Positiva Vinyl & CDs

Review: Tim Bergling's music as Avicii was loved enough in his lifetime, but it doubly shook the world after his untimely death in 2018. This career-spanning compilation brings together 19 key tracks by the Swedish DJ and producer, zooming back in mainly on the key works by Berg under the Avicii name, on top of another unreleased tune, 'Let's Ride Away' with Elle King. Avicii's instinct for brain-lodging hooks is on full display here, from the anthemic and unforgettable 'Wake Me Up' to the introspective of 'Heart Upon My Sleeve'. Also included are fan favourites like 'The Nights', 'Without You' feat Sandro Cavazza, and 'Lonely Together' feat Rita Ora, tracing his evolution from bedroom producer to international headliner.

Review: Time-honoured, blue-crossed phono-phrenic audio pharmacists Positiva celebrate their 30th anniversary with the launch of a brand new sampler series. Simply titled 'Positiva', the new outing spans every sonic end-logic from slick UK garage to mesmeric trance, the throughline being the modern uplifter sound into which the label has settled; a far cry from their jet-propulsive Ibiza-rave garage house days of yore. Most of the tracks on this first edition of the series are already floating about out there, though they've never been compiled onto a single record before: Sammy Virji and Gorgon City complement each other well on the A-side's 'Voodoo' and 'If You Need It'; then Azari & III, Max Dean, Alan Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Spiteri spin things out ever further, into two warming, well-layered party-pushers driven by ecstatic vocals.