Deee-Lite | |
|---|---|
 The original members of Deee-Lite, from left to right:Lady Miss Kier, DJ Dmitry andTowa Tei | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
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| Labels | Elektra |
| Past members | Lady Miss Kier Towa Tei DJ Dmitry DJ Ani |
Deee-Lite was an Americanhouse anddance music group formed inNew York City. The group'ssingle "Groove Is in the Heart", which was released in 1990 from their debut studio album,World Clique (1990), was a top-ten hit in multiple countries. In December 2016,Billboard ranked them as the 55th most successful dance artists of all time.[2]
The band began in 1986 as a duo, inNew York City, withLady Miss Kier (born Kierin Magenta Kirby, primarily on vocals) and Supa DJ Dmitry (born inUSSR asDmitry Brill) asDJ. The two then became a trio when Korean-Japanese DJTowa Tei joined the group in 1988.
Beginning in 1986, Kier and Dmitry performed their songs monthly at various downtown New York nightclubs;[3] in 1987, Kier bought anAkaiS900 sampler, which influenced their sound tremendously.[4] She also bought aCasio FZ-series sampler, which was used almost exclusively on their debut album. Indeed, sampling played such an important role in their music that they named their production company "Sampladelic".[5] From the band's inception, Kier designed their promotional posters and club fliers, and was also thegraphic designer for all three of their albums and 12" singles.[6] The group played athip hop andhouse clubs,[7] at bothgay clubs and straight establishments, and at the New Yorkdrag festivalWigstock.[8] They also opened for Native Tongue Movement'sDe La Soul andJungle Brothers. As described byRolling Stone, "they were drawing vivid, multiracial, pan-sexual crowds...". Part of the band's appeal was their inclusivity, as noted byMademoiselle magazine: "as a group, they're a festival of individuality; as a band, they're a party anyone can attend."[7] These live shows garnered a steady following, and attracted future third member Towa Tei as a fan.
In 1988, Towa sent Kier and Dmitry a bedroomdemo tape he had made, and they realised he, like them, also enjoyed a fusion offunk andtechno. Towa and Dmitry began jointly-programming the band's computer. Although Towa did not play any instruments, he was a record collector and added various sounds and samples. Kier and Dmitry invited him to join the group that year, and together the three produced their first album.[9] Kier wrote all the lyrics and melodies, and also askedbass guitaristBootsy Collins to join-in on recording sessions.[10] Dmitry played guitar, keyboard, and bass, while Towa gathered samples for fill-ins and grooves.[11] Collins introduced the trio toThe Horny Horns,Fred Wesley,Maceo Parker, Mudbone Cooper, andBernie Worrell, and also helped assemble their touring ensemble.[12] Together, Deee-Lite would produce their first and second albums under their own production company, Sampladelic.
In 1990, the group released their first album,World Clique, preceded by the debut single "Groove Is in the Heart", which became a hit in many countries, including No. 1 in Australia and topping theBillboardUS Dance Club Songs chart. The song features vocals fromQ-Tip (ofA Tribe Called Quest) as well as a bass guitarloop sampled fromHerbie Hancock's "Bring Down The Birds" (1967), with additional vocals by collaborator and funk musician Bootsy Collins. In 1992, they released their politically-charged second album,Infinity Within. The album failed to chart as high as their debut, but they still managed two Top 10 dance hits in the US with "Runaway" and "Pussycat Meow".
