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No Limit (2 Unlimited song)

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"No Limit"
Widely distributed variant of the standard artwork
Single by 2 Unlimited
from the album No Limits!
Released18 January 1993 (1993-01-18)[1]
Genre
Length
  • 3:44
  • 3:30 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Phil Wilde
  • Jean-Paul De Coster
2 Unlimited singles chronology
"The Magic Friend"
(1992) 		"No Limit"
(1993) 		"Tribal Dance"
(1993)
Audio sample
Music video
"No Limit" on YouTube

"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[5] 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' (from the line "I'm making techno and I am proud") 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.[6]

Composition

"No Limit" started as a idea to do a high-speed techno track. Producer Phil Wilde told Melody Maker in 1994, "Like most techno, 2 Unlimited's material floats somewhere between 125 and 148bpm; "No Limit" came in at 144." Wilde programmed the rhythm with hand claps every four beat. He had the groove and went searching in his sound library, starting jamming with sounds. He explained in the same interview, "For 'No Limits' we started jamming with sounds. Then I got the sound which we used for the main melody in that song...it's mostly a combination of sounds. It's so important to have a good sound, and not so easy to fine one. On 'No Limits', the sound came, then the melody. We already had the bass and the drums, and the sample for the lead sound in the end was just a sample. But I'm not going to tell you what it was."[7]

Chart performance

"No Limit" peaked at number one in 35 countries.[5] In Europe, it went to number-one in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the UK, the single reached number-one in its fourth week on the chart, on 7 February 1993,[8] and stayed at the top of the UK Singles Chart for five weeks. Additionally, it also made it to the top 10 in Germany (2), Greece (2), Iceland (4) and Italy (8). Outside Europe, "No Limit" peaked at number two on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada, number seven in Australia, number 16 in Zimbabwe, number 21 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 40 in New Zealand.

The song was awarded with a gold record in Australia, Austria, France and Germany, and a platinum record in the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "After several weeks at the top of Britain's pop charts, European rave duo is ready tackle the U.S. radio market with a bright ditty that melds techno, hi-NRG, and rap elements. The hook is irresistible, and the pace is heart-racing. Will please fans of last year's hit, "Twilight Zone", while reeling in newcomers."[9] Tony Parsons from The Daily Telegraph declared it as a "high-speed anthem".[10] Per Reinholdt from Danish Gaffa called it a "dance-powerhit", noting its "inciting up-tempo" and a rhythm and theme "with the same temper as a dressed beeswarm". He also named the song a "piece of pop art".[11] In a Guinness World Records review, the sound of "No Limit" was compared to "the sound giant dinosaurs might make stomping on cities".[12] A reviewer from Irish Independent described it as "a humugous global hit".[13] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "Of all the techno-rave dance acts, 2 Unlimited are the most successful, notching up 5 hits in a row with all making the 20. "No Limit" being the latest and most frantic".[14] The Stud Brothers of Melody Maker praised it as "magnificently kitsch".[15] Alan Jones from Music Week viewed it as "obvious pop fare".[16] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update declared it as "madly catchy" and a "tuneful techno pop galloper".[17] Johnny Lee from Smash Hits called it a "stormtrooper".[18] Australian student newspaper Woroni complimented it as "tremendously exciting and highly recommended",[19] naming it an "obvious highlight" of the No Limits! album.[20]

Impact and legacy

NME ranked "No Limit" number one in their list of "Top Five Euro-Hits of All Time" in December 1993.[21] The magazine's Paul Moody wrote, "The ultimate piece of pop existentialism as Anita and Ray suggest the whole world is one huge playground of hedonistic excess. All to a video set within a huge pinball machine. Sublime."[21] The song was ranked number 65 in BuzzFeed's list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s" in 2017. Stopera and Galindo said that "this is possibly the most aggressive beat from the '90s. It's like they're strumming a GIANT rubber band."[22] Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger felt the track's "echoey hi-hat hits and the union of steam-hammer bass and rubber-ball synths" carry the industrial, "piston-powered aggression" of Belgian rave music. He also noted the presence of a cowbell in the back of the track.[23] In 2015, Graham Clark from The Yorkshire Times stated that "the track at the time sounded unlike anything else but you can hear how it has influenced so many of today's electronic dance music tracks".[24]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "No Limit" was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones[25][26] and filmed in London.[27] It features Anita Dels and Ray Slijngaard performing inside what appears to be a giant pinball machine,[21] wearing leather apparel.[28] Burgess-Jones also directed the videos for 2 Unlimited's next two singles, "Tribal Dance" and "Faces".

