Tribal Dance

For the music genre, see Tribal house.

"Tribal Dance"
Artwork for continental European and some non-European releases, including the US 12-inch single
Single by 2 Unlimited
from the album No Limits!
Released26 April 1993 (1993-04-26)[1]
Genre
Length
  • 4:32
  • 3:40 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Phil Wilde
  • Ray Slijngaard
  • Xavier Clayton
  • Filip Martens
Producer(s)
  • Phil Wilde
  • Jean-Paul De Coster
2 Unlimited singles chronology
"No Limit"
(1993) 		"Tribal Dance"
(1993) 		"Faces"
(1993)
Music video
"Tribal Dance" on YouTube
"2.4 remixes"
Single by 2 Unlimited
Released2004
LabelZyx
2 Unlimited singles chronology
"No Limit 2.3"
(2003) 		"2.4 remixes"
(2004) 		"Get Ready (Steve Aoki Remix)"
(2013)

"Tribal Dance" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited.[2] It was released in April 1993 by Byte, Zyx and PWL from the band's second album, No Limits! (1993). The UK release omits the main rap but leaves in more vocals from band member Ray Slijngaard than any of their previous releases. The single experienced chart success in several countries, topping the charts in Finland, Israel, Portugal and Spain. In North America, the song reached number one on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart, while peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single's music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and filmed in London, depicting the band performing in a jungle setting.

In 1994, the song received an award in the category for "Best Techno 12-inch" at the WMC International Dance Music Awards in the US.[3] In 2004, a new version of the song, titled "Tribal Dance 2.4" was released. It charted in both Austria and Germany, peaking at number 58 and 78.[4]

Composition

The track is written by Phil Wilde, Ray Slijngaard, Xavier Clayton and Filip Martens, and was produced by Wilde with Jean-Paul De Coster. It features a trumpet riff and different kinds of drums throughout the song and the "Say that again" lyric at the start of the track was sampled from the 1985 film Back to the Future.

Critical reception

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song four out of five, writing, "This is the usual high-octane, careering dance contender in rave/techno mould. It could hardly be as big as "No Limit", and is probably a little too similar, albeit with some ethnic sounding wailing, presumably to justify the title." He added, "Instant smash, of course".[5] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty noted that here, 2 Unlimited "hits the dance floor with another tribal trancer".[6] A reviewer from Newcastle Evening Chronicle described it as a "brash, action packed pounder".[7] Gail Heritage of Port Lincoln Times declared it "a mix of rhythmic beat, almost changing at every eight bars, centring around the harmonic voice of Anita, before looming into a jungle of rap by Ray." She added, "'Tribal Dance' was one of my favourites on the album — those jungle drums just seem to be calling me to the dance floor."[8] James Hamilton from the RM Dance Update viewed it as a "jungle drummed simple chanting galloper".[9] Toby Anstis, reviewing songs for Smash Hits, stated that the song is "a nice bit of pop".[10] Smash Hits editor Leesa Daniels gave it two out of five, adding that it will "probably be number one for weeks."[11] Australian student newspaper Woroni called it a "thumping, driven dance track",[12] naming it an "obvious highlight" of the No Limits! album.[13]

Chart performance

In Europe, "Tribal Dance" peaked at number one in Finland (6 weeks),[14][15] Portugal (1 week),[16] and Spain (1 week),[17][18] as well as on both the Eurochart Hot 100 and the European Dance Radio Chart in June 1993.[19][20] Peaking at number two in Belgium (Flanders), Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, the single was held off reaching the top spot by Haddaway's "What Is Love",[21][22] Culture Beat's "Mr. Vain",[23] and Spin Doctor's "Two Princes".[24] In Germany, it spent two weeks at number two and 23 weeks within the German singles chart. Additionally, "Tribal Dance" was a top-10 hit also in Austria (3),[25] Denmark (3),[26] France (4),[27] Italy (10),[28] Norway (4),[29] and the United Kingdom. In the latter nation, the song both peaked and debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart in May 1993 and stayed at that position for two weeks.[30] It spent eleven weeks within the UK Top 100, and also peaked at number seven on the Music Week Dance Singles chart.[31] On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Tribal Dance" debuted at number 10 on 15 May[32] after charting in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK. It topped the chart four weeks later and spent one week at the top position.

