House music may have originated in Chicago, but it was New York City’s Deee-Lite that put it on the map. A trio comprising vocalist Lady Miss Kier and DJs Towa Tei and Dmitri, Deee-Lite dropped their début “World Clique” in August of 1990.

Best known for the hit single “Groove Is in the Heart,” featuring Bootsy Collins on bass and a guest rap from Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, the album is solid from start to finish (quite literally, as the two strongest and housiest songs, “Good Beat” and “Deep Ending,” are the first and last tracks of the original vinyl release.)

Unlike a lot of house music from the late 80’s and early 90’s, “World Clique” doesn’t stick to the minimal formula of techno beats and disco divas. Elements of hip-hop, R&B, trance, and funk find their way into the mix as well.

Deee-Lite weren’t the first artists to bring house music to mainstream audiences — Madonna’s “Vogue” beat them to the punch by a few months — and they wouldn’t be the last. The trail they blazed would be further explored and expanded upon by Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx and Groove Armada later in the decade. While somewhat conservative in comparison to those later releases, “World Clique” was the foundation without which the house revival could not have been built.

— Nicholas Coleman

March 10, 2010 at 8:24 am | Share |