N-Trance () are a British electronic music group who were formed by Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth in 1991. The group is known for their European hit songs " Set You Free" and "

Electronic Pleasure ''Electronic Pleasure'' is the first full-length studio album released by British electronic music group N-Trance. It was released in November 1995 and the U.S. on 1996. Critical reception '' Music & Media'' wrote, "The album of this group, bas ...

", and their covers of the 1970s disco songs "

Stayin' Alive "Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in 1977 as the second single from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack. The band co-produced ...

", "

D.I.S.C.O. "D.I.S.C.O." is a song by the French band Ottawan, written by Daniel Vangarde and Jean Kluger and produced by Daniel Vangarde. Ottawan originally recorded it in French. It was first released in 1979 and reached number two in the UK Singles Ch ...

", " Shake Ya Body", and "

Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", also written "Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy", is a song by British singer Rod Stewart from his ninth studio album, ''Blondes Have More Fun'' (1978). It was written by Stewart, Carmine Appice and Duane Hitchings, though it inc ...

". They had 14 charting singles in the UK during 1994–2004.

History

Early years (1990–93)

Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth formed N-Trance in 1990, after meeting at

Oldham College Oldham College, is a further education college based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. History Oldham College was established in 1893 after a donation from the Platt family, a famous textile machinery manufacturer. This led to the institu ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

, where they were both studying

sound engineering An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproductio ...

and they were signed by

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Water ...

's 380 Records (a sub-label of PWL). Vocalist

Kelly Llorenna Kelly Llorenna (born 1975) is an English dance music singer, who was born in Slough, Berkshire and raised in Oldham, Greater Manchester. She is best known as the former lead vocalist for the dance group N-Trance in the 1990s. Their biggest hit ...

sang on their first song, " Set You Free", recorded at Revolution Studios in Cheadle Hulme in July 1992. It was not released as a single and N-Trance bought out their contract with 380 Records. They then signed to a new label, All Around the World in September 1993. By this point N-Trance had developed their live shows and were gaining popularity. On their new label, "Set You Free" was released as a single in 1993, rising to No. 82 in the charts.

Breakthrough (1994–96)

In 1994, "Set You Free" was re-released achieving a higher chart position of No. 39. N-Trance's next single was a

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 ...

song called "Turn Up the Power" which included vocals from

Rachel McFarlane Rachel McFarlane is a British singer. She began singing at the age of twelve as a gospel singer. In 1992, her career began as a featured member of the dancehall/rave act The Family Foundation, which recorded the single "Express Yourself". Aft ...

, of Loveland, and a rap by T-1K. This song peaked at No. 23. After a number of years performing live over the UK, N-Trance's popularity and the reception towards "Set You Free", had increased significantly. The song was re-released again in 1995 and became a major hit, reaching No. 2 in the charts and being certified Platinum in the UK, after selling over 600,000 copies. The single was also released in other European countries and Australia. The group recorded their first full-length album, ''

'', in November 1995, which featured seven vocalists including David Grant, and musicians such as

Vinny Burns Vinny Burns (born 4 April 1965, Oldham, Lancashire) is an English hard rock guitarist and producer, best known for his work with the bands Dare, Ten and Bob Catley. He has also been a member of Asia, Ultravox, Hugo, FM, The Ladder, Phoenix Do ...

and Snake Davis. Their next single, a cover of the Bee Gees hit "

", was not only a massive international hit, but also featured a vocalist who would help define N-Trance's sound in the future,

Ricardo da Force Jervis Ricardo Alfonso Lyte (30 April 1967 – 8 March 2013), known professionally as Ricardo da Force, was an English vocalist, rapper, and DJ, most notable for contributing vocals to house and dance music tracks of The KLF and N-Trance. He got ...

, former rapper with

The KLF The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band formed in London in 1987. Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) began by releasing ...

. Upon its release in the UK it debuted at No. 2 and internationally it became one of the biggest UK exports of 1995, reaching No. 1 in Australia and being top 5 in a number of European charts.

Second album (1997–99)

Their second full-length album, '' Happy Hour'', was released in 1999. Hit singles from the album included cover versions of Rod Stewart's "

" and

Ottawan Ottawan is a French pop music duo, who had the hit singles " D.I.S.C.O." and "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)" in the early 1980s. Fronted by Patrick Jean-Baptiste and Annette Eltice, they were masterminded through a cooperation between French pro ...

's "

", and the hardcore techno clatter of "The Mind of the Machine", which featured the actor Steven Berkoff.

Third album

In February 2009, the group released ''The Mind of the Machine'' as their third album. Two new tracks ("Free Running" and "The Earth Is Dying") were recorded to go with the recordings previously made in 1997. The album was released as digital download only.

Other projects

*From 2005 to 2006, the founders of N-Trance, Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth, reached No. 9 in the UK Singles Charts with their single, "

So Much Love to Give "So Much Love to Give" is a 2002 single released by French house duo Together, consisting of Thomas Bangalter and DJ Falcon. It experienced widespread success in 2005 when sampled by British duo Freeloaders. The 12-inch single was released with ...

", released using the alias of the Freeloaders. They also released an album ''Freshly Squeezed'' on digital download.

Discography

* ''

'' (1995) * '' Happy Hour'' (1998) * ''The Mind of the Machine'' (2009)

References

External links

Official N-Trance homepage

N-Trance at Discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:N-Trance English house music groups British Eurodance groups Remixers Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups from the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham All Around the World Productions artists