Nineties dance group N-Trance have shared the unexpected response they received from the Bee Gees after covering their iconic track Stayin' Alive. The group, best known for their global hit Set You Free, released the cover in 1995 featuring the late Ricardo d Force.
Founding member Kevin O'Toole told the Mirror that the cover sold over three and a half million copies, despite being intended as a one-off. The success led their former record label to demand more covers. O'Toole recalled that Maurice Gibb thanked them for making the Bee Gees 'cool again', joking that they had 'stolen our song'.
O'Toole explained that they had a contact who knew Barry Gibb and passed the track to him. 'He liked it,' O'Toole said. The group later met the Bee Gees backstage at a concert in Blackpool, where Maurice made the light-hearted comment. O'Toole added that when he later bought The Best of the Bee Gees album, the shop assistant pretended to blow dust off it, highlighting the Bee Gees' perceived lack of coolness at the time.
N-Trance also covered Sir Rod Stewart's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, which proved harder to clear. O'Toole said Stewart was not a big fan of the song anymore, but eventually signed off on the sample after learning they would use a different singer.
The group are now back with a new single, Higher, featuring singer Rachel Chambers. O'Toole described it as capturing the N-Trance feeling with a modern twist. The track was written for arenas and big crowds, rather than dance clubs. Despite a hiatus following Ricardo's death and other life events, the group have continued touring and recording.
