Deee-Lite | |
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The original members of Deee-Lite, from left to right: Lady Miss Kier, DJ Dmitry and Towa Tei
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Background information | |
Origin | New York, New York, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1988–1996 |
Labels | Elektra |
Past members |
Lady Miss Kier Towa Tei DJ Dmitry DJ Ani |
Deee-Lite was an American house and club/dance music group, formed in New York City. The group's best-known single is "Groove Is in the Heart", which was released from their 1990 debut album, World Clique, and was a Top 10 hit in multiple countries. In December 2016, Billboard ranked them as the 55th most successful dance artists of all-time.
Originally the band began in 1986 as a duo in New York City with Lady Miss Kier (born Kierin Magenta Kirby) primarily on vocals and Supa DJ Dmitry (born in Ukraine as Dmitry Brill) as the DJ, but became a trio when Jungle DJ Towa Towa (Japanese-born Towa Tei) joined the group in 1988, having moved to the U.S. only a year beforehand. He had intended at first to study graphic design, but found being a musician better, injecting techno music into their old-school style of dance music. Dmitry also had previously emigrated to the U.S. from the USSR.
In 1990 their first album, World Clique, shot to the top of the dance charts, and the song "Groove is in the Heart" became their first number one hit. The song features vocals from Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest as well as bass guitar and additional vocals by funk musician Bootsy Collins, a fan of the group.