Mo’ Wax — Where Are They Now: Dee C. Lee (1994)
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. The album was self released by Lee as she felt the record deals she was being offered were pushing her in directions she didn’t want to pursue.
According to the April 1994 issue of Vox, Lee’s solo career had “floundered” while she was signed with MCA as they tried to push her in to different directions following her debut Shrine in 1986. While they did release her Slam Slam project in 1991, Vox reported that MCA barely promoted the project at all, which led to Lee feeling depressed that she was being seen more as Mrs. Paul Weller than a serious artist.
Slam Slam’s album Free Your Feelings, featured Lee singing over music produced by Robert Howard, and had originated from scrapped sessions for a Dee C. Lee solo album from 1987, with Lee deciding instead to hide behind a band name. While their label hadn’t promoted them, Slam Slam still had two hits in the UK Singles Charts, and the album also led to a collaboration between Lee and MC Guru, after his group Gang Starr appeared together on Slam Slam’s Free Your Feelings.
Lee featured on Guru’s Jazzamatazz album and toured the album with Guru as well, which she told Vox (April 1994) helped give back her confidence as an artist. One of Lee’s contributions to Jazzamatazz was No Time To Play, which was released as a single and spent three weeks in the UK Singles Charts, peaking at #25.
Back in 1994 though, neither Dee C. Lee’s solo album or single charted, with the Mo’ Wax release New Reality Vibe reaching #190 in the UK Singles Chart, outside of the Official Top 100. Lee had previously had a hit in 1985 when her single See The Day reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart and spent thirteen weeks there in total. This was Lee’s highest ever chart position as a solo artist, and was later covered by Girls Aloud in 2005.
Following her album’s release in 1994, the song Things Will Be Sweeter was released as a single in 1995 and Lee visited Japan to promote the album. Lee’s next solo album arrived in 1998 when she returned with the album Smiles, released only in Japan. This was Lee’s final release until 2009 when she featured on The Deep Mo’s single It’s Not Over, which was hailed as her comeback by some. Lee and The Deep Mo performed together live at Dingwalls, but when The Deep Mo’s album released in 2010 neither Lee or It’s Not Over were included. The Dingwalls show was Lee’s only live performance in 2009, though she continued touring again in 2010 and 2011, with an album reportedly due in 2011. This never materialised.
In 2020 Dee C. Lee joined Lisa I’Anson for her California Soul show on Solar Radio for three weeks where they played music such as New Reality Vibe and discussed Lee’s career. All of the shows were made available on Lisa I’Anson’s Mixcloud page.
Dee C. Lee’s solo debut, 1986’s Shrine, was re-released with several bonus tracks in 2013, and this is the most recent development in her solo career. Lee also continues to post updates to her fans via her Facebook page and website but has not announced plans for any future releases or tours at this time.
