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World Clique

Deee-Lite

1990

World Clique
Album Summary

World Clique is the debut album by American dance music band Deee-Lite, which was released in 1990. The album's first single, "Groove Is in the Heart", was a top-five success on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart as well as a No. 1 hit on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. Three subsequent singles also hit the top ten on the U.S. dance chart, including "Power of Love/Build That Bridge", which also hit No. 1, and "Good Beat". Guest artists on the album include Bootsy Collins, Q-Tip, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. When World Clique was released on compact disc, two bonus tracks were added to the album: "Deee-Lite Theme" and "Build the Bridge". "E.S.P." contains a sample of actor Bela Lugosi from the 1934 film The Black Cat.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.89

Votes

12505

Genres

  • Electronica

Reviews

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Sep 23 2021
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3

A Scooby Doo episode in which Fred, Velma and Daphne follow a trail of day-glo, pheremones and good beats, only to find it's led them to each other and their coming of age in the post-disco era. They then Scooby Screw each other with reckless abandon and dance their way through the emotions they don't yet understand, gabbing on the way home about the power of love and the groove in their hearts. Zoo-zoo-wah, indeed!

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Apr 23 2021
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5

This turned from 4 to 5 stars when the "I'd probably put it on again" criteria I use for a 4 rating turned into "I actually put it on again more than once later in the week." It's jam. It's a vibe. And I'm into it.

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Jul 18 2022
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5

Groove is truly in the heart. My heart.

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Aug 05 2022
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5

I was so deee-lited today! (Yeah, I said it.) Smooth and funky love.

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Aug 05 2022
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5

In the late 80s, most folks my age looked with horror at the psychedelic looks and sounds of the late sixties and early seventies. Tangerine, avocado, lemon, tomato: these colors (not foods) filled thrift stores because no one wanted them. Most of my peers were in Goth Black or Eco Earth Tones. Gloomy Grunge was fighting its way into the mainstream. Austin Powers and the Brady Bunch movie were some years away. "Groove is in the Heart" hit me like a truck. It was so fun and so groovy (and we weren't allowed to say groovy anymore), and when I saw the video I swooned. These weren't things we heard and saw. Sampling and mixing sounds at a level such as this was brand new, and on top of that it was catchy and made you want to move! And then the video! Glorious color and movement! Finally something made for me! It would be hard to judge how creative and innovative this album was at the time just listening to it today. This was one of the first CDs I bought when I finally got a player. I may have overplayed it in the 90s, so that I didn't really revisit it after that. It was really fun to listen to the whole thing again for the first time in a couple of decades. Sure, there's a nostalgia element to my rating, but that's one of the reasons I'm here.

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Aug 09 2021
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5

This thing is so vibrant, artists spend years chasing the highs of “groove”

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Aug 27 2021
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2

The question foremost in my mind going into this album was “Is there more to it than ‘Groove Is in the Heart’?” And the answer is a resounding no. That track is the sole bright spot on this album - a funky throwback that sounds like nothing else on this record and was a huge hit around the globe (the fact that it had an eye popping, candy colored music video probably didn’t hurt). The rest of the album unfortunately sounds like bog standard late 80’s/early 90’s electronic/dance music with the occasional strangeness (“Who Was That?” being a prime example of the latter) thrown in. I am someone who tries to find the silver lining in things however - and I’ve got to hand it to “1,001 Albums You Must Listen to Before You Die” for this - the preponderance of electronic/dance albums I’ve gotten so far has moved me from someone who thought it wasn’t a genre for them to someone who knows that it isn’t a genre for them.

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Oct 31 2022
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2

2.9 - "Groove is in the Heart", the rest is in the bin.

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Apr 21 2023
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4

One of the top public reviews states that this is Daphne, Velma and Fred from Scooby Doo and their coming of age. You're so wrong, it's Shaggy!! #JusticeForShaggy Really enjoyed this album, very groovy indeed!! Saved tracks: Good Beat, E.S.P., Groove Is In The Heart, Deep Ending

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Jun 18 2021
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4

Sweetly optimistic 90's. Refreshing, from having been raised on '00s cynicism.

