DJ Dmitri, DJ Towa Towa and singer Lady Miss Kier became a successful one-hit wonder with Groove Is In The Heart.

Deee-Lite’s act was aided by bassist Bootsy Collins and rapper Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) in the creation of the top 10 hit from 1990. The song takes a step back in time with a cool nod to the seventies: platform shoes and a boa full of feathers. Dmitry decided to ask Bootsy Collins to join and he didn’t hesitate for a moment after listening to the first demo. He even wanted to participate in the clip. So does saxophonist Maceo Parker. Fred Wesley, who was also arranged by Collins, does not appear in the clip with his trombone.

Groove Is In The Heart had been buzzing around the clubs and pubs of New York for some time before actually hitting the single. The song became a number 1 hit in Australia, and also reached the top 5 in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Groove Is In The Heart is a collection of samples and fragments. These include Bring Down The Birds (guitar sample by Herbie Hancock from 1966), Get Up (flute by Vernon Burch from 1979), Prelude (intro by Bel-Sha-Zaar and Tommy Genapopuluis), Right On (cowbell by Ray Barretto from 1972). Green Acres (a sample of Vic Mezzy, Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor’s ‘I’ from 1965) and Hateful Head Helen (a sample of Hateful Head Helen from 1989) can be heard.

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(18-04-2021)