Black Box

One of the leading exponents of a wave of Italian house music that flourished on the dancefloors of the late 80s and early 90s, Black Box comprised of three Italian studio musicians: Daniele Davoli, known as DJ Lelewel in Italy, largely at the Marabu Starlight Club and responsible for the hit single 'Grand Piano', another prime example of sampled Italo-house, Mirko Limoni, the computer and keyboard whizz kid of the trio, and Valerio Semplici, a clarinet teacher playing in the Music Orchestra in Bologna. Collectively they are known as Groove Groove Melody. Based in the Reggio Emilia area in Northern Italy, the team made use of Catherine Quinol as a front woman for Black Box. Born in Pointe a Pitre, on French-Caribbean island Guadeloupe, Catherine was raised in Paris, where she completed her studies. She made her debut in the haute couture world at an early age, working as a model for famous fashion designers.

Daniele, Mirko and Valerio noticed her in a disco and launched her music career of lip-synching to pre-recorded Black Box music tracks in both music videos and live performances. Catherine never actually contributed musically to any of Black Box's hits.
The British music industry soon spotted Ride On Time, as the first one of a dozen singles a year the trio was churning out. After securing international copyright, of their re-production of Loletta Holloway's 'Love Sensation', it became the first of a series of Italian house records to crossover to the UK charts, staying at UK#1 for six weeks in 1989, becoming the best dance selling record of all times. It was remixed and re-released several times thereafter.
Although this was by far Black Box's biggest hit, they didn't make much money from it as Loleatta Holloway sued them. There is still no love lost between them. Loleatta got an expensive fur coat out of the compensation money they had to pay her. Other producers later also covered (such as the Freemasons) and sampled Loleatta's vocals from 'Love Sensation', including Cevin Fisher on '(You Got Me) Burning Up' and Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch on 'Good Vibrations', although unlike Black Box, both credited Loleatta Holloway.
After the success of the debut single, Black Box followed up with a string of follow-ups, all included in their 1990 album Dreamland.
The Groove Groove Melody team were also behind the production of several other synonyms, one of them being Starlight's 'Numero Uno'.

Black Box - Ride On Time (1989)
UK#1, IRL#1, SWE#2, AUS#2, FR#3, DE#5, CH#5, NOR#5, AT#8, US#39



Black Box/Loletta Holloway - Ride On Time/Love Sensation (Remix 2006)



Black Box - Ride On Time (Paul Morrell Remix 2009)



Black Box - Everybody Everybody



Black Box - I Don't Know Anybody Else



Black Box - Strike It Up



Black Box - Fantasy