Mo’ Wax — Where Are They Now: Dee C. Lee (1994)
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Mo’ Wax was a record label started by James Lavelle in 1992, which closed about ten years later. Initially they released 12" singles and licensed a compilation from Japan of Japanese Hip Hop, until 1994 when they began releasing albums of their artists original work. While some of these artists such as DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, and Money Mark continued releasing music after Mo’ Wax closed, others have seemingly disappeared from the music scene. In this series I will look at each artist on Mo’ Wax and try to find out where are they now…
Dee C. Lee, aka Diane Catherine Sealey, began her singing career as a backing singer for Wham! and then a member of The Style Council alongside her husband at the time Paul Weller, and between 1984–1998 she released several solo albums and singles, including New Reality Vibe on Mo’ Wax in 1994.
1994 was a transitional year for Mo’ Wax as it expanded beyond its Acid Jazz roots and embraced new sounds . In 1994 Mo’ Wax released French Hip Hop instrumentals from La Funk Mob, Japanese turntablist DJ Krush’s UK debut album, the first Headz compilation, and the debut from UNKLE, all of which hinted at what would become known as Trip Hop. But there were still the odd releases which didn’t quite fit the mould, allowing Mo’ Wax’s founder James Lavelle to fullfill his dream for Mo’ Wax to “have one or two acts spanning all the music that I like (techno, jazz, abstract hip hop, avant garde jungle, retro and sophisticated lyrical hip hop).”
New Reality Vibe was released in May 1994, and featured a smooth R&B instrumental produced by Michael McEvoy who had previously worked with Ian Dury, Soul II Soul, and James Taylor Quartet. The 12" linear notes refer to the song as “some crazy underground flava” and “pure ‘90’s head nodding london Phunk Pressure.” Only one other song is included on the 12", a dub version of New Reality Vibe which includes a more Hop Hop sounding drum kit and some effects but but not much else.
New Reality Vibe released while Lee was recording her second album, Things Will Be Sweeter, which also came out in 1994, but New Reality Vibe wasn’t included on it outside of the Japanese release where it appears as a bonus track. Things Will Be Sweeter was produced by DJ Jazzy Nice, with Michael McEvoy also producing the opening song How Far…