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Mar 10 2022
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5

I JUST WANNA HEAR A GOOD BEAT 10/10

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Nov 03 2021
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4

World Clique grew on me in a shocking way - shocking because it didn't break 90's-dance-album form. Instead, it revealed itself as a better and better project over the runtime. My only theoretical explanation is how well sound-designed the tunes are. The samples move through space in a way that most produced pop does not. This is extra-impressive since the songs are house-minimal. And beyond the theoretical I can only say that I bounced more and more as I listened.

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Aug 05 2022
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5

A fun and funky blast from my past. It's been a while since I listened to this album but it is still very enjoyable.

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Oct 08 2021
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5

What a surprise. I knew the hit but didn't expect the album to be so good

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May 22 2024
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5

amazing, what is love is a brilliant song, and all of it is a super fun listen

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Aug 05 2022
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5

Of course I’m very familiar with “Groove is in the Heart”, but I was surprised to see that this album was already in my music library. So apparently I have listened to this some time ago. It’s hard to believe this is from 1990. The album is a lot of fun with groovy music to match the groovy cover. Great listen!

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Oct 14 2022
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5

All-time favorite. This album raised me in a couple ways, probably. Lady Miss Kier an all-time legend. All three Deee-Lite albums rock

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Mar 30 2022
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3

When I bought this album as a 26 year old I was more than half convinced that guitar based pop was all but dead. The charts were filled (aside from the usual dross) with thinly-disguised, floor-filling paeans to hedonism and disco biscuits and any references to "love" we're usually code for getting twatted with a load of gurning strangers in a field just outside the M25. It didn't really work out that way, I suppose, which is probably for the best. Anyway, it's an absolute age since I've played this record and I'm surprised at how housey it is. Sure enough, as well as locating precisely where groove is, it also defines "love" as a neo-hippyish shared, no doubt chemically-induced, experience. I'd have had no problem with that back in the day but I find it slightly irritating and dated these days. I know, I know... I'm getting old. To be fair, I enjoyed it a lot more than I've let on so far. Aside from the housey piano riffs and hedonistic pseudo-philosophising, there's also plenty of playful and inventive use of break beats and samples and Lady Miss Kier radiates star quality - it's just that I'm not 26 any more and I don't care about this sort of music half as much as I used to.

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Feb 25 2022
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2

Sounds like Americans trying to do Madchester. Not a bad facsimile, but still not the same.

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Jan 23 2024
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1

This a dubious inclusion on this list. I would characterize this band as more of a one hit wonder, rather than one that put out an album that one must listen to before they die.

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May 19 2022
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4

This cheap cake filled with repetitive lyrics and terrible puns is surprisingly enjoyable. It's fun, the beats and the hooks are nice, and it's very '90s.

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Aug 15 2024
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4

Surprisingly good fun. Wishing the ratings were out of 10 as this is a 3.5/5

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Apr 29 2024
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4

I liked this album, nice listening to something different that I like! 4 stars

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Feb 10 2021
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3

Sounds pretty dated and i can't say i love just sitting down and listening to a whole album of dance music. these tracks are all pretty goofy, but i can tell that a lot of them would be really fun to dance to. last song with the animal noises is pretty annoying.

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Sep 23 2021
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3

I quite enjoyed this actually, although besides 'Groove is in the heart' there aren't really (m)any other memorable songs.

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Jun 23 2021
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3

De la house ma foi sympatoche même si carrément pas terrible en fait.

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Jun 23 2021
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3

En ce mardi matin de defaite footballistique, mon humeur etait des plus deplorables. Néammoins, le generateur me fasait une belle promesse en me servant sur un plateau le groupe Deee-Light, aux lettres non sans rappeler les plus belles heures de la voix de nez. Quelle ne fut pas ma deception à l'écoute de cet album, ou les principes fondamentaux de la voix de nez ne sont absolument pas respectés. Deee-Light fait honte a toute une frange de l'industrie musicale, choisissant volontairement un nom de scène faisant référence à l'univers de la nasalité, sans pour autant proposer une performance en adéquation avec les attentes. La quantité d'air insuflée entre les parois nasales de la chanteuse principale est grandement insuffisante, Dee-Light n'est tout simplement pas digne de son nom.

