Deee-Lite
| Deee-Lite | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York, New York, United States |
| Genres | Dance-pop, house |
| Years active | 1989–1996 |
| Labels | Elektra Records |
| Past members |
Towa Tei DJ Dmitry Lady Miss Kier DJ Ani |
Deee-Lite was an American house and club/dance music group, formed in New York City. The group's best-known single was "Groove Is in the Heart", which was released from their 1990 debut album, World Clique, and was a Top 10 hit in multiple countries. That song notably featured funk musician Bootsy Collins, a fan of the group. Deee-Lite scored six number-one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart over their history. Upon their break-up, the individual members have worked independently as DJs, with Lady Miss Kier regarded as a style icon by publications such as Vogue.[1] Dee-Lite's catalog is represented by Downtown Music Publishing.
Band members
The members of Deee-lite were:
- Supa DJ Dmitry aka DJ Dmitry (Dmitry Brill, born June 4, 1964, Kiev, Ukraine), composer, producer, keyboards, guitar
- Lady Miss Kier (Kierin M. Kirby, born August 15, 1963, Youngstown, Ohio, United States), vocal, producer, arranger, lyricist, choreographer, art director, manager
- Towa Tei (Dong-hwa Chung, born September 7, 1965, originally from Tokyo, Japan), production
- DJ Ani (Ani Q. Scheme, born December 14, 1973, Kansas City, Kansas, United States), mixing, bass
Background and career history
The band began as a duo with Lady Kier and Super DJ Dmitry, and it became a trio when Towa Tei joined the group in 1988. Tei had just moved to the U.S. from Japan only a year beforehand, intending at first to study graphic design. Dmitry as well had previously emigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine.[2]
Prior to the release of the group's third album, Dewdrops in the Garden, Tei left the band (appearing only on the track "Call Me") and was replaced with DJ Ani. Even with a roster change and minimal record label support, Deee-Lite still managed to tour for a year after the release of Dewdrops in the Garden. Consequently, Dewdrops in the Garden sold more records than Deee-Lite's second release, Infinity Within.
The tune "Groove is In the Heart" featured vocals from Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest as well as bass guitar and vocals by Bootsy Collins.
Since his exit from the group, Tei has recorded several albums as a solo artist, and since Deee-Lite's disbanding, Kier, Dmitry and Ani have maintained successful club DJ careers. In a 2011 interview, Tei dismissed the chances of Deee-Lite reforming, citing the creative and personal differences that prompted him to depart.[2]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | U.S. | UK[3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | World Clique | 20 | 14 |
| 1992 | Infinity Within | 67 | 37 |
| 1994 | Dewdrops in the Garden | 127 | 78 |
| 1995 | Dewdrops in the Remix | — | — |
| 1996 | Sampladelic Relics & Dancefloor Oddities | — | — |
| 2001 | The Very Best of Deee-Lite | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [4] |
CAN [5] |
FRA [4] |
GER [6] |
IRE [7] |
NED [4] |
NZ [4] |
SUI [4] |
UK [3] |
U.S. Dance [8] |
U.S. [8] | |||||||||
| 1990 | "Groove Is in the Heart" | 1 | 15 | 31 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 4 | World Clique | ||||||
| "Power of Love" | 47 | 82 | — | 43 | 21 | 47 | 19 | — | 25 | 1 | 47 | ||||||||
| 1991 | "E.S.P." | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | |||||||
| "How Do You Say...Love" / "Groove Is in the Heart" (remix) | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | 52 | — | — | ||||||||
| "Good Beat" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | 53 | 1 | — | ||||||||
| 1992 | "Runaway" | — | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 45 | 1 | — | Infinity Within | ||||||
| "Thank You Everyday" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 92 | — | — | ||||||||
| "Pussycat Meow" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | ||||||||
| 1994 | "Party Happenin' People" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | Dewdrops in the Garden | ||||||
| "Picnic in the Summertime" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | — | — | ||||||||
| "Bring Me Your Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | ||||||||
| 1995 | "Call Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||||||
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart
References
- ↑ "Lady Miss Kier Vogue Italia 1990 | Le Blow UK Fashion and Lifestyle Blog". Leblow.co.uk. 2013-10-27. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hadfield, James (May 18, 2011). "Towa Tei: The Interview". Time Out Tokyo. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 147. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Steffen Hung. "Discographie Deee-Lite". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
- ↑ Peak positions for Deee-Lite's singles on Canadian Singles Chart:
- For "Groove Is in the Heart" "Top Singles - Volume 53, No. 5, December 15, 1990". RPM. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
- For "What is love?" "Top Singles - Volume 53, No. 12, February 23, 1991". RPM. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
- For "Runaway" "Top Singles - Volume 56, No. 5, August 01 1992". RPM. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
- ↑ "charts.de". Officialcharts.de. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
- ↑ Jaclyn Ward - Fireball Media Group. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Deee-Lite | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
External links
- The Garden of Deee-Lite The Ultimate Deee-Lite site
- Deee-Liteful Experience Deee-Lite fan site
- Deee-Lite Discography at Discogs.com
- MusicBlob: Archivio documenti This Italian website has archived some legal documents including the "Kirby v.Sega" case involving Lady Miss Kier of Deee-Lite
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