Deee-Lite

History

Deee-Lite started out as a two-person project in New York City in 1986. Lady Miss Kier, whose legal name is Kierin Magenta Kirby, handled vocals, while Supa DJ Dmitry—born Dmitry Brill in the USSR—worked as the DJ. The pair performed monthly at downtown New York clubs starting that year. In 1987, Kier bought an Akai S900 sampler, which dramatically changed their sound, and she also picked up a Casio FZ-series sampler that they used almost entirely on their debut album.

Sampling became so important to their music that they named their production company Sampladelic. Kier also designed all of the group’s promotional materials, including posters, club fliers, and the artwork for their three albums and 12-inch singles. The band played in hip hop and house clubs, at both gay and straight venues, and at New York’s Wigstock drag festival. They opened for De La Soul and the Jungle Brothers, both part of the Native Tongue Movement.

Rolling Stone described their audiences as vivid, multiracial, and pan-sexual, while Mademoiselle called them a party anyone could attend. In 1988, Towa Tei, a Korean-Japanese DJ, sent Kier and Dmitry a demo tape he had recorded in his bedroom. They saw that he shared their love for blending funk and techno. Towa and Dmitry started programming the band’s computer together.

Towa, a record collector, contributed sounds and samples. Kier wrote all the lyrics and melodies and asked bassist Bootsy Collins to join the recording sessions. Dmitry played guitar, keyboard, and bass. Collins brought in the Horny Horns, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Mudbone Cooper, and Bernie Worrell, and helped put together the band’s touring lineup. Deee-Lite released their first two albums under their own Sampladelic label.