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May 09 2024
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3

Is there a name for that particular sort of piano playing style that 90’s Dance music used so often? The plinky plonky stuff that sounds a little like rag time? Cos it’s all over this album, and I’ve always thought it sounded cool. Although a lot of the album blended into the background a bit, it was never boring or unpleasant, and I could understand why it was possibly influential, although I don’t know if it was for certain. But Groove Is In The Heart is a classic, and the rest of the album was fine

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Apr 13 2024
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2

By 1990, the excess of the 1980s had reached critical mass.  With apex-excess achieved, nearly everyone wore garish fluorescent or neon colored clothing, and if you were particularly cool, you had fluorescent colored clothes that changed color as your body heated up or when someone placed their hand upon your shirt. We were no longer content with only using laces to tighten the shoes around our feet. Our shoes had inflatable plastic reservoirs built into them which we would fill with air by way of pumping a rubber ball on the tongue of the shoe, all in the quest to achieve maximum podiatric comfort.   It was a simpler time…a time when Parker Lewis couldn’t lose, when the C&C corporation unveiled their cutting edge Music Factory, and the mere act of barfing on the Prime Minister of Japan could ruin your chances at presidential reelection.  Our dance music was funky and repetitive with one word vocal samples that echoed throughout dance halls across the nation… It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.  

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Jan 24 2024
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1

really only worth it for the one big hit single huh? maybe the second track too. but, otherwise, pretty unimpressive.

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Apr 13 2023
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5

I went in with the most skepticism possible, thinking it would just be mediocre electronic 90s music, a 3 at best, and...… It's fantastic. It has this funky, unique, unbridled sense of energy to it. Production is unbelievably clean without giving the sense of being overly-polished. Bass lines are groovy to the highest degree. Now for the negatives. First off, the cover. Not much to say besides it sucks, but I suppose it also somewhat encapsulates the energy of the record, so I can forgive it. Second, the pianos. I hate midi pianos with a burning passion. So lifeless and overly-bright and uncanny. If they had been more prominent in the record, it may have significantly detracted from the experience, but they are somewhat ignorable in the grand scheme of the album. Another thought: The original vinyl pressing did not contain the first or last tracks, and I think omitting them might have led to a better experience, especially the intro track, Dee-lite Theme. Overall, not flawless, but 4 stars just seems inadequate. It's full of character and life, and leaves you wondering what will be around the corner next.

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Apr 12 2023
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5

My second favorite Deee-Lite album, close behind Dewdrops in the Garden. I give this one an absolute 5/5, mostly because it grew on me every time I listened to it, and I realized pretty much every song is a BANGER. "Power of Love" is definitely the best track on here, although I think it needs a glow-up in terms of production. The album overall is pretty quiet and compressed-sounding. But otherwise it's immensely enjoyable! I especially love the techno/electronic dance elements.

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Feb 22 2023
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5

Every morning I check the genre of the album of the day to see if it’s a workout album or a “dishes and laundry” album. This is a fantastic workout album and a great way to start the day. Nothing but great beats, catchy hooks and positive energy. You could put it on at a party and listen to it front to back. Definitely putting this one in high rotation.

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Mar 12 2023
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5

Bit sickly sweet but not as bad as LL Cool J. Fkn great example of my favourite bell sound in Smile On. WOAH alright came out of nowhere with the verging on 90s trance break, me likey. Ooft coming in real nice with Groove is in the Heart - one of the ultimate Rics tunes. Hard not to give it a five just because of that. Never fully appreciated Q Tip in it either, possibly a perfectly constructed song. Alright this went from what I thought was going to be all sickly sweet to deep, dark, dirty and weird ver quickly and I loved it. Build the Bridge is some real out there shit.

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Nov 11 2022
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5

Do I want to hear a whole album by the "Groove Is in the Heart" people? I mean sure, that's a great song. And ... yep, a fun listen. Surprisingly good (and goofy) throughout.

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Oct 31 2024
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5

So many listens, back in the day. I still know it by heart. It’s lost a tiny bit of its charm but it’s still a fiver.

