Down The Dumper – The 90s Part 8.

Now here is an example of a group that had a really big hit, never went on to reach those heights again, and why that’s a disappointment. Deee-Lite (yes, three e’s) were a multinational trio who formed in the late-80s. In August 1990 “Groove Is In The Heart” was released, and this almost instantly became a dance classic. I thought that it was great at the time, and I still do now.

As well as the various samples, there were also contributions from Bootsie Collins and A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip. And there was the memorable video that proved that this was a very stylish group. “Groove Is In The Heart” narrowly missed out on being a chart-topping single in the UK (very narrowly, in fact it really should’ve been Number One actually, but that’s another story). This also reached no. 4 in America, and No. 1 in Australia.

“Groove Is In The Heart” is still held in very high regard, frequently featuring on greatest dance and 90s hits lists, and they also went on to appear on the cover of various magazines, including Smash Hits, what an honour. In September 1990, their first album “World Clique” was released, which reached no. 14. In November 1990 they released “Power Of Love”, which reached no. 25. This is their only other Top 40 hit in the UK, but it’s been completely overshadowed by their biggest success.

Deee-Lite did go on to release further singles, but by this point they were missing the Top 40, and in July 1992 their second album “Infinity Within” was released which reached no. 43. They continued though, and what turned out to be their final hit single in the UK was released in July 1994. This was “Picnic In The Summertime”, but this only made no. 43, and their third and final album “Dewdrops In The Garden” didn’t chart at all.

Not long after this, Deee-Lite went their separate ways. It might be a surprise to some people that they were still making singles as late as the mid-90s, and some of them are great disco-style songs, just like the famous one that everyone always wants to hear. They then went on to work on several more music projects, including songwriting, Djing, and much more.