| Ray Slijngaard | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raymond Lothar Slijngaard |
| Also known as | Kid Ray and Raytac |
| Born | June 28, 1971 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Origin | Netherlands |
| Genres | Eurodance, Techno, Pop, Dance, Hi-NRG, House, Hip-Hop, Soul |
| Occupations | Rapper, Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | ZYX Records, BYTE Records (with Jean Paul DeCoster & Phil Wilde), ToCo International, X-Ray Records/Rayvano Productions, Spinnin' Records. |
| Associated acts | 2 Unlimited, Ray & Anita, VIP Allstars |
Ray Slijngaard (born Raymond Lothar Slijngaard, June 28, 1971, Amsterdam) was a member of the original line-up of the Dutch techno-dance band, 2 Unlimited, along with vocalist Anita Doth, and producers, Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde. He is sometimes known as Kid Ray.
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Slijngaard was the only child of a Dutch mother (Ingrid) and a father (Lothar) from Surinam (a former Dutch colony in South America).[1] He was born and raised in Amsterdam, and in March 1991 at the age of 19, he teamed up with Doth, whom he knew from the Amsterdam club scene, and Belgian producers De Coster and Wilde as 2 Unlimited. He was the rapper of the group, while Doth was the singer. From 1991 until 1996, he enjoyed worldwide success with 2 Unlimited, having numerous hits. He appeared to be a ladies man, having numerous girlfriends including an affair with Dannii Minogue. During an interview in 2009 with both Ray and Anita on the Dutch TV-show "De Wereld Draait Door", they both confirmed that they had a relationship with each other during 2 unlimited.
He was also famous for his original hairstyle, by keeping the rest of his head shaved, leaving only a few rastas on top of his forehead. In music videos and at concerts, he often showed off his well trained body by wearing open shirts or no shirts at all. After 2 Unlimited broke up in 1996, he turned his attention more to his own record company, called X-Ray Records/Rayvano Productions. The record company was named after his son Rayvano, whose mother is Hortence Gooding. He also released a few singles during 1997 called "3x a Day", "When It's My Turn" and "Do You Think I'm Sexy?", but they were not commercially successful.
In 1999, he teamed up with rapper Marvin D. to form a new rap-group, called VIP Allstars, which had a minor hit in the summer of 1999 called "Mamacita".
Slijngaard now lives in Germany. In January 2009 he was working on a dance track with Rachel Stevens. It is a cover version of Wendy Moten's, "Come In Out Of The Rain".
In April he appeared together with his 2 Unlimited partner, Anita, on stage for the first time in thirteen years at the 'I Love The 90s' party in Hasselt, Belgium, and later on Queensday in Amsterdam.
In 2010 Ray & Anita made a comeback with their newest single "In Da Name Of Love". The single became a huge hit in the Netherlands and it will be released worldwide. Ray & Anita promised more songs and a new album.
On April 11, 2009, Slijngaard and Doth reunited to perform together for the first time in 13 years at the I love the 90's concert in Hasselt, Belgium.[2] Further gigs followed on April 30 at the Radio 538 Queen's Day concert at Museumplein in Amsterdam, and as support act for Milk Inc at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp on September 25.
Following months of speculation, it was confirmed on December 29 that the duo would release a new single together in 2010 called "In Da Name Of Love" as "Ray & Anita". Jean-Paul DeCoster is thought to have denied permission for them to use the name "2 Unlimited", as he still owns the rights to the brand.[3]
The single "In Da Name Of Love" debuted on the final Tipparade chart of 2009 at number 28.[4] It has reached number 1 at the Dutch Dance Top 30 and number 3 at the Belgium Dance Top 30. It's a top 5 at the Dutch 100 singles.
On January 5, 2010, the world premiere of the new single was broadcasted on Radio 538, accompanied by an exclusive interview with Ray. The premiere was uploaded to YouTube by their label Spinnin' Records which released the first single. The artist management made YouTube take down any video of the song that had been mislabeled as 2 Unlimited.
On January 8, 2010, iTunes officially released the new single on the Dutch site only. It contains the Radio Edit & Extended mixes only.
"In Da Name Of Love" CD single was released officially on the 22nd of January. An international release is expected!
The video clip has been released on January 30.
Phil Wilde had most likely given his approval for Ray & Anita to release "In Da Name Of Love" as "2 Unlimited", but they were unable to acquire the rights to the name.[5] This can be heard in the lyrics of the song. In the first few lines Ray says "..still Unlimited, you're so limited..", possibly directed to Jean-Paul De Coster.
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