But in the hands of the Hot 8, not only do they make it work, it coheres entirely throughout the disc."[24] Neil Spencer from The Observer wrote that their cover brought the Latin "flavors" to the song.[25]

On television, "Bingo Bango" was used in the second episode of series two of At Home with the Braithwaites, which aired on 11 January 2001.[26] American show Queer as Folk featured the song twice during its first season. The original version appeared in "No Bris, No Shirt, No Service", which aired on 10 December 2000;[27] while the "Latin Mix" appeared in "Full Circle", which aired on 24 June 2001.[28] On 7 June 2005, the song appeared during the first episode of Sugar Rush.[29]

Theatrically, French drama The Dancer (2000),[30] American teen comedy Get Over It (2001)[31] and the action thriller Extreme Ops (2002)[32] all featured the track. The first two films also included it in their soundtrack albums.[30][31] "Bingo Bango" was a downloadable game feature on DanceStar Digital in 2013.[33] In 2001, both The Guardian and The Independent observed that the track frequently accompanied many televised sports events and commercials.[34][3] Buxton told the latter publication: "I saw a bit of football yesterday and as usual they were playing 'Bingo Bango' alongside the commentary. I thought how much it suits it – it was very energetic. I felt very proud."[3]

Basement Jaxx usually ended their live performances with "Bingo Bango".[35][36][37] For their set at Creamfields festival in 2000, they brought on stage a "dazzling troupe of feathered Mardi Gras dancers" during the song.[37] In 2011, Jules Buckley and Metropole Orkest, which consists of a 60-piece orchestra and a 20-voice choir, performed the Buxton-written orchestral version in three shows in the Netherlands and United Kingdom.[38][39] Recordings of the Netherlands' concert later became the material for the duo's first live album, Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest (2011).[40]

Formats and track listings edit

Credits edit

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Remedy and The Singles.[49][9]

Recording and management

  • Mastered by Mike Marsh at The Exchange.
  • Published by Universal Music (formerly MCA Music)/Bryunny Publishing.
  • Contains a sample of "Merengue" of Bolivar courtesy of Acid Jazz Records.

Personnel

  • Felix Buxton – mixing, production, songwriting
  • Simon Ratcliffe – mixing, production, songwriting
  • Jose Ibata – songwriting
  • Rolando Ibata – songwriting
  • Ugo Delmirani – keyboard solo
  • Cassie Watson – main vocal
  • Jorges – word bitz
  • Nyna – word bitz