Track listings

  • CD single
  1. "No Limit" (Radio Edit No Rap) (3:08)
  2. "No Limit" (Radio Edit Rap) (3:30)
  • CD maxi
  1. "No Limit" (Radio Edit) (3:15)
  2. "No Limit" (Extended Mix) (5:40)
  3. "No Limit" (Automatic Remix) (4:54)
  4. "No Limit" (Rio and Le Jean Remix) (3:53)
  5. "No Limit" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (4:45)
  • CD maxi
  1. "No Limit" (Radio Edit No Rap) (3:08)
  2. "No Limit" (Extended No Rap) (5:44)
  3. "No Limit" (Extended Rap) (5:55)
  4. "No Limit" (Rio and Le Jean Version) (3:57)
  • 7" single
  1. "No Limit" (3:15)
  2. "No Limit" (Rio and Le Jean Remix) (3:53)
  • UK 7" single
  1. "No Limit" (3:15)
  2. "No Limit" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (4:45)
  • 12" maxi
  1. "No Limit" (Extended) (5:44)
  2. "No Limit" (Extended Rap) (5:55)
  3. "No Limit" (Rio and Le Jean Remix) (4:56)
  • 12" maxi Italy
  1. "No Limit" (Extended No Rap 2) (5:55)
  2. "No Limit" (Extended Rap) (5:55)
  3. "No Limit" (Rio and Le Jean Remix) (4:56)
  4. "No Limit" (Automatic Remix) (4:54)
  5. "No Limit" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (4:45)
  6. "No Limit" (Radio Rap Edit) (3:30)

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications for "No Limit"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[65] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[66] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[68] Gold 352,000[67]
Germany (BVMI)[69] Platinum 500,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[70] Platinum 75,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[71] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom — 532,000[72]
Summaries
Benelux — 156,000[67]
Worldwide — 2,300,000[73]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Millennium remixes

"Millennium remixes"
Single by 2 Unlimited
Released2000
LabelByte
Songwriter(s)
  • CD single
  1. "No Limit" (Moon Project Edit) (3:50)
  2. "No Limit" (Starfighter Remix Edit) (3:15)
  • CD maxi
  1. "No Limit" (Starfighter Remix Edit) (3:15)
  2. "No Limit" (Starfighter Remix) (7:55)
  3. "No Limit" (Push's Transcendental Rmx) (8:26)
  4. "No Limit" (Moon Project Remix) (7:43)
  5. "No Limit" (Razzor and Guido Remix Dub) (10:38)
  • 12" single
  1. "No Limit" (Starfighter Remix) (7:55)
  2. "No Limit" (Razor and Guido Dub) (10:38)
  3. "No Limit" (Push's Transcendental Remix) (8:26)
  4. "No Limit" (Moon Project Remix) (7:43)

No Limit 2.3

"2.3 remixes"
Single by 2 Unlimited
Released2003
LabelByte
Songwriter(s)
2 Unlimited singles chronology
"Never Surrender"
(1998) 		"2.3 remixes"
(2003) 		"Tribal Dance 2.4"
(2004)

"No Limit 2.3" peaked number 41 in the German Top 100 Singles chart.[74]

  • CD single
  1. "No Limit 2.3" (Master Blaster Radio Edit) (3:12)
  2. "No Limit 2.3" (Master Blaster Remix) (5:25)
  3. "No Limit 2.3" (DJ Digress Hamburg Style Remix) (7:23)
  4. "No Limit 2.3" (DJ Sputnik Remix) (6:54)
  5. "No Limit 2.3" (Original Extended Mix) (5:42)
  • 12" single
  1. "No Limit 2.3" (Master Blaster Remix) (5:25)
  2. "No Limit 2.3" (Marco De Jonge Club Mix) (5:38)
  3. "No Limit 2.3" (DJ Digress Hamburg Style Remix) (7:25)
  4. "No Limit 2.3" (Original Extended Mix) (5:40)

Irene Moors and de Smurfen cover

A Dutch cover version by Irene Moors en de Smurfen topped the Dutch charts for six weeks in 1995.

beFour cover

"No Limit"
Single by beFour
from the album Friends 4 Ever
Released2009
LabelUniversal
Songwriter(s)
BeFour singles chronology
"Live Your Dream"
(2008) 		"No Limit"
(2009) 		"Ding-A-Dong"
(2009)
beFour (2008)

"No Limit" was covered by German band beFour on their fourth studio album Friends 4 Ever, and as a single in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The song entered the German Singles Chart in 2009.

