2 Unlimited are a Belgian-Dutch dance music act,founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp,Belgium. From 1991 to 1996,Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the act. During these five years,2 Unlimited enjoyed worldwide mainstream success. They scored a total of sixteen international chart hits,including "Get Ready for This","Twilight Zone","No Limit",and "Tribal Dance". The act has sold eighteen million records worldwide. Although they enjoyed less mainstream recognition in the United States than in Europe,several of their tracks became popular themes in American sporting series,mainly in the NBA and NHL.
"No Limit" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited,released in January 1993 by Byte,ZYX and PWL. It was their fifth single in total and the first to be released from their second album,No Limits! (1993). Co-written by the group's Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels,the song became one of their most commercially successful singles,especially in Europe,reaching the number-one spot in 35 countries and the top 10 in several others. Like previous releases,the UK version of the single removed all of the raps from Slijngaard,leaving just Dels' vocals. One word from the rap was kept,the word 'Techno' which was looped and repeated during the middle of the song,turning the line into "Techno! Techno! Techno! Techno!" and giving the song an extra vocal hook. Its accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
"Get Ready for This" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch music group 2 Unlimited. It was released in 1991 as the lead single from their debut album,Get Ready! (1992). Originally,the single was produced as an instrumental,titled the "Orchestral Mix". It became a hit and conscious of their popularity,Wilde &De Coster wanted a more accessible,formatted formula for their project to grow. Ray was then asked to write lyrics and add a rap to the track. On Ray Slijngaard's suggestion,Anita Doth joined as the female vocalist.
No Limits,sometimes No Limits!,is the second studio album by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited,released in May 1993. The album yielded five singles,including "No Limit",which reached number one in many European charts. The album went platinum in several countries. It was fronted by Ray Slijngaard performing the main rap and Anita Dels providing the chorus.
"Let the Beat Control Your Body" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was released in January 1994 by Byte,ZYX and PWL as the fifth and final single from the band's second album,No Limits (1993). The album version is largely instrumental and contains just a few spoken words from bandmembers Ray Slijngaard and Anita Doth. The single version contains full verses rapped by Slijngaard and a new chorus sung by Doth,which were co-written by them both. The song enjoyed chart success in many European countries,peaking at number two in the Netherlands and within the top 10 in Belgium,Finland,France,Germany,Ireland,Spain and the United Kingdom. It was nominated in the category for Best Song on MTV Awards. Nigel Simpkiss directed the music video for "Let the Beat Control Your Body",which received heavy rotation on MTV Europe and VIVA.
"Twilight Zone" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance act 2 Unlimited,released in January 1992 by Byte Records as the second single from the act's debut studio album,Get Ready! (1992). The UK release of the single was the first 2 Unlimited single to include the vocals of Anita Doth,as they had not been featured on their breakthrough hit "Get Ready for This". However,Ray Slijngaard's rap verses were once again removed. The instrumental "Rave" version of the song sounds different from the original "Not Enough" version,with a more hi-NRG style with more bass and added cowbells. The music video was directed by David Betteridge.
"Workaholic" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited,released in April 1992 as the third single from their debut album,Get Ready!. The song features a chorus from Anita Doth and,outside the UK,verses from Ray Slijngaard. The single scored chart success in many countries,with its highest peaks coming in Finland,the Republic of Ireland,the UK and Zimbabwe,where it hit number-one in August 1992.
"Faces" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited,released on 23 August 1993 by Byte,Zyx and PWL as the third single from their second album,No Limits! (1993). The song was co-written by band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels,with Phil Wilde and Jean-Paul De Coster who produced it. "Faces" peaked at number eight in the United Kingdom and at number six on the Eurochart Hot 100. The accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and filmed in London.
"The Magic Friend" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was released in August 1992 as the fourth and final single from their debut album,Get Ready! (1992). The UK release once again omitted Ray Slijngaard's rap,which lasted for 16 bars three times through,but did include some of the vocals from Anita Doth,with the "mocking chorus echoes" being abandoned as only Ray's part remains,thus leaving Anita's sole vocals as "disembodied whispers" during the middle eight. The single experienced chart success in many European countries,including Finland,where it topped the chart. The Dutch leading afternoon radio program on national pop outlet Radio 3 FM/Hilversum renamed itself "The Magic Friend",after the single.