Towa ultimately did not join the group on their world tours, for which they had assembled a nine-piece band, as he had desired to start working on the second Deee-Lite album (Infinity Within) from the comfort of his own home, where his records and samples were kept.[13] As expressed toMTV News: "...a reason I left Deee-Lite was that I hated the touring—playing the same songs over and over again every night," Towa said. "I'm not that type of person. I don't like being in front of the people."[14] After extensively touring, Kier and Dmitry were not given funding forInfinity Within, as originally promised by theirWarner contract.[11] Upon the release of the album, Kier and Dmitry wondered if Deee-Lite's overall sound was "losing touch" with the dancefloor crowds, and thus they began creating the dancefloor albumDewdrops in the Garden (1994).[14] At the time, creative differences were intensifying with Towa and Kier and Dmitry. Speaking again to MTV News, Towa explained: "When I made a big decision to take a break, I started to listen to different types of music again—bossa nova, soundtracks. I started getting materials that went beyond the Deee-Lite concept. For me it fit, but for them it didn't really fit."[14] Prior to the release ofDewdrops in the Garden, Towa abruptly left the band (appearing only on the track "Call Me"), and was replaced by DJ Ani. Kier was determined to keep the band together, and offered Towa the chance to remix a song of his choice so he'd have a presence on the third Deee-Lite album.[15] Even with a lineup change and minimalrecord label support, Deee-Lite managed to tour for another year after the release of the album, selling even more records than their sophomore release. In 1994, Kier and Dmitry's increasingly turbulent relationship came to an end, as did the group.[16]
In total, the group scored six No. 1hits on the U.S.Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart over the five years they were together. In the years since the band's dissolution, financial problems due to bad management[6] impacted both Kier and Dmitry; however, they persevered and are both still in-business as writers, producers and DJs. Kier is still primarily a singer-songwriter and DJ, having traveled extensively and recorded on numerous albums with internationally acclaimed artists. She is often regarded as a style "icon" by publications, such asVogue,[17] for her distinctive style of dress and perpetual influence on the international fashion scene. Dmitry continued working as a DJ, everywhere fromHong Kong toJerusalem, fromBerlin'sLove Parade toBrazil'sRock In Rio. He was given the "DJ of the year" award inIbiza, and has remixed with post-editing byMarty Munsch on several versions,[citation needed] for many artists includingArthur Russell,Jungle Brothers,Sinéad O'Connor,Ziggy Marley,Nina Hagen,Ultra Naté, and others. He collaborated withJulee Cruise (ofTwin Peaks/David Lynch fame) to release the albumMy Secret Life (2011). Dmitry is currently based in Berlin, where he continues to DJ, compose, produce and remix.
Towa Tei has recorded several albums as a solo artist, and was featured in the Japanese supergroupMETAFIVE. In a 2011 interview, Tei denied the possibility of Deee-Lite reuniting, even fleetingly, citing the creative and personal differences that prompted him to depart in the first place.[18]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [19] | AUS [20][21] | CAN | NZ | UK [22] | |||
| World Clique | 20 | 33 | 15 | 30 | 14 | ||
| Infinity Within |
| 67 | 117 | — | — | 37 | |
| Dewdrops in the Garden |
| 127 | 140 | — | — | 78 | |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Dewdrops in the Remix |
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| Sampladelic Relics & Dancefloor Oddities |
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| The Very Best of Deee-Lite |
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| The Elektra Years |
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| Groove Is in the Heart |
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| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [24] | US Dance [24] | AUS [20] | CAN [25] | GER [26] | IRE [27] | NED [28] | NZ [28] | SWI [28] | UK [29] | ||||||||||
| 1990 | "Groove Is in the Heart" / "What Is Love?" | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 2 | World Clique | |||||||
| "Power of Love" | 47 | 1 | 47 | 82 | 43 | 21 | 47 | 19 | — | 25 | |||||||||
| 1991 | "E.S.P." | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "How Do You Say...Love" | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | 52 | |||||||||
| "Good Beat" | — | 1 | 105 | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | 53 | |||||||||
| 1992 | "Runaway" | — | 1 | 112 | 70 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 45 | Infinity Within | |||||||
| "Thank You Everyday" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 92 | |||||||||
| "Pussycat Meow" | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1994 | "Party Happening People" | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dewdrops in the Garden | |||||||
| "Picnic in the Summertime" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | |||||||||
| "Bring Me Your Love" | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Call Me" | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||||||
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