Positiva Records is a subsidiary of
Universal Music Group and concentrates on releasing dance music in the
UK. The record label was set up in
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, by
Nick Halkes
Nick Halkes (born Nigel Halkes) is a UK based music industry executive best known for signing a breaking dance act the Prodigy and being one of the founders of the XL Recordings label. He is now an artist manager and music publisher managing L ...
, who previously ran
XL Recordings.
Its headquarters are at the Universal UK offices (formerly at EMI offices in Brook Green in West London), where it is currently the only large dance music label under the EMI banner.
History
One of the label's first releases was "
I Like to Move It" by
Reel 2 Real,
an alias of dance DJ
Erick Morillo, originally released on
Strictly Rhythm
Strictly Rhythm is an American house music record label.
History
Strictly Rhythm relaunched in 2007 after a five-year break, following a venture with Warner Music. The label made a number of its recordings available for digital download and sig ...
. Later, the label signed US vocalist
Barbara Tucker
Barbara Tucker (born March 19, 1967), is an American house and soul singer, songwriter and choreographer born in Brooklyn, New York, US. Tucker had six No. 1 hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the 1990s and into the 2000s, and seve ...
, who went on to release tracks including "
Beautiful People" and "
Stay Together" (both 1995)
and "
Stop Playing with My Mind" (2000). Other house releases in this period came from
Umboza
Umboza were a house duo from the United Kingdom composed of Stuart Crichton and Michael Kilkie. They recorded for Positiva Records.
Umboza's 1995 single "Cry India", based on a sample of Lionel Richie's hit " All Night Long", was a hit both in ...
,
the Bucketheads
Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (born July 5, 1970), also sometimes known as K-Dope, is an American record producer and disc jockey. He is one half of the classic house music Masters at Work musical production team with Little Louie Vega; and also release ...
and
Judy Cheeks.
During the late 1990s, Positiva released several tracks from the emerging trance scene such as
Alice Deejay's "
Better Off Alone" which became a huge hit in Europe and the U.S., as well as
DJ Quicksilver's "
Bellissima Bellissima ("Very Beautiful" in Italian) may refer to:
* ''Bellissima'' (film), a 1951 film by Luchino Visconti
* ''Bellissima!'', a 1988 Pizzicato Five album
* "I Have a Dream"/"Bellissima", a 1997 DJ Quicksilver song
* Bellissima (Annalisa son ...
",
Ayla's eponymously titled "Ayla",
Binary Finary
Binary Finary are a British trance act, originally comprising Matt Laws, Ricky Grant and Stuart Matheson. They are best known for the dance hit single "1998", especially for the Paul van Dyk and Gouryella remixes, which charted in many co ...
's "1998" and
BBE's "
Seven Days and One Week".
Releases in the 2000s have included the number one hits "
Toca's Miracle" by
Coco Star vs
Fragma, "
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" is a song by Italian electronic music producer Spiller with lead vocals performed by British singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Various versions of the single were later featured on the German reissue and som ...
" by
Spiller
Cristiano Spiller (born 3 April 1975) is an Italian electronic music DJ and record producer. He is best known for his 2000 single " Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)", featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The song reached number-one in the UK, Australia, ...
featuring
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded Ellis-Bextor went solo and ach ...
, and "
Lola's Theme
"Lola's Theme" is the debut single of British house duo the Shapeshifters, featuring soul singer Cookie on vocals. It was released on 12 July 2004 as the lead single from the Shapeshifters' debut album, ''Sound Advice'' (2004). The song became ...
" by the
Shapeshifters
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...
. Other top 10 hits in the same decade include Watergate's "
Heart of Asia Heart of Asia may refer to: Geography
*A term coined to highlight the geostrategic location of Afghanistan at the center of Asia's trade and economic junction between Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and China (s. Istanbul Process).
*A ni ...
", "Flashdance" by
Deep Dish,
Motorcycle's "
As the Rush Comes
"As the Rush Comes" is a song by American progressive group Motorcycle. Motorcycle was a collaboration between San Francisco-based trance duo Gabriel & Dresden with vocalist Jes. It was released as the group's first single in 2003 and was a num ...
", remixes of
The Source feat.
Candi Staton
Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...
's "
You Got the Love" and "Watch the Sunrise" by Swedish DJ/producer
Axwell.
Other artists who have been with the label for many years include
Paul van Dyk and the Shapeshifters, although the latter have since left to release tracks via
Defected Records and concentrate on running their own Nocturnal Grooves label.
The label has since been resurrected by
Universal Music Group as a trading name for
Virgin Records and releases from foreign dance acts, such as
Armin van Buuren
Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...
,
Avicii,
Nicky Romero and
Nervo.
Releases
Notes
*A Released on Positiva's sub label Additive instead after promo release
*B Charted on the UK budget album chart as the total track length of the format exceeded the 20 minute rule in place at the time
*C Released through EMI instead after promo release
*D Released through EMI subsidiary Feverpitch instead after promo release
See also
*''
The Positiva Ambient Collection'' (1993)
*
List of electronic music record labels
References
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
British record labels
English record labels
1993 establishments in England
Record labels established in 1993
English electronic dance music record labels
EMI