Positiva Records

Positiva Records is a British electronic dance music label established in 1993 by Nick Halkes, a record executive who had previously been involved with XL Recordings. The label was created to focus on dance-oriented releases in the United Kingdom and became part of the wider Universal Music Group structure. Its catalogue has covered house, trance, club, vocal dance and crossover electronic music, with a particular emphasis on singles intended for radio, clubs and the international dance market. The label's early catalogue combined licensed material and artist releases. One of its first notable releases was Reel 2 Real's “I Like to Move It,” a dance track associated with DJ and producer Erick Morillo that had originally appeared on Strictly Rhythm. During the mid-1990s, Positiva worked with US vocalist Barbara Tucker, issuing tracks including “Beautiful People” and “Stay Together,” as well as later material such as “Stop Playing with My Mind.” Other house-oriented releases during this period came from acts including Umboza, the Bucketheads and Judy Cheeks. Positiva became especially visible during the late 1990s as European trance and commercial dance music expanded. Its catalogue included Alice Deejay's “Better Off Alone,” DJ Quicksilver's “Bellissima,” Ayla's “Ayla,” Binary Finary's “1998” and BBE's “Seven Days and One Week.” These releases helped associate the label with the increasingly international market for melodic, club-focused electronic singles. The label's role was not limited to developing a single house style; instead, it served as a UK-facing platform for a broad range of dance records from domestic and overseas artists. During the 2000s, Positiva released or handled several commercially successful dance singles. The catalogue included Coco Star versus Fragma's “Toca's Miracle,” Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor's “Groovejet (If This Ain't Love),” and the Shapeshifters' “Lola's Theme,” each of which reached number one in the United Kingdom according to the label's reference history. Other prominent releases included Watergate's “Heart of Asia,” Deep Dish's “Flashdance,” Motorcycle's “As the Rush Comes,” a remix of The Source featuring Candi Staton's “You Got the Love,” and Axwell's “Watch the Sunrise.” Paul van Dyk and the Shapeshifters were among the artists associated with the label for extended periods. The Shapeshifters later moved to Defected Records and concentrated on their own Nocturnal Grooves operation. In a later phase, Universal Music Group revived Positiva as a trading name connected with Virgin Records, using it for releases by international dance acts including Armin van Buuren, Avicii, Nicky Romero and Nervo. Historically, the label operated from EMI offices in Brook Green in West London before being based at Universal Music UK's offices. Positiva's significance lies less in a single artist franchise than in its role as a specialist dance imprint that connected UK release infrastructure with the fast-moving European and global electronic music market.

Positiva Records was established in 1993 by Nick Halkes, who had previously worked with XL Recordings. The label was formed as a UK outlet dedicated to dance music at a time when house, rave, techno and emerging trance styles were becoming increasingly important within the British singles market. Rather than limiting itself to one narrowly defined genre, Positiva developed a catalogue spanning house vocals, club tracks, trance records and dance-pop crossover material. The imprint's early activity included Reel 2 Real's “I Like to Move It,” a release connected with Erick Morillo and originally issued through the US label Strictly Rhythm. Positiva subsequently developed a presence in vocal house through releases by Barbara Tucker, including “Beautiful People” and “Stay Together” in 1995 and “Stop Playing with My Mind” in 2000. The label also issued material associated with Umboza, the Bucketheads and Judy Cheeks, establishing a broad house-oriented base. In the second half of the 1990s, Positiva became closely identified with the expansion of European trance. Alice Deejay's “Better Off Alone,” DJ Quicksilver's “Bellissima,” Ayla's “Ayla,” Binary Finary's “1998” and BBE's “Seven Days and One Week” were among the records that gave the label international visibility. Their success reflected the growing importance of pan-European dance singles, which could circulate through specialist clubs, compilation albums, radio programming and imported releases. The 2000s brought a series of prominent chart successes. Positiva's catalogue included “Toca's Miracle” by Coco Star versus Fragma, “Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)” by Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor and “Lola's Theme” by the Shapeshifters. The label also released or promoted records such as Watergate's “Heart of Asia,” Deep Dish's “Flashdance,” Motorcycle's “As the Rush Comes,” The Source featuring Candi Staton's “You Got the Love” remix and Axwell's “Watch the Sunrise.” These releases show how the imprint moved between underground club culture and mainstream dance-pop consumption. Paul van Dyk and the Shapeshifters were among the artists associated with Positiva over longer periods. The Shapeshifters later left for Defected Records and focused on their own Nocturnal Grooves label. Positiva was subsequently revived within Universal Music Group as a trading name associated with Virgin Records. In this later form, it was used for releases by overseas dance artists including Armin van Buuren, Avicii, Nicky Romero and Nervo. The label's physical and corporate setting changed as its parent-company relationships evolved. It was formerly based at EMI offices in Brook Green, West London, and later operated from Universal Music UK's offices. Across its different phases, Positiva functioned as a specialist dance label within a major music group, providing UK release and marketing infrastructure for electronic music with international commercial potential.

• 2000

  Later Barbara Tucker release

  [1]Positiva Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Barbara Tucker's “Stop Playing with My Mind” was among the label's releases at the beginning of the decade.

• 2000

  Major 2000s dance successes

  [1]Positiva Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The catalogue during this period included “Toca's Miracle,” “Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)” and “Lola's Theme,” which the reference history identifies as UK number-one hits.

• 1998

  Trance catalogue expands

  [1]Positiva Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label's late-1990s trance profile included Binary Finary's “1998,” alongside releases by Alice Deejay, DJ Quicksilver, Ayla and BBE.

• 1995

  Barbara Tucker releases

  [1]Positiva Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Positiva issued Barbara Tucker material including “Beautiful People” and “Stay Together,” strengthening its vocal-house catalogue.

• 1993

  Label founded

  [1]Positiva Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Nick Halkes established Positiva Records as a British label focused on dance music.

• 1993

  Early catalogue begins with Reel 2 Real

  [1]Positiva Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  One of the label's first notable releases was Reel 2 Real's “I Like to Move It,” a track associated with Erick Morillo and originally released on Strictly Rhythm.

• Revival under Universal and Virgin Records

  [1]Positiva Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Universal Music Group later revived Positiva as a trading name associated with Virgin Records for releases by international dance acts.

A specialist electronic dance music imprint focused on commercially accessible house, trance, club and crossover releases for the United Kingdom and international markets.

• House music · 1993

  House releases

  Positiva's early catalogue included vocal and club house records from artists such as Barbara Tucker, Umboza, the Bucketheads and Judy Cheeks. These releases positioned the imprint within the UK and European club circuit while also supporting radio-friendly dance singles.

• Trance music · 1990

  Trance releases

  The label became strongly associated with late-1990s European trance through records including Alice Deejay's “Better Off Alone,” DJ Quicksilver's “Bellissima,” Ayla's “Ayla,” Binary Finary's “1998” and BBE's “Seven Days and One Week.”

• Commercial electronic music · 2000

  Dance crossover singles

  Positiva issued commercially successful electronic singles that crossed from clubs into mainstream radio and charts. Representative releases include “Groovejet (If This Ain't Love),” “Lola's Theme” and “Toca's Miracle,” alongside records by Deep Dish, Motorcycle and Watergate.

• International electronic music

  International dance releases

  In its later Universal Music Group and Virgin Records phase, Positiva served as a trading name for releases by overseas dance artists including Armin van Buuren, Avicii, Nicky Romero and Nervo.

1. 1Positiva Recordsen.wikipedia.org