Avicii’s ‘Levels’ turns eight years old today [WATCH]

When one thinks about seminal dance records over the past decade, Avicii’s “Levels” certainly comes to mind. While the world is still reeling from his untimely death over a year and a half later, it doesn’t stop fans from celebrating the impact that the track had on the dance music industry.

Today, eight years ago to the mark, Tim Bergling released the track that initially launched his career into the global spotlight. “Levels” effectively brought dance music into the mainstream, making the track as relevant and influential as the time of its original release.

Avicii played an early instrumental version of the song on BBC Radio 1‘s Essential Mix in December 2010, with the final version (with Etta James’s vocals)  first performed at the Ultra Music Festival in March 2011. The song peaked at No. 1 on the dance music charts in Sweden as well as in the US and became a Top Ten hit in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK.

Photo credit: BJORN LARSSON ROSVALL/AFP/Getty Images.