In Northern America, it topped the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart for three weeks, as well as peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[33][34][35] In Africa, "Tribal Dance" peaked at number four in Zimbabwe, while in Oceania, it peaked at numbers seven and 38 in Australia and New Zealand, respectively.[36][37][38]

"Tribal Dance" was awarded with a gold record in Germany, after 250,000 singles were sold there.[39]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Tribal Dance" was directed by British director Nick Burgess-Jones and produced by Spidercom Films.[40] He had previously directed the video for "No Limit". "Tribal Dance" was filmed in Black Island studios in London[40] and is set in a jungle using blue screen in order to create the appearance of members of the band swinging across a jungle backdrop. A picture-in-picture screen showing a video game is also used. There are two versions; the rap version and the no rap version.[41] "Tribal Dance" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe in June 1993.[42]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Tribal Dance"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[60] Gold 250,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 734,000[39]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 24 April 1993. p. 21.
  2. ^ "AllMusic: 2 Unlimited (Biography)". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  3. ^ Jimenez, Maria (26 March 1994). "Groovemix: Short Grooves" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 13. p. 11. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Tribal Dance 2.4 Chart Positions". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  5. ^ Jones, Alan (24 April 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 8. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  6. ^ Cermak, Wendi (4 June 1993). "Crossover: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 32. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Record Reviews". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 15 April 1993. page 20.
  8. ^ Heritage, Gail (8 July 1993). "High Beat Techno Cult". Port Lincoln Times. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  9. ^ Hamilton, James (1 May 1993). "Djdirectory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  10. ^ Anstis, Toby (18 August 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 47. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  11. ^ Daniels, Leesa (28 April 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 49. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  12. ^ "2 Unlimited - Tribal Dance". Woroni. 1 August 1993. p. 28. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Music". Woroni. 1 September 1993. p. 35. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Tribal Dance" spent 6 weeks at number one on the Finnish singles chart in May, June and July 1993.
  15. ^ a b Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  16. ^ a b "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 24. 12 June 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  17. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 22. 22 May 1993. p. 26. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  18. ^ a b Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  19. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 24. 12 June 1993. p. 19. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  20. ^ a b "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 24. 12 June 1993. p. 16. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  21. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  22. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  23. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  24. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  25. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 22. 29 May 1993. p. 34. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  27. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance" (in French). Les classement single.
  28. ^ a b "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 25. 19 June 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  29. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance". VG-lista. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  30. ^ a b UK Singles Chart Everyhit.com (Retrieved 15 February 2008)
  31. ^ a b "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 8 May 1993. p. 28. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  32. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 20. 15 May 1993. p. 23. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Tribal Dance" spent 3 weeks at number one on the Canadian RPM Dance chart in August 1993.
  34. ^ a b "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2195." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  35. ^ a b 2 Unlimited singles, Billboard charts AllMusic.com (Retrieved 15 April 2010)
  36. ^ a b * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  37. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  38. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Hits Unlimited". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 10. 13 March 1996. p. 29. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 16 September 2022 – via Google Books.
  40. ^ a b "2 Unlimited - Tribal Dance music video (1993)". Eurokdj.com. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  41. ^ "2 Unlimited - Tribal Dance (No Rap) (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  42. ^ "Station Reports > MTV Europe/London" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 26. 26 June 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  43. ^ Musik-Charts durchsuchen
  44. ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 25. 19 June 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  45. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (08.07.1993 – 14.07.1993)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir – Tónlist. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  46. ^ Irish Single Chart, database Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 15 February 2008)
  47. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 21, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  48. ^ "2 Unlimited – Tribal Dance" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  49. ^ "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 15 May 1993. p. 18. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  50. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 8 May 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  51. ^ "1993 Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  52. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  53. ^ "Canada Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1993". RPM. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  54. ^ "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  55. ^ "1993 Year-End Airplay Charts: European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 18. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  56. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  57. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  58. ^ "1993 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Swisscharts. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  59. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24.
  60. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (2 Unlimited; 'Tribal Dance')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.