2 Unlimited: Classic Or Dud?

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Norman Fay is right about "No Limits". It's now been a decade since Ver 'Lim entered our pop lives and it's time to say once again: they were ace. Oh for the days when you could reliably get fifty-reply threads going on alt.music.techno just by saying "I love electronica especially 2 Unlimited" and then actually defending yourself. The Monkees of dance music and just as good?

Or am I a sentimental old fool and they were actually rubbish all the time?

― Tom, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Most of the time they were rubbish, but "Twilight Zone" and "Get Ready For This" are dancefloor GIANTS that deserve all praise and laud.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Mark E Smith loved No Limits therefore they are grate.

― Billy Dods, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I cant think of any of their other tunes besides "No Limits" but yeah it was class. That tune just sends me into a fit of stabbing the air with my arms. What other tunes did they release? My mind is a complete blank. HATED "No limits" at the time but now realise it has the best riff of all time. That bloke couldn't dance tho' and looked daft. "Techno-techno-techno-techno!!!"

― Michael Bourke, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They were fuxing fantastic. "Information Superhighway" - ROWR! No doubt ALL their rekords are available for, like 50p from a market stall near you......can one seriously expect better value? :)

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey, a Belgian techno act. The two puppets jumping up 'n' down while shouting "No oh no oh no limit" were dutch. The producer is, however, belgian. I don't know if The Confettis (with the Sound of C) were worse or not. New Beat... I rather erase that whole period.

― nathalie, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Jock Jams Classic, otherwise middle of the road beats.

― Jeff, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

dud. too irritating.

― gareth, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Fookin' class, mate. And that Anita gyal lookd so foine!

― Kodanshi, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Which Mercury Rev song is it that sounds just like No Limits?

― emil.y, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Pump Up The Jam? ;-)

― nathalie, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Track 2 on Yerself Is Steam. "Sounds just like" is perhaps an exaggeration but it's got the same riff.

― Tom, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There was better Eurodance at the time IMO but "Faces", "Get Ready 4 This" (despite its ubiquity for a while on football highlights montages etc., which had me briefly hating it a few years after it actually came out), "Magic Friend", "Let The Beat Control Your Body", and doubtless a few others: GRATE. I liked the way they never tried to defend themselves on "credibility" terms: they had no shame, all the pride you could imagine, and they made some damn good singles.

― Captain Swing aka King Penda, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Half of these songs I've never actually heard! (Although, it being 2 Unlimited, it may be more accurate to say I've never heard these particular permutations of their formula.)

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I can't imagine they were as ubiqiutous in the US as they were in the UK and Europe, which would probably explain it.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Classic! Somewhere, lurking in a dark corner, is my old cassette of the 'No Limits' album. They were a great 5-minute wonder.
I remember travelling down to Weston-Super-Mare with me mates one weekend in the early 90s, playing this tape at full-whack. Ahh... happy days.
One of my friends was quite taken with them. He videoed every one of their Saturday morning kids TV show and ToTP appearences - which is a bit much, really. But they were good fun.

2 Unlimited 'came back' a few years ago without Ray. Anita was joined by a blonde woman. No-one bought the singles this time though.

― DavidM, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You're right, Robin. The thing is that I recognize a lot of the song titles but not the songs.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In conversation, I've used the "Nono No-no Nono" riff (notes and rhythm, only with grunty metallic throat-noises instead of the words) to signify "total techno craziness" — along with jabbing arms in air — for the last however many years, and no one has ever said they don't know what I'm on abt. So classic.

― mark s, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes Mark, but if I was faced with you making guttural metallic throat noises and jabbing techno fingers in the air I would not suggest I had no idea what you were on about either.

― Tom, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I also assume there's other context involved in the response, as well. I mean, if you were out at dinner and someone asked you how much the sandwich they ordered cost, you would not make guttural metallic throat noises and jab techno fingers in the air. Alas.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

grunty != guttural

― mark s, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No Limit is Holland's alternative National Anthem. (Although the limit seems to be World Cup 2002 qualification). My second favourite Ray Slijngaard lyric: "Today / I say hey" (can't remember which song it's from)

― JoB, Tuesday, 4 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

>>> Or am I a sentimental old fool and they were actually rubbish all the time?

I love the way you go out of your way to make these things extra-easy for me, Tom.

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 5 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i agree with the pinefox. i just wanted to say that, because i don't get the chance that much

― gareth, Thursday, 6 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Weren't they produced by Pete Waterman?

― Nick, Thursday, 6 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Speaking of PWL (Peter Waterman Limited), they dropped 2 Unlimited from their list of bands in January, a few weeks before the release of "Jump For Joy". No official explenation has been given to date, but the whole situation is dodgy. Waterman told two British newspapers, on two seperate occasions three months apart, that 2 Unlimited had broke up and his company would never be the same without them. If they were so important to PWL (who have two bands working under them that I know of and they have yet to hit top forty in the British charts), then why limit their publicity, have very little promotion, cancel the release of "Nothing Like The Rain" and lie about them breaking up? E-mail Waterman if you wish and ask him why. That's if he is still in business, as I hope he has had many a misfortune since January.

The full 'Behind the Music' story of 2 Unlimited, a rollercoaster ride of glory and betrayal can be found here

― Nick, Thursday, 6 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

nine years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06KMassGHv4

everyone watch this its amazing

― farty f baby (Princess TamTam), Wednesday, 25 May 2011 04:16 (fourteen years ago)

Pinball!!!

This looks great projected on a giant screen with the smell of a nightclub fog machine filling your nostrils.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFd5Cci_pE4

― more horses after the main event (Eazy), Wednesday, 25 May 2011 05:18 (fourteen years ago)

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