Two of the biggest US R&B acts of the nineties, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Robert Kelly joined forces to score on Satisfy You. Puff Daddy has been a major force in R&B producing amongst others TLC and Mary J Blige. However it was his tribute to friend Notorious BIG, "I'll Be Missing You" that made his name internationally. His musical output has been overshadowed recently by his relationship with Jennifer Lopez and his involvement in a shooting in a New York night club. So much so that a new moniker P Diddy has been adopted... R Kelly had a huge hit with the theme to Space Jam, "I Believe I Can Fly". He's a multi-talented instrumentalist too, and has worked with the likes of Celine Dion and has written songs for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

Daft Punk

Their first new material since debut album Homework, One More Time by Daft Punk was a UK hit in 2000. French Djs Guy-Manuel De Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter form the duo behind the name. Based in Paris they have been together since 1992 although it was their hits Da Funk and Around The World in 1997 that brought them to UK audiences. An Anime-style video was produced for the track and its follow-ups in 2001.

Damage

The London R&B band Damage returned to the charts for the first time since 1997 with Ghetto Romance in 2000. The band have appeared on tour recently with All Saints and Mariah Carey. Andrez Harriott, Noel Simpson, Coreé Richards, Rahsaan Bromfield and Jade Jones (who has been linked romantically with Baby Spice) were about to attempt the break in the US three years ago when their record company, London Records, closed. They are currently signed to EMI.

Dandy Warhols

Bohemian Like You by the Dandy Warhols resurfaces in 2001 thanks to a Vodaphone advert which makes the song popular again around Europe. The video features glimpses of the band as well as a few shots of male nudity (if you catch it late at night). Their latest album Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia has been plundered by another corporate group, Fox-TV, which is using the track Solid for the sitcom Undeclared. The band are from Portland, Oregon and first came to prominence with Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth. The line-up includes Courtney Taylor-Taylor - singer, guitar, keyboards; Peter Holmstrom - guitar; Zia McCabe - keyboard, bass, percussion; Brent DeBoer - drums, harmonies, keyboard; Troy Stewart - guitar, trumpet.

Daphne & Celeste

Two teenagers who have given young girls new insults to use on their friends and relatives are Daphne and Celeste whose debut Ooh Stick You! was followed by a similarly cheeky attitude song, U.G.L.Y...

Matt Darey Featuring Marcella Woods

Dario G

Paul Spencer and Scott Rosser who had met while on a pop music course, joined up with the confusingly named Paul Stephen Spencer and the three wrote Sunchyme based around a sample from Life In A Northern Town by Dream Academy. A hit in the UK it was followed by the unofficial World Cup anthem Carnaval de Paris which cunningly exploited the musical traditions of the many countries involved and featured a joyful face-painted video. The first album Sunmachine included vocals by David Bowie on the title track. Despite the success the group sought a "face" for the group and in 2000 recruited Norwegian singer Ingfrid Straumstoyl. Her vocals on Dream To Me gave the group another hit in 2001.

Rui Da Silva featuring Cassandra

The portuguese dance master Rui Da Silva grabbed the first nig UK hit of 2001 with Touch Me. The track features Cassandra on vocals and she also provided the lyrics.

Craig David

Four solo hits from Born To Do It in the UK, Craig David is echoing that success around the world. His first two releases Fill Me In and Seven Days were UK best sellers. Craig David's big break came in late 1999 when after being massive in the clubs, Rewind by the Artful Dodger got a full release and major airplay on UK radio. Artful Dodger are Mark Hill and Pete Devereux and also hail from David's home town of Southampton. Craig met Mark while DJing in the clubs and the two wrote the track that would eventually become Rewind.

DB Boulevard

Delirium featuring Sarah McLachlan

Silence with music by new age outfit Delerium and words and vocals by Sarah McLachlan is taken from the 1997 album Karma. It first appeared as a UK single in 1999 but remixes have recently brought the song back onto the dancefloors. The ambient band are Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber a Canadian two-some who are also behind the industrial outfit Front Line Assembly. Sarah McLachlan is a major artist in the US but only her 1998 single Aida had made any previous inroads into the UK market.

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode return for the first time since It's No Good in 1997 with the moody and dark Dream On. It comes with an equally dark and moody road-video showing the band interact with alien-like creatures in the desert. In the eighties Depeche Mode were mostly an electronic act with hits like See You and People Are People but a more guitar-led sound in the nineties on the albums Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion has made them new fans in the US.

Destiny's Child

Destiny's Child score another hit from their Survivor album, a cover of the Bee Gees-penned Emotion. Their previous single Bootylicious was built around a Stevie Nicks riff and it was nice to see her get a cameo at the beginning of the video. The Houston, Texas based group are currently the world's no 1 girl group and have finally settled down to life as a three-some with Michelle Williams joining founders Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland. The theme to Charlie's Angels Independent Women Part I was their first transatlantic no 1 in late 2000.

P Diddy

Dido

Having led to her current worldwide fame as a sample on Eminem's Stan the full song Thank You spurs Dido to a major US and UK hit in 2001. The video is the anthithesis of Stan, showing Dido happily walking away from a life that is crumbling because she's just spent the perfect day with her love. Her previous British hit was the electronic folk track Here With Me. The song had already been a hit in America having been used as the theme song to Roswell. Her album No Angel was a surprise British no 1.

Celine Dion

Disco Montego featuring Katie Underwood

Disco-tex Presents Cloudburst

Doves

Dream

Signed to P Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment label, the four girls of Dream scored a massive US hit with He Loves U Not. The track is taken from their debut album It Was All a Dream and was followed by the minor hit This Is Me. Holly, Diana, Ashley and Melissa were sued earlier in the year by their original manager although the case was thrown out of court. They have toured extensively in 2001 with the Baha Men and 98 Degrees, and more recently with Destiny's Child and Eve and are currently preparing to record their second album, once again with P Diddy at the helm.

Ricardo "RikRok" Ducent