"No One" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited,released in September 1994 by Byte,ZYX and PWL as the second single from their third album,Real Things (1994). Co-written by bandmembers Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels,it was a top 10 hit in at least six countries,as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100,where the song reached number ten. It features a reference to "That's the Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson and the accompanying music video,directed by La La Land,features the band performing on the beach by Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
"Here I Go" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited. It was co-written by band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels and was released in March 1995 as the third single from their third album,Real Things (1994). In the United States,the song was released as a double A-side single with 2 Unlimited's next European single,"Nothing Like the Rain". "Here I Go" became a top-10 hit in at least five countries:Belgium,Finland,Lithuania,the Netherlands,and Spain. Its music video was directed by Nigel Simpkiss.
"Tribal Dance" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was released in April 1993 by Byte,Zyx and PWL from the band's second album,No Limits! (1993). The UK release omits the main rap but leaves in more vocals from Ray Slijngaard than any of their previous releases. The single experienced chart success in several countries,topping the charts in Finland,Israel,Portugal and Spain. In North America,the song reached number one on the Canadian RPM Dance while peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single's music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and filmed in London,depicting the band performing in a jungle setting.
"Do What's Good for Me" is a song Belgian-Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited,released in October 1995 via Byte and ZYX Records as the first single from the band's first greatest hits compilation album,Hits Unlimited (1995). Co-written by bandmembers Anita Dels and Ray Slijngaard,the song was a hit in Europe,reaching the top 10 in Finland and Spain. Its music video was directed by Nigel Simpkiss.
"Nothing Like the Rain" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was released on 10 June 1995 by Byte,Zyx and Radikal Records as the fourth and final single from their third album,Real Things (1994). The song was written by co-producers Phil Wilde and Peter Bauwens with Michael Leahy. In the US,it was released as a double a-side single with the European hit single "Here I Go". It peaked within the top 20 in at least four countries,and was also the first single by 2 Unlimited that was a pop-ballad. The single was not released in the UK. Its music video was directed by Nigel Simpkiss,who had previously directed several videos for the band.
"Maximum Overdrive" is a song by Belgian-Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited,released in November 1993 as the fourth single from their second album,No Limits! (1993). The UK release was the first UK single to maintain all the rap lyrics from Ray used in the European release. The song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart,and was also a number-one hit in Finland and on the European Dance Radio Chart by Music &Media. Its accompanying music video was directed by David Betteridge.
Hits Unlimited is the fourth album from Dutch/Belgian band 2 Unlimited and the last to feature Ray Slijngaard and Anita Doth. It was a greatest hits package featuring 16 songs:13 previous singles and 3 new ones. The album was certified gold in the Netherlands. Ray Slijngaard's raps on the verses were not cut on any of the songs on the UK release of this album.
"Change" is a song by British singer-songwriter and actress Lisa Stansfield from her second album,Real Love (1991). The song was written by Stansfield,Ian Devaney and Andy Morris,and produced by Devaney and Morris. It was released as the lead single on 7 October 1991 by Arista Records. "Change" was remixed by Frankie Knuckles and Driza Bone.
"Flying High" is a song by German musician known under the pseudonym of Captain Hollywood Project,released in November 1994 as the first single from his second album,Animals or Human (1995). Vocals are by Lori Glori,but uncredited. It is a fast and strong Eurodance song,it achieved moderate success in several countries. A second CD maxi composed of two new remixes was launched in February 1995. Its music video was directed by Rainer Thieding. Ten years later,in 2005,a new remix of "Flying High" was released,reaching the Top 20 on European club charts.
"Got to Get It" is a song by German group Culture Beat from their second studio album,Serenity (1993). Written by Nosie Katzmann,Jay Supreme,Torsten Fenslau and Peter Zweier,it was released as the second single from the album on 13 September 1993 by Dance Pool. The song was a hit in many European countries,peaking at number-one in Belgium and Finland. It was also a top-five hit in Denmark,Germany,Ireland,Italy,Lithuania,Spain,Sweden,the Netherlands and the UK. In the UK,the US and Canada,the song peaked at number one on the dance music charts. Its music video was directed by Martin Person and filmed in Denmark and Portugal.
"It's a Loving Thing" is a song by Dutch dance music vocalist CB Milton,released in 1994 as the third single from his debut album by the same name (1994). The song was a sizeable hit in Europe,reaching number three in Belgium,and the top 20 in both the Netherlands and Finland,peaking at number 16 and 19. In the UK,it peaked at number 49,but in March 1995,a remixed version reached number 34. On the UK Dance Singles Chart,it fared better,reaching number 27,while on the European Dance Radio Chart,it peaked at number one. Outside Europe,the song hit success in Israel,peaking at number three. There were made two different music videos to promote the single.