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Oct 20 2024
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5

Had no idea this album was as much fun as it is otherwise I would have had it listened to years ago

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Oct 11 2024
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5

I had never listened to this album before and I LOVED IT!

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Nov 09 2022
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5

Wow. An album I disliked to start and it grew on me . Upbeat and quirky. I loved it

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Sep 13 2024
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5

That was so good, cool beats all the way through!

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Oct 10 2024
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5

Tons of groove on this album. Not my normal listen but this was thoroughly enjoyable.

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Oct 11 2024
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5

You can't help but love those vocals and house piano chords.

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Sep 08 2024
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5

A forgotten gem from my childhood. I had this album on CD and would use it to fall asleep at night. The songs can be a bit repetitive in nature but they are such bangers that it just doesn’t matter. “Groove is in the heart” is the best and most 90s song in creation. Absolutely adore this album. 10/10

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Mar 10 2022
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5

o bootsy collins era fã seloco difícil não dar 5 estrelas

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Apr 15 2024
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5

House. Me ha gustado bastante. Venga, un 5.

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Jan 07 2022
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5

When I was 11, VH1 counted down the top 100 one-hit wonders, and listed "Groove is in the Heart" at #14. They mentioned Bootsy Collins’ participation, who I recognized from the Beginner's Bass book I had gotten that Christmas. I also really liked the snippet they played a lot. So, even though I pretty much only listened to pop-punk at the time, during my next trip to Strawberries Records, I picked up the full CD. My mind was instantly blown. As silly as it sounds, World Clique was my gateway into dance music. (I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that it also inspired me to dig more into the full CDs of other one-hit wonders, which served as my own personal music history education throughout my teens.) While I’ve always loved this album, the older I got, the more it rose in my personal Top 100. By the time I was in college, it was solidly in my Top 10 favorite albums ever, and it’s remained there to this day. It’s bubbly and fun to dance to, but it’s also layered and has all these unique textures that you can unravel if you listen closely. It’s also deeply aware of its lineage, and I think that helps solidify it as a classic, because it’s reverent without feeling academic. This is really what I want most out of music – on the surface, pure fun, and if you want more, you can dig into it, but you can always just enjoy it on that surface level, too. It’s camp and inclusive and cute and catchy and feels communal. I love it so much, it’s flawless through and through.

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Mar 24 2024
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5

Playful and very fun. So riffy and funky, makes me wish I was older in the late 80s/ early 90s so I could enjoy the queer dances that were most likely happening to this album. Surprise 5 stars for me

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Mar 09 2024
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5

So good. The whole album is great groovy dance music. 5 stars.

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Feb 16 2024
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5

Classic for period. Tracks include several major artists, such as Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Bootsy Collins, and Q-tip.

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Mar 06 2024
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5

Someone took a bath, Mr. Bubble Middle name, must be trouble Bootsy, Qtip, Maceo, great album, fun af! Saw Deee-Lite early 90's WOW, holy psilocybin

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Mar 06 2024
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5

Easy 5 I love this album so much and I believe in the power of love. And also groove IS in the heart

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Feb 08 2024
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5

I really enjoyed it :) at least 50% of this enjoyment was possibly due to how fun I think the album cover is but that's because it's Very Fun. I feel like it's been too long since I gave out a 5 so I'm giving it to this album even though arguably it's possibly not worth it. So yes 5/5 for the silly little guy on the album cover

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Dec 20 2023
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5

i like it out of all the albums ive listened so far this one fits my music taste more LOL reminds me of animal jam osts

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Jan 22 2024
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5

Fun Fun Fun album. I knew a few songs from back in the day, but...now that I was able to listen to the whole album, I can say, if I ever feel like putting on my dancing shoes, I have an album to throw on and dance to.

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Jan 19 2022
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5

House. Me ha gustado bastante. Venga, un 5.

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Oct 11 2023
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5

A pure delight. Funky house might have existed before Deee-Lite, but Deee-Lite picked it up and ran with it.

