MrMad

What became of them

They were formed under the collective banner of Groove Groove Melody in 1988 by three Italian studio musicians in the Northern part of the country, Reggio Emilia. Daniele Davoli was a DJ at the Marabu Starlight Club, Mirko Limoni a technical and computer whizz and Valerio Semplici a clarinet teacher who played in Bologna's Music Orchestra.

The production team quickly began to churn out releases in their native country, before forming Black Box in 1989, teaming up with model Catherine Quinol, who was chosen to front the project. The results were immediate and astounding. First single ‘Ride On Time' was a massive crossover hit, spending six weeks at number 1 in the UK and becoming the biggest single of the year.

Although an unseemly legal wrangle then ensued over allegations ‘Ride On Time' had ripped off Loleatta Holloway's 1980 hit ‘Love Sensation' , Black Box went on to score a host of other hits following the release of debut album ‘Dreamland'. ‘I Don't Know Anybody Else', ‘Everybody Everybody' and ‘Strike It Up' all topped the US dance chart.

The Groove Groove Melody team were also behind Starlight's ‘Numero Uno' and the 1990 UK top ten smash ‘Grand Piano' , under their Mixmaster alias. However, the trio never reached the same highs again and 1996 album ‘Positive Vibrations', the final recordings under the name Black Box, went largely unnoticed.

This is now...

Why did the band break up? "We never split, we just stopped working as we had got bored with the style," Davoli told us. "Everyone had different interests, so we have followed our paths in different directions. We are producing and remixing different artists under different names, everyone under his own guidance," he explained.

What new work should fans of Black Box check out? "We have recently remixed the new Aggro Santos single, 'Saint Or Sinner' , under the Backbox name. We have also been doing loads more work under the name Rockdaworld, including a remix of the Temper Trap song 'Love Lost' ," said Davoli. However, rumours of a full comeback have begun to circulate after the band played a series of shows this summer, including the UK's V Festival.