N-Trance

N-Trance

N-Trance is a British electronic dance act formed in Oldham, England in 1990 by Dale Longworth and Kevin O’Toole, who meet at The Oldham College as aspiring sound engineers. The project begins with instrumental dance recordings under several different names before the pair settle on N-Trance. The act works in styles that include Eurohouse, techno, trance, rave, disco, rap and other dance forms.

Early singles and breakthrough

After early demos make little impact, N-Trance records “Back to the Bass” in 1991, which draws the attention of Pete Waterman while Longworth works on his television show The Hitman and Her. Waterman signs the group to 380 Records, later known as Eastern Bloc Records, but sample clearance problems prevent the single’s release. The group then buys itself out of that deal and signs to All Around the World.

“Set You Free”, recorded with Kelly Llorenna, is released in 1993 and becomes the group’s breakthrough. It first charts low in the UK, then reaches the top 40 on a 1994 re-release and later peaks at number 2 after a second re-release. It becomes the highest-selling dance single of 1995 in the UK, with sales of more than 600,000 copies, and also charts in continental Europe and Australia. The song later attracts more than forty mixes.

Albums and major releases

N-Trance records its first album, Electronic Pleasure, in 1995. The album includes a wide roster of vocalists, among them David Grant, and musicians such as Vinny Burns and Snake Davis. The group’s line-up also includes Kelly Llorenna and rapper T-1K, and its live shows feature dancers and flame-throwers.

The group follows with a cover of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”, which becomes an international hit. In the UK it debuts at number 2, and it reaches number 1 in Australia while placing in the top 5 in several European charts. The track also features Ricardo Da Force, formerly a rapper with The KLF, who becomes closely associated with the group’s later sound.

In 1996, N-Trance builds its own studio, Deep Blue, and spends the next year and a half recording its second album, Happy Hour, which is released in 1999. Singles from the album include disco cover versions of Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and Ottawan’s “D.I.S.C.O.”, as well as “The Mind of the Machine”, a hardcore techno track featuring actor Steven Berkoff.

Later activity and related projects

A best-of compilation, Best Of N-Trance 1992-2002, appears in 2001 and is supported by a trance remix of “Set You Free”, which reaches number 7. In 2005, Longworth and O’Toole reach the UK Top 10 under the name the Freeloaders with “So Much Love to Give”. A new N-Trance single, “Nothing Lasts Forever”, is announced in 2006.

The group’s biggest singles include “Set You Free”, “Stayin’ Alive” and “Forever”.

Membership

Other members associated with N-Trance include Rachel McFarlane and Richard Lyte, also known as Ricardo Da Force. Kelly Llorenna appears on key early recordings and helps define the group’s rise in the European dance scene.