"No Limit" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch

Eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...

group

2 Unlimited 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 a ...

in 1993. It was their fifth single in total and the first to be released from their second album, '' No Limits!'' (1993). The song is 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 Ray Slijngaard, leaving just

Anita Dels Anita Doth (born 28 December 1971) is a Dutch singer and songwriter best known as the former singer of the duo 2 Unlimited, along with rapper Ray Slijngaard. Personal life Anita Daniëlle Dels was born in Amsterdam to a Surinamese father, Rolf ...

' 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 received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.

Chart performance

"No Limit" was very successful on the charts, becoming a huge hit on several continents. Released on February 18, 1993, it peaked at number one in 35 countries. 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 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

. In the UK, the single reached number-one in its fourth week on the chart, on February 7, 1993, and stayed at the top of the UK Singles Chart for five weeks. Additionally, it also made it to the top 10 in Germany, Greece, Iceland and Italy. Outside Europe, "No Limit" peaked at number two on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Dance/Urban chart in Canada, number seven in Australia, number 16 in Zimbabwe, number 21 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 40 in New Zealand. It was awarded with a gold record in Australia Austria, France and Germany, and a

platinum record Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' 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." Matt Stopera and Brian Galindo from ''

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...

'' said that "this is possibly the most aggressive beat from the '90s. It's like they're strumming a GIANT rubber band." Tom Ewing of

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2000 ...

felt the track's "echoey

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

hits and the union of steam-hammer bass and rubber-ball synths" carry the

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

, "piston-powered aggression" of Belgian rave music. He also noted the presence of a cowbell in the back of the track. Per Reinholdt from Danish ''

Gaffa ''Gaffa'' (stylized as ''GAFFA'') is a free Nordic music magazine with local editions in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ''Gaffa'' is Denmark's largest and oldest music magazine. It has been published since 1983 and has 320,000 print readers and ...

'' called it a "dance-powerhit", noting its "inciting up-tempo" and a rhythm and theme "with the same temper as a dressed beeswarm". He added that the song is a "piece of pop art". A reviewer from ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' described it as "a humugous global hit".

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "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".

James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to: Dukes *James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland * James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman * James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), S ...

from '' Music Weeks ''RM'' Dance Update declared it as "madly catchy" and a "tuneful techno pop galloper". Johnny Lee from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' called it a "stormtrooper". Australian student newspaper '' Woroni'' deemed the song as "tremendously exciting and highly recommended", adding it as an "obvious highlight" of the '' No Limits!'' album. 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".

Track listings

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Millennium remixes

*CD single #"No Limit" (Moon Project Edit) (3:50) #"No Limit" (Starfighter Remix Edit) (3:15) *CD maxi #"No Limit" (Starfighter Remix Edit) (3:15) #"No Limit" (Starfighter Remix) (7:55) #"No Limit" (Push's Transcendental Rmx) (8:26) #"No Limit" (Moon Project Remix) (7:43) #"No Limit" (Razzor and Guido Remix Dub) (10:38) *12" single #"No Limit" (Starfighter Remix) (7:55) #"No Limit" (Razor and Guido Dub) (10:38) #"No Limit" (Push's Transcendental Remix) (8:26) #"No Limit" (Moon Project Remix) (7:43)

No Limit 2.3

"No Limit 2.3" peaked number 41 in the German Top 100 Singles chart. *CD single #"No Limit 2.3" (Master Blaster Radio Edit) (3:12) #"No Limit 2.3" (Master Blaster Remix) (5:25) #"No Limit 2.3" (DJ Digress Hamburg Style Remix) (7:23) #"No Limit 2.3" (DJ Sputnik Remix) (6:54) #"No Limit 2.3" (Original Extended Mix) (5:42) *12" single #"No Limit 2.3" (Master Blaster Remix) (5:25) #"No Limit 2.3" (Marco De Jonge Club Mix) (5:38) #"No Limit 2.3" (DJ Digress Hamburg Style Remix) (7:25) #"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. *Standard CD single #"No Limit"– 3:05 #"Ga Je Met Ons Mee (Naar Smurfenland)"– 2:53 *CD maxi-single #"No Limit" (radio edit)– 3:05 #"No Limit" (Smurf the House mix)– 4:46 #"No Limit" (karaoke)– 3:05 #"Die Dal Dee"– 3:28

beFour cover

"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 #"No Limit" (Single version) (3:25) #"No Limit" (Remix) (3:41) #"All Around The Planet" (3:53) #"No Limit" (Video) (3:25) *Digital download #"No Limit" (Single version) (3:25) #"No Limit" (Remix) (3:41) #"All Around the Planet" (3:53)

Charts

References

Chart performance

Critical reception

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Millennium remixes

No Limit 2.3

Irene Moors and de Smurfen cover

beFour cover

Track listings

Charts

See also

References