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Oct 12 2023
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5

I thoroughly enjoyed this album. More than I thought I would. I knew Groove is in the Heart before but it’s a solid album all the way through

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Sep 24 2023
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5

Relentlessly cheery, great stuff

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Sep 06 2023
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5

This is incredibly fun and exciting

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May 06 2023
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4

Leuke plaat vol positivisme. En erg dansbaar

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May 10 2023
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4

This got me in a party mooooooood. Love it. Obvs Groove is in the Heart is an absolute banger but the rest was great too

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May 05 2023
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4

The most 90s techno album I've ever heard

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May 10 2023
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4

So fun, groove is in the heart is an absolutely wonderful timeless song

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May 03 2023
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4

this was actually a great pitta fun so

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Mar 05 2021
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4

Bubbly, funky, joyous--instantly mood-altering stuff.

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May 10 2023
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4

So fun to listen to an entire Deee-Lite album!! Groove is in the Heart is an all-time banger. Surprising that it was released in 1990, a fun party album and although it's lacking a bit of variety, it's a good unique fun sound and perfect for what it is meant for.

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Apr 28 2023
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4

Groove is in the heart and oftentimes in this record.

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Feb 26 2023
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4

Basically Beyonce's latest album but more fun.

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Feb 13 2023
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4

I'd get sweaty in the club to these beats.

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Feb 09 2023
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4

Pure 90s dance joy. Fun and happy, evoking such a specific time and place. I know that hip hop's origins are several years before this, but this specific album feels like such a transition. It's halfway between disco and hip hop in the perfect way. Can't go full five; it becomes a bit repetitive. Would need to revisit.

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Jan 19 2023
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4

When Deee-Lite released the single "Groove is in the Heart", it was everywhere. I think that they had a second single, but I can't remember what it was. Besides the one single I remember, the rest of World Clique was new to me. This album was a happy surprise. The music was fun and interesting. If Deee-Lite truly never made it out of being categorized as a one-hit-wonder, it's a shame. I'd listen to this album again.

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Feb 08 2023
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4

This was fire. Jungle dance beats galore. This is absolutely oozing early 90s vibes, and I was just soakin it in. GROOVE IS IN THE HEAAAAAAAAAAARRRRT

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Jan 19 2023
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4

1/18- Driving to school Amazing samples throughout the entire album

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May 18 2023
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4

Hit Groove Is in the Heart. Dance. Chulo.

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Mar 17 2023
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4

Of the ecstacy scene of the early 90s, this stands next to the mondays as the finest. Killer beats, crisp production and an immense appetite for originality lead to this being a gripping listen, even if a couple of the album tracks aren't as brilliant as standalone tracks as Groove Is In The Heart. A great record.

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Feb 08 2023
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4

*Me pulling up the album cover*: oh christ wtf is this nightmare *me within the first 20 seconds of track 1*: 🤩🕺🏼✨ this spoke to both my soul and booty and I loved it

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May 06 2022
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4

Super fun album! I put it on for a party after hearing and it really makes a lively environment. Disco vibes. One of the songs I recognized from a Fergie song that was sampled.

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Dec 14 2022
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4

I know I am in the minority but I love this album. I think this record launch an entirely new genere of music with house and DJ beats.

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Mar 10 2022
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4

Gostei. Mistureba bacana, gostei principalmente das músicas com uma pegada House. De fato soa como um álbum de uma época específica. 7/10

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Dec 18 2022
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4

Groove is indeed in the heart. A record that was seen as trendy and inconsequential at its time but it stood the test of time well. The tracks that weren't hits are also very solid and funky. Good hearing.

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Jan 06 2023
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4

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Good beat, Groove is in the heart, Who was that

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Mar 23 2022
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4

A dance party that still sounds just as crazy and futuristic today. Fun, with quite an impressive guest list for a group making their debut. At times a little cheesy. Something that only really could have come out in the early 90s and gained traction. Favorite tracks: "Deee-Lite Theme", "Groove Is In the Heart"

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Mar 06 2022
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4

Part late 80s/early 90s New York House and garage, part funk and part hip-hop, ‘World Clique’ is a clever, fun and accomplished debut record. Featuring serious star power in Q-Tip, Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker (amongst others) making unexpected but great contributions, it’s the little record that could and the ultimate New York party record of its era.

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