Track listings

  • CD maxi
  1. "No Limit" (Single version) (3:25)
  2. "No Limit" (Remix) (3:41)
  3. "All Around The Planet" (3:53)
  4. "No Limit" (Video) (3:25)
  • Digital download
  1. "No Limit" (Single version) (3:25)
  2. "No Limit" (Remix) (3:41)
  3. "All Around the Planet" (3:53)

Charts

Chart performance for "No Limit" by beFour
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[80] 13
Germany (GfK)[81] 21
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[82] 29

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Releases > Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 16 January 1993. p. 21. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Whatever happened to: 2 Unlimited". AltSounds. 27 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Pump up the Jam revives the 90s". Meath Chronicle. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2014. the eurodance cheese of 2 Unlimited's "No Limit"
  4. ^ Bush, John. "Push It! Classic Party & Dance Tracks". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  5. ^ a b Tilli, Robbert (9 March 1996). "2 Unlimited: Common-Market Chartbusters" (PDF). Billboard. p. 29. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Station Reports > MTV Europe/London" (PDF). Music & Media. 6 March 1993. p. 17. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  7. ^ Horkins, Tony (14 May 1994). "Techno! Techno! Techno! Techno! A step-by-step guide to making a Eurobeat chart hit". Melody Maker. p. 43. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  9. ^ Flick, Larry (27 March 1993). "Single Reviews > Pop" (PDF). Billboard. p. 82.
  10. ^ Parsons, Tony (8 May 1993). "The Arts: Terence gets back to his eyelashes". The Daily Telegraph.
  11. ^ Reinholdt, Per (1 June 1993). "2 Unlimited: No Limits". Gaffa (in Danish). p. 24. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  12. ^ Guinness Rockopedia 1998, p. 456.
  13. ^ "2 Unlimited". Irish Independent. 13 February 2009. p. 67.
  14. ^ Masterton, James (31 January 1993). "Week Ending February 6th 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  15. ^ The Stud Brothers (16 October 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 39. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  16. ^ Jones, Alan (27 February 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 7. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  17. ^ Hamilton, James (16 January 1993). "Djdirectory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). p. 6. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  18. ^ Lee, Johnny (20 January 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 49. Retrieved 6 October 2020 – via Flickr.
  19. ^ "Crazy Dog". Woroni. 1 February 1993. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Music". Woroni. 1 September 1993. p. 35. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  21. ^ a b c Moody, Paul (25 December 1993). "I'd Rather Jacques..." NME. p. 53. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  22. ^ Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (11 March 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  23. ^ Ewing, Tom (25 November 2011). "2 Unlimited – "No Limit"". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  24. ^ Clark, Graham (6 August 2015). "Album Review: No Limits Compilation". The Yorkshire Times. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
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  26. ^ "2 Unlimited - No Limit (1993)". IMVDb. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  27. ^ "2 Unlimited - No Limit music video (1993)". Eurokdj.com. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  28. ^ "The 15 Worst Music Videos of the '90s". Complex. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  29. ^ "2 Unlimited – No Limit". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  30. ^ "2 Unlimited – No Limit" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  31. ^ "2 Unlimited – No Limit" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 1751." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  33. ^ a b "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 15. 10 April 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  34. ^ a b "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 19. 8 May 1993. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510.
  35. ^ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 11. 13 March 1993. p. 10. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  36. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  37. ^ "2 Unlimited – No Limit" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  38. ^ "2 Unlimited – No Limit" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
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  40. ^ "Íslenski Listinn: Topp 40: Vikan 2. – 8. April" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir. 1 April 1993. p. 29. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  41. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – No Limit". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
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  50. ^ "The Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). 30 January 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  51. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  52. ^ Kimberley, Chris (2000). Zimbabwe : Zimbabwe Singles Chart Book. Harare.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  53. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1993". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
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  59. ^ "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 January 1994. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
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  65. ^ "Australian Fun Countdowns – Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. 7 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  66. ^ "Austrian single certifications – 2 Unlimited – No Limit" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  67. ^ a b "Hits Unlimited". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 10. 13 March 1996. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 16 September 2022 – via Google Books.
  68. ^ "French single certifications – 2 Unlimited – No Limit" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  69. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (2 Unlimited; 'No Limit')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  70. ^ "Dutch single certifications – 2 Unlimited – No Limit" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter No Limit in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1993 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  71. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('No Limit')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
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  78. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1995" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
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  80. ^ "beFour – No Limit" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  81. ^ "beFour – No Limit" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  82. ^ "beFour – No Limit". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
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