28 February 1993
The original version has a rap. For the UK release that we also got in Ireland, maybe from self-consciousness about rapping in English, the producers took that whole rap out – except for one word, four times. And that is how we have one of the most ruthlessly effective pop hooks of the entire ’90s: Ray from 2 Unlimited going “Techno! Techno! Techno! Techno!” in ‘No Limit’. He’s not even saying it four times: only once, repeated.
The other main hook, Anita singing the chorus, is just as repetitive and just as famous. A pop hit being used as a football supporters’ chant, as with the chorus of ‘No Limit’ to sing the names of Yaya and Kolo Toure, is always a clear measure of cultural impact. For reasons not entirely clear to me then or now, Eurodance hit big in the early ’90s, and this was its signature track.
However primitive it may be to our cultured sensibilities, or head-pounding from your upstairs neighbour’s bass speakers, or witty to quip about “no lyrics”, you have to admit the one huge asset of ‘No Limit’: it is enormous fun. No one is looping the word ‘techno’ like that for any artistic expression: they just had a hunch it would sound awesome, and their instincts were correct. Likewise, that thumping 4/4 beat is aimed squarely at getting punters up and jumping at their local rave or sweatbox. Compared to the dour aggression of another Eurodance anthem just before it, ‘Rhythm Is A Dancer’, ‘No Limit’ is light and colourful. That I even remembered the names of Anita and Ray suggests to me that they were a much more accessible act, though they were just the front-office staff for the two producers who were the actual 2 Unlimited. I didn’t see the appeal of ‘No Limit’ at the time—I was one of the many people having my life changed by the first Suede album—but I hope I do now.
