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.
Slijngaard was the only child of a Dutch mother (Ingrid) and a father (Lothar) from Surinam (a former Dutch colony in South America). 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 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".
Ray & Anita;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.Ray & Anita;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. 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. The single "In Da Name Of Love" debuted on the final Tipparade chart of 2009 at number 28. 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!
Anita Doth (born 28 December 1971, Amsterdam) is a Dutch singer, best known for her participation in the Eurodance group 2 Unlimited.
2 Unlimited;Together with Ray Slijngaard, she formed the group 2 Unlimited. In the early 1990s, Ray Slijngaard (the soon-to-become techno-rapper of 2 Unlimited) had been asked to write rap lyrics for a tune written by Belgian producers J.P. de Coster and Phil Wilde. Ray also wrote a chorus to be sung by a female vocalist, for which he asked Doth to sing the lyrics. The demo was presented to de Coster and Wilde, leading to Doth joining 2 Unlimited. Doth sang the choruses for the majority of their songs; however there were some B sides, and one successful single, "Nothing Like the Rain", where she sang close to all the lyrics. The band became an instant success in Europe and throughout the world. Their hits included songs such as "Get Ready For This", "Maximum Overdrive", "No Limit", "Tribal Dance", "The Real Thing", "Twilight Zone" and "Workaholic". After sixteen music videos, forty-five songs, and four albums, the group split up in 1996. Their last release was "Spread Your Love"
After 2 unlimited and present day; After 2 Unlimited, Doth became a presenter on Dutch music television station TMF (The Music Factory), hosting Welcome to the Pleasure Zone, a show featuring both music videos and live performances. Doth also worked as a DJ on Dutch radio station Radio 538, before starting her solo career in 1997. In 1996, she sang a duet with popular Dutch singer René Froger on "That's When I'll Stop Loving You". 2000 saw the release of her solo album Reality. Among the singles taken from the album were Universe, Lifting up My Life, and This Is Reality. In 2002, she formed Divas of Dance with Linda Estelle (formerly T-Spoon) and Desiree "Des'Ray" Manders (former lead singer of Eurodance project 2 Brothers On The 4th Floor, mostly known for Dreams (Come Alive)). They performed a variety of old dance classics, including 2 Unlimited songs. In June 2004, she performed No Limit on German TV station ZDF. Anita & her former 2 Unlimited colleague, Ray Slijngaard, reunited in 2009, performing together for the first time in 13 years at the "I Love The 90s" event in Hasselt, Belgium. They later appeared together in Amsterdam, on Queensday (30 April)
Ray & Anita; On 11 April 2009, Slijngaard and Doth reunited to perform together for the first time in 13 years at the "I love the 90s" concert in Hasselt, Belgium. Further gigs followed on 30 April 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 25 September. Following months of speculation, it was confirmed on 29 December 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. The single "In Da Name Of Love" debuted on the final Tipparade chart of 2009 at number 28. It reached number 1 at the Dutch Dance Top 30 and number 3 at the Belgium Dance Top 30. On 5 January 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.