Charts edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Bingo Bango". XL Recordings. Archived from the original on 23 May 2006. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Goldberg, Michelle (19 August 1999). "Secular Gospel". MetroActive. Metro Newspapers. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Buxton, Felix; Ratcliffe, Simon (28 June 2001). "Basement Jaxx: This is the house that Jaxx built". The Independent (Interview). Interviewed by Fiona Sturges. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  4. ^ Roseberry, Craig (3 July 1999). "Astralwerks' Basement Jaxx Creates Unique 'Remedy'" (Google Books). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 27. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 29. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b Buxton, Felix; Ratcliffe, Simon (2 September 1999). "Full House, Jaxx High". Rolling Stone (Interview). Interviewed by Matt Hendrickson. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  6. ^ Walters, Barry (19 August 1999). "Basement Jaxx – Remedy review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 November 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  7. ^ a b Bush, Josh. "Basement Jaxx – Remedy review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  8. ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (2 November 2004). "Basement Jaxx" (Google Books). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 46. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  9. ^ a b c The Singles (CD liner notes). Basement Jaxx. United Kingdom: XL. 2005. XLCD187.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ a b c Gill, Andy (14 July 2012). "Album: Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest, Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest (Atlantic Jaxx)". The Independent. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  11. ^ Love, Emma (1 March 2012). "The lightning conductor: Jules Buckley is the go-to man for acts who want orchestral punch". The Independent. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  12. ^ Fisher, Alice (3 May 2009). "Jaxx still party like it's 1999". The Observer. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  13. ^ Kessler, Ted (6 May 1999). "Basement Jaxx – Remedy review". NME. Archived from the original on 4 October 2000. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  14. ^ Moss, Corey (20 July 2000). "Basement Jaxx's 'Bingo Bango' Bangs To Top Of Club-Play Chart". MTV News. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Dance Club Songs chart of August 5, 2000". Billboard. 5 August 2000. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Basement Jaxx Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Greatest of All Time: Top 10 Dance Club Songs Year-by-Year, 1976–2015". Billboard. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  19. ^ a b "Basement Jaxx – Bingo Bango" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  20. ^ "Ibiza Anthems". Top 100. May 2004. MTV.
  21. ^ "Insomnia voted MTV Dance's Greatest Anthem Of All Time". Resident Advisor. 17 May 2004. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  22. ^ The Videos (DVD liner notes). Basement Jaxx. United Kingdom: XL. 2005. XLDVD187.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ Basement Jaxx (2 May 1999). Essential Mix (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 1.
  24. ^ a b Campbell, Al. "The Hot 8 Brass Band – The Life & Times Of... review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  25. ^ Spencer, Neil (4 November 2012). "The Hot 8 Brass Band: The Life & Times of… – review". The Observer. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  26. ^ At Home with the Braithwaites. Season 2. Episode 2. 11 January 2001. ITV.
  27. ^ "No Bris, No Shirt, No Service". Queer as Folk. Season 1. Episode 3. 10 December 2000. Showtime.
  28. ^ "Full Circle". Queer as Folk. Season 1. Episode 2. 24 June 2001. Showtime.
  29. ^ Sugar Rush. Season 1. Episode 1. 7 June 2005. Channel 4.
  30. ^ a b Virgin EMI (13 June 2000). "Various artist – The Dancer soundtrack" (in German). Amazon Germany. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  31. ^ a b Moss, Corey (6 March 2001). "Kirsten Dunst Makes Singing Debut On Soundtrack". MTV News. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  32. ^ Duguay, Christian (Director) (27 November 2002). Extreme Ops (Motion picture). Paramount/MDP Worldwide.
  33. ^ "Basement Jaxx – Bingo Bango". PlayStation Store. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  34. ^ Gibbons, Fiachra (25 July 2001). "Gorillaz put up two fingers to Mercury". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  35. ^ Kimura, Miyo. "ベースメント・ジャックス (Basement Jaxx) @ なんばハッチ 2010.02.24" [Basement Jaxx @ Namba Hatch 2010.02.24]. Smashing Mag (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  36. ^ Umback, Kirsty (9 December 2006). "Basement Jaxx: MEN Arena, Manchester on Thursday 7 December 2006". eGigs. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  37. ^ a b Courtney, Kevin (26 June 2000). "Gardai make 400 arrests at dance event". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  38. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (7 February 2011). "Watch Basement Jaxx's Orchestral Gig". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  39. ^ White, Chris (11 July 2011). "Basement Jaxx and Metropole Orkest – Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest review". musicOMH. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  40. ^ Basement Jaxx Vs. Metropole Orkest (CD liner notes). Basement Jaxx and Metropole Orkest. United Kingdom: Atlantic Jaxx. 2011. 5051083058841.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  41. ^ Bingo Bango and Red Alert (CD single). Basement Jaxx. Australia: Addiction. 2000. ADICT084CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  42. ^ Bingo Bango (CD single). Basement Jaxx. Europe: XL / PIAS. 2000. 827012024.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  43. ^ Bingo Bango (CD single). Basement Jaxx. Europe: XL / PIAS. 2000. XLS 120CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  44. ^ Bingo Bango (CD single). Basement Jaxx. United Kingdom: XL. 2000. XLS 120CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  45. ^ Bingo Bango (12-inch single). Basement Jaxx. Italy: Rise. 2000. RISE 071.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  46. ^ a b Bingo Bango (12-inch single). Basement Jaxx. United Kingdom: XL. 2000. XLT 120.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  47. ^ Bingo Bango (Cassette single). Basement Jaxx. United Kingdom: XL. 2000. XLC 120.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  48. ^ Bingo Bango (12-inch single). Basement Jaxx. United States: Astralwerks. 2000. ASW 38716-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  49. ^ Remedy (CD liner notes). Basement Jaxx. United Kingdom: XL. 1999. XLLP 129.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  50. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7283." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  51. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (1.6–8.6 2000)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 June 2000. p. 10. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  52. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  53. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  54. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2018.