Interview: Positiva at 25

18 May 2018 - Editorial

Since its launch in 1993, Positiva has been a leading name in dance music. As it hits its 25thanniversary, Director of A&R Jason Ellis discusses its success and the difficult current climate

Dance music’s journey from niche genre to era defining mainstream sound has been impossible to miss. What was once a soundtrack to the underground in the likes of Chicago, New York and Detroit has divided into unending subgenres and risen to fill stadiums and top charts the world over. And joining it on its journey for the past two and half decades has been Positiva.

Taking a slightly different path to most labels under the dance banner, Positiva was born in the major label system when XL founder Nick Halkes and Dave Lambert were approached by EMI to set up its own dance imprint. The concept of electronic music under a major umbrella was virtually unheard of and somewhat scorned at, as Director of A&R Jason Ellis (who joined in 1999) knows all too well. Even years after the label’s conception and success he recalls: “At IMS Ibiza around 2008 there was a panel called Does Dance Music Need the Majors and I was the only person present who worked for a major record label at the time. The scene was dominated by a network on independents like Ministry of Sound and Ultra [now both within Sony] and they were all licensing records globally between each other. However, fast forward 12 months and we had David Guetta on Positiva plus Deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia on Virgin, giving us three of the biggest acts in the world. Being part of a major that could work globally definitely became an advantage.”

It’s perhaps that global reach, coupled with skilled A&R, that has seen Positiva at the forefront of the commercial end of the genre for so long. Launching with intent, one of its earliest records, released in 1994, came from now-stalwart Eric Morillo, albeit when he was a duo under the moniker Reel 2 Real. It set the tone for the future with the following years delivering the likes of DJ Quicksilver’s Belissima and Adam F’s Circles and Colours. The ‘90s saw Positiva attack the charts with Vengaboys’ Up & Down, Alice Deejay’s Better Off Alone and Fragma’s Toca’s Miracle. As dance music firmly became one of the sounds of the moment, it was once again the Positiva team who shaped the movement when Spiller’s Groovejet beat Victoria Beckham and Dane Bowers to No.1 in chart battle unheard of these days. Shy FX, Ferry Costen, Room 5, Paul van Dyk and The Shapeshifters all continued to keep the label in good stead before the “tough times” of indie rock’s dominance between 2006-08. Not ones to take things lying down, the label delivered a project from Swedish House Mafia founders Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso and rose David Guetta to superstar status with the release of When Love Takes Over in 2009. 

In total to date Positiva has clocked up 67 Top 10s and 14 No.1s, but perhaps what’s most stark about this statistic, and the Spiller Vs Beckham-Bowers duet, is how much the commercial landscape has changed. Sales figures, chart numbers and album releases have become vanity metrics that all feed a larger monster. “I personally miss that buzz you get from a No.1 record, it’s very difficult to get a single to that level these days” Ellis tells us. “We’ve become used to having to accept that the barometers of success have changed when you’re talking about a hit record. For instance, Martin Solvig’s Places only peaked at No.27 in the charts but is a platinum record and was one of the biggest supported at radio last year.”

With a notorious long tail on records in the streaming era, Positiva recognises the need to have a constant flow of music coming from artists in order to keep the audience engaged and the acts creatively free. As such, deals on the label are flexible and respectful. “We tend to be doing deals for multiple tracks over a period of time with some flexibility for artists to put out more underground related stuff. We’re not expecting every release to be a big time smash but I think it’s important to have a constant flow of content and music going out there in the current market place” Ellis explains. However, hits are still important. Ellis tells us that artists must “not being afraid to want to have a hit, it needs to be part of the plan”.  He clarifies: “A lot of dance producers tend to be happy operating in a place where the live business is good but the thought of crossing over onto radio is not necessarily something that appeals. You need that balance.” 

The current roster and successes appear to be a testament to this attitude as David Zowie’s House Every Weekend claimed the first ever Friday No.1 and Jonas Blue recently surpassed 3bn streams worldwide with 3 Top 5 UK singles and four BRIT award nominations to his name. Achieving such impressive numbers is no fluke though. “If an artist is ambitious and wants to see global success in the way someone like Jonas Blue has then I think we’re very much best placed to help that happen. We can bolt on whichever elements that the artist and manager need, it’s a very flexible relationship. We’ve become very accustomed to finding exactly what it is each individual needs and wants” Ellis vindicates. 

So, what, or who, is next? “I wish I knew!” Ellis says. It’s a tough time for commercial dance, although watching triumphs from the likes of Calvin Harris, Rudimental, Marshmello et al it may not seem like it. “We’ve been squeezed as genre by the resurgence of hip hop in the US and the explosion of grime in the UK” Ellis laments. “It’s amazing to witness the success of these young artists although it does seem like dance is being overlooked. That’s fine though, it’s happened before; it’s cyclical and it’ll come back around.” 

“In a bedroom somewhere around the world is the next Skrillex or Deadmau5 working away on something that will change the course of the genre and create that level of excitement we’re looking for. It’s not obvious what that it at the moment but it’s our responsibility to make sure we’re across it when it arrives.”

This interview was conducted before the death of Aviici, as such we have omitted his achievements while the label addresses situation privately.