10 years of deejaying: Senior B has invested passion, soul

Ten years before Godfrey Ssekandi Bwire became a deejay, he debated on whether to become a pilot or teacher. He was nine years old. While the fantasies of sitting in a cockpit and standing before a classroom ran through his head, his father was focused on raising a son that was respectful and hardworking.
When he was not at school, his father made sure that he escorted him to the garden to till. As the two engaged muscles on a coffee plantation, his father utilised the time to share advice.

Sadly, as Bwire celebrated his 10th birthday, his father had breathed his last, and with his death so had his dreams been thwarted. His uncle took on guardianship and carried on the same traits as Bwire’s father.
He took him downtown Kampala where the duo would do manual jobs, so from Primary Five, the youngster was a hustler. Meanwhile, the coffee plantation yielded berries, which the family would sell and get money to cater for school fees for the 12 children.
Bwire studied hard. In 1999, he sat Primary Leaving Examinations and when results were released, he had scored aggregate six. He joined Nakyessa Secondary School for O-Level and Namagabi Senior Secondary School for A-Level.

Ventures out there
The Senior Six vacation introduced him to new ventures. “During vacation, I went to visit my uncle in Kisugu who connected me to a newspaper vendor agent on Nasser Road, Kampala where I started vending newspapers. A few weeks into vending, KCCA started chasing vendors off the streets. I went to visit my aunt in Entebbe where she asked me to take care of her two cows,” Bwire recalls.
While he herded cattle, he would listen to music to kill the boredom. He got drawn more to music. He was not going to tend to cows all his life.

Nurturing the DJ in him
Bwire got drawn to music. And it did not stop at listening. He felt inspired to sing too but did not have a voice that would propel his chance to win souls to appreciate his vocal abilities.
He joined Gymnastic Clan Dancers Entebbe as a dancer but did not pass the test to remain a dancer. The proprietor of dance group, Kenneth Amuka, asked him to stay and try his skills as a music selector.

His role was to play songs, which they danced to as they rehearsed their choreography. He was keen and disciplined. Soon Amuka, who also owned a disco set noticed Bwire’s passion and gave him full access to the music machines.
“I would dedicate all the time I could spare to learn as much as I could. I would lock myself in every day, from morning to midnight, for about five months teaching myself how to deejay. I would research online and then practice using programmes such as Tempo, BPM Calculations, then sound balancing and song selection.”

During the 2007 festive season, Bwire who had taken on the alias of DJ Senior B was unveiled as a professional deejay. “Amuka liked the way I selected and played music so he connected me to his friend who owned Club Legends in Entebbe. That is how I started nightlife deejaying,” the 29-year-old recollects.

This year, DJ Senior B of Dembe FM, celebrates 10 years in the trade. “Deejaying is a process where a person plays good recorded music to a group of people who enjoy it. It is a job done by people with an extra sense of ability to entertain people through mixing matched and balanced selection of music,” he shares his understanding of deejaying.
Aptly, he adds that deejaying is about mixing music, matching beats, scratching and balancing sound.

Career highlights
The last decade has been one in which he has some big moments and highlights.
He prides in managing to popularise some soft produced songs to danceable tastes loved by many music lovers. These include Basiima Ogenze by Jose Chameleon, Bamugambe by Bebe Cool, Nvawo Naawe and Kawonawo by Grace Nakimera, Akalulu by Bobi Wine, Binti Kiziwi by Z. Onto, Pingu and My Miss by Coco Finger.
“I have nurtured several new DJs. Three of them are now fellow radio DJs while other play at different places. These include DJ Entity who plays at Imperial Resort Beach, DJ Nice Jose of Ssuubi FM, freelance deejays Mikol, Mjosh and Meddie Kayz,” he explains.

The DJ has bagged some awards. He won the Best Radio DJ Award in Hi-Skool-Awards in 2016. He was nominated in Entebbe Red Carpet Awards 2017 as Most Influential DJ in Entebbe.
“I have produced and directed many audio singles including my own all-star projects such as ‘Area 57’ which collects 13 new talents from Entebbe, Turn On The Beat which features Dokta Brain, Zil Zil, Fyno, Kezz Wizzy and Able Tashar.”
Deejaying as a source of livelihood has enabled Senior B start and sustain family. He is a father of three, one daughter and two sons all in school.

Seeing fans enjoy and appreciate his delivery, with applause, as a deejay gives him the greatest joy because this reassures him that his client has gotten value for money.
Asked what sets him apart as a DJ, Senior B says it is the communication between his mix and the audience, plus the skills at mixing the music and its selection.
He takes nothing for granted and is not sitting on laurels fans pour to him.
Joining Dembe FM

To scoop a slot on Dembe FM, DJ Senior B had to prove himself, through a competition. The radio station was looking for a DJ to play in the Saturday programmes.
He was invited to participate and he beat 14 contenders, including notable names such as Slick Stuart, B2K, DJ Kats and DJ Nash were some of the competitors.

What propelled his chances to emerge victor in the competitions was his steadfast approach. First, with knowledge about Ugandan music, which the judges asked about. Plus, he was good at mixing music and was audible and confident when responding to questions asked. When he got a job at Dembe FM, he did not expect he would work on TV too.
When Spark TV was looking for a DJ to complement the Twezimbwe show crew, he was taken on in 2013.
Over the decade he has been deejaying, Senior has been focused on establishing himself.
He has invested his earnings in acquiring equipment. He has players, portable controllers and laptops. He has invested about Shs15m, including equipment he has lost over the years.