Celebrating 15 Years at 4AD
In January 2009, on my first day at 4AD, I asked the woman at the front desk for a pen, and she directed me to the supply closet. I opened the door to find a magical mini-arsenal of pens, pads, paper clips, envelopes, and sticky notes. It was like a disaster preparation kit that ensured that if everyone were trapped in the office for months, we’d still be able to write and staple. At Sonic Boom, Jason or I ordered office supplies and kept nothing more on hand than we absolutely needed. But now, everything was magically at my disposal. That experience gave me my first realization that I had a real job. - My Life in the Sunshine, p. 209
15 years ago this week, I started my new job as the US General Manager of the British record label, 4AD, a job I loved for 13 years. Two years ago, I moved into a new role as US president of Beggars Group, the company that sits over five independent record labels: 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade, XL Recordings, and Young. While I no longer work solely for 4AD, all of the labels share the same NYC office, and I feel fortunate to still be involved with the 4AD artists and staff.
It’s easy to explain my current job, which, in addition to working with the labels to release records, includes elements that people in any business can understand, like finance, HR, and general oversight. But for 13 years at 4AD, I often had trouble explaining my job. At one point in the early 2010s, a 4AD artist invited me, a product manager, and our head of marketing to join as his guests in a class of college music business students. In his introduction, he stated, “The head of marketing comes up with all of the creative ideas, the product manager does pretty much everything, and Nabil… I’m still not sure what exactly you do.”
There are many people—perhaps some of you—who miss the ‘80s and ‘90s glory days of 4AD. Last year at a book event in Tokyo, the two music enthusiasts who interviewed me asked, via a translator—which added extra awkwardness to the situation: “Wasn’t 4AD better before you started?” I’ve been asked a more delicate version of that question dozens of times over the years, and I’ve become adept at explaining that the label’s quintessential bands, Pixies and Cocteau Twins, didn’t actually have much in common musically. Their bond, which helped build the label’s identity, was more about a shared ethos, and a desire to push boundaries and exist on the fringe— elements that remain a steady through line on the roster. I relaxed confidently, as the translator relayed my seasoned reply. Then she chuckled, as if to say, it’s my job to translate exactly what they say, and she asked: “Yes, but wasn’t 4AD better before you were there?”
I love 4AD old and new, and I’m proud to be a fan who bought the label’s albums in the ‘90s, a record store clerk and owner who sold a shitload of them in the 2000s, and a GM who got to release dozens of 4AD albums in the 2010s and 2020s.
To celebrate my 15 years, I made a playlist of some of my favorite 4AD tracks from 2009-2024. I posted this playlist on social media a few days ago, and I’ve had a great time interacting with friends, listeners, and several of the artists who appear on the playlist. Of the 32 artists here, there’s only one that I never had the opportunity to meet: Scott Walker, who passed away in 2019, and who leads the playlist. The rest of the songs are in no particular order.
I was thrilled when my friend Marcus Moore asked me to contribute to his recurring “5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Jazz” feature in The New York Times. I wrote about one of my favorite albums, Mtume Umoja Ensemble’s Alkebu-Lan, which was recorded live just down the street from my Brooklyn apartment, and released in 1972.
My memoir is called My Life in the Sunshine. You can order it here, or listen to the audiobook on Spotify.
I hope to see you somewhere soon. Upcoming events are always listed here. There’s nothing on the calendar currently, but stay tuned for a big 2024 project.
Nabil Ayers / Brooklyn
Hi Nabil, It's Viktor again. I need to add that I would remove the writing "Cocteau Twins" and "Garlands" from the image, but I will be sure to give proper credit for and source of the image. Thank you for your consideration. I have to rush on this, the publisher is pressuring. It's a last minute impulse of mine to use this image, while I was listening to this group's music. The Treasures album cover is nice too.
What a fine record label with quality groups on board. Well, at least from what I recall a long time ago. I have a strange request. Who do I ask for permission to use the album cover of Cocteau Twins --Garlands on the cover of one of my set of two new books about to be published? I'm still a big fan of that group. Together the two books are a "Source Truth" series, with the tentative subtitles of "Part I: This Matrix Game and Challenging Beliefs" and "New World Order, Plandemic, and Cabal." They sound conspiratorial, but they go beyond conspiracies. I can share some of my articles if you ask, or you could wait until I post them on my Substack.