4AD is a record label owned by the UK based Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album) by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records.The name was changed to "4AD" after the release of the first 4 singles. In late 1980 Watts-Russell and Kent purchased the label off Beggars Banquet to become an independent record label, then in 1981 Kent sold his share to Watts-Russell.
The label gained prominence in the 1980s for releasing albums from alternative rock, post-punk, gothic rock and dream pop artists, such as Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Modern English, Dead Can Dance, Clan of Xymox, Pixies, Throwing Muses and Watts-Russell's own musical project This Mortal Coil. In 1987, the label scored an international hit with the dance music single "Pump Up the Volume" by the one-off project M/A/R/R/S. 4AD continued to have success in the 1990s and 2000s with releases from The Breeders, Lush, Red House Painters, Camera Obscura, TV on the Radio, St. Vincent and Bon Iver. The label's current roster includes acts such as The National, Grimes, Beirut, Daughter, Deerhunter, Big Thief, Purity Ring and Future Islands.
In 1999, Watts-Russell sold 4AD back to the Beggars Group. The label's history has been detailed by Martin Aston in the biography Facing The Other Way, released in 2013.
Louder: A Guide to the Best 4AD Albums
+ Various - 1980 Forward: 25 Years of 4AD (2015) Well organised compilation of one of the most significant small record labels. Score: 6
Pitchfork review of 1980 Forward
Guardian - "4AD records - A label that's still made with love" (2012)
Guardian - "4AD: The Pure Label" (2013)
Martin Aston - Facing The Other Way: The Story of 4AD (2013)
Transistor Blog "Why 4Ad is an Age Defying Record Label"
CoS "Top 10 4AD albums" (2015)
Drowned in Sound "70 Song Introduction" (2013)
Artists who have been on 4AD
Current
- Aldous Harding
- Atlas Sound
- Becky and the Birds
- Beirut
- Big Thief
- Bing & Ruth
- The Breeders
- D.D Dumbo
- Daughter
- Deerhunter
- Dry Cleaning
- Efterklang
- EL VY
- Erika de Casier
- Ex:Re
- Future Islands
- Gang Gang Dance
- Gene Clark
- Grimes
- Holly Herndon
- The Lemon Twigs
- Methyl Ethel
- The National
- Pixx
- Purity Ring
- SOHN
- Spencer.
- Tkay Maidza
- Tune-Yards
- U.S. Girls
- Velvet Negroni
Former
- Air Miami (disbanded)
- The Amps (disbanded)
- Anni Rossi (active)
- A.R. Kane (disbanded)
- Ariel Pink (active)
- Tom Baril (photographer published by 4AD)
- Bauhaus (reformed)
- Bearz (still active as a David Gunstone project c. 2019)
- Belly (active 2018)
- Heidi Berry (inactive; currently a teacher)
- Bettie Serveert (active)
- The Big Pink (active)
- The Birthday Party (disbanded)
- Frank Black (active)
- Blonde Redhead (active)
- Bon Iver (active)
- Broken Records (active)
- Michael Brook (active)
- The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir (active)
- Camera Obscura (active)
- Celebration (active)
- Clan of Xymox (active)
- Cocteau Twins (disbanded)
- Colourbox (dissolved)
- Cuba (a.k.a. Air Cuba) (disbanded)
- Cupol (one-off collaboration)
- C.V.O. (disbanded)
- Dance Chapter (disbanded)
- Dead Can Dance (active)
- Department of Eagles (active)
- Diana Gordon (active)
- Dif Juz (disbanded)
- Tanya Donelly (active)
- Electricity in Our Homes (active)
- Frazier Chorus (dissolved)
- Future of the Left (active)
- Lisa Germano (active)
- Lisa Gerrard (active)
- Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke
- B. C. Gilbert & G. Lewis
- The Glee Club (disbanded)
- Rachel Goswell
- GusGus (active)
- Rene Halkett & David J
- Neil Halstead (active)
- The Happy Family (disbanded)
- Tim Hecker (active)
- Kristin Hersh (active)
- His Name Is Alive (active)
- The Hope Blister (disbanded)
- Rowland S. Howard (deceased) & Lydia Lunch
- In Camera (disbanded)
- Inc. (active)
- Indians (active)
- Insides (active)
- Iron & Wine (active)
- It Hugs Back (active)
- Jóhann Jóhannsson (deceased)
- Matt Johnson (The The founder, released a solo album in 1981 that was reissued in 1993 through 4AD as a The The album)
- Joker (active)
- Lakuna (one-off project)
- Mark Lanegan Band
- Last Dance (disbanded)
- The Late Cord (one-off collaboration)
- Liima (active)
- Liquorice (one-off collaboration)
- Lo-Fang (active)
- LNZNDRF (one-off collaboration)
- Lydia Lunch (active)
- Lush (disbanded; reformed 2015–2016)
- MARRS (disbanded)
- Mass (disbanded)
- Merchandise (active)
- Vinny Miller (active)
- Minotaur Shock (active)
- Modern English (active)
- Magnetophone (active)
- Mojave 3 (disbanded)
- John Moreland (active)
- The Mountain Goats (active)
- My Captains (disbanded)
- Colin Newman (active)
- Pieter Nooten & Michael Brook
- The Paladins (on hiatus)
- Pale Saints (disbanded)
- The Past 7 Days (disbanded)
- Brendan Perry (active)
- Piano Magic (disbanded)
- Pixies (active)
- Emma Pollock (active)
- Psychotik Tanks (disbanded)
- Ra Ra Riot (one-off split single with Stornoway)
- Red Atkins (deceased)
- Red House Painters (disbanded)
- Rema-Rema (disbanded)
- Richenel (deceased)
- Scheer (disbanded)
- Scott Walker (deceased)
- Serena-Maneesh (active)
- Shox (disbanded)
- Kendra Smith (active c.2017–2018)
- Sort Sol (active)
- SpaceGhostPurrp (active)
- Spasmodic Caress (disbanded)
- Spirea X (disbanded)
- Spoonfed Hybrid (disbanded)
- Starry Smooth Hound (the original alias of Vinny Miller)
- Søren Juul (active)
- Stereolab (active)
- Stornoway (disbanded)
- St. Vincent (active)
- Swallow (disbanded)
- Sybarite (active)
- Tarnation (disbanded; currently Paula Frazer and Tarnation)
- that dog. (active)
- The The (active)
- Thievery Corporation (active)
- This Mortal Coil (concluded)
- Throwing Muses (active)
- Tindersticks (active)
- Torres (active)
- Tones on Tail (disbanded)
- TV on the Radio (active)
- Twin Shadow (active)
- 23 Envelope (4AD's design regulars in the 1980s and 1990s; became v23)
- Ultra Vivid Scene (disbanded)
- Underground Lovers (active)
- Unrest (disbanded)
- Vaughan Oliver & v23 (deceased)
- M Ward (active)
- Wolf & Cub (active)
- The Wolfgang Press (disbanded)
- Xmal Deutschland (disbanded)
- Zomby (active)
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