“Iconic” is one of those words which is used more often than it ought to be, but if it applies to any record label, surely it applies to 4AD. Like other labels born during the post-punk diaspora (Factory, Postcard, Fast Product) 4AD quickly developed a unique visual identity and a unique position in the musical landscape of the time; unlike them, 4AD is still here, still releasing interesting music in wonderful packaging, and still inspiring devotion in listeners all over the world.

The label was founded in 1980. At the time, Ivo Watts-Russell was overseeing the management of the Beggars Banquet chain of record shops, and constant stream of demos from aspiring bands came with the job. Ivo had been toying with the idea of setting up a label for some time, and the plan came into focus after a conversation with Martin Mills; initially the new label would concentrate on brand new acts and those that were successful would “graduate” to Beggars Banquet. As it turned out, Bauhaus were the only band that actually followed this path.

The label was christened Axis, but as soon as its first four singles had been pressed Ivo and his partner Peter Kent ran into their first problem - in the shape of a stern letter from another company with the same name. The solution to the problem came from a promotional flyer that Ivo and Peter had printed up to call attention to the new releases. The flyer's designer had added a bit of typography which played on both the new year and the idea of progress:

1980 FORWARD / 1980 FWD / 1984 AD / 4AD

Early releases from artists like Bauhaus, The Birthday Party and Modern English quickly established 4AD as a vibrant home for atmospheric, intense and arftul new music, and the impression that the label was making was reinforced by Modern English’s second single for 4AD, "Gathering Dust" which was the first to feature sleeve art by a young graphic designer named Vaughan Oliver. Vaughan, together with the photographer Nigel Grierson, became 23 Envelope - later v23 - and his wonderful designs continue to adorn 4AD releases to this day.

4AD’s potent visual identity tends to obscure the sheer range of music that it has released over the years; while the label will remain forever associated with the ambient swirls and fairy-tale vocals of the Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil, in its first decade it also introduced the world to Bulgarian choral music (courtesy of the Mysteres Des Voix Bulgares compilations), worked at the cutting edge of American underground rock music with Throwing Muses, Pixies and Red House Painters, and even tasted unlikely pop success when Colourbox and A R Kane collaborated (as M/A/R/R/S) on the groundbreaking house collage “Pump Up The Volume”, a UK number one single. Later, after the Breeders had taken the world by storm with “Cannonball” and “The Last Splash”, the label could be found releasing rootsy Americana by Tarnation and Mojave 3 and exploring quirky electronica from Iceland’s Gus Gus and Birmingham’s Magnétophone, as well as enjoying fruitful long-term relationships with artists like Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry (of Dead Can Dance), Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, all of whom continue to record for 4AD.

With a current roster that includes Blonde Redhead, Celebration, Wolf And Cub, Emma pollock, Scott Walker and TV On The Radio (outside the USA), 4AD remains a label given to unexpected moves and dedicated to working with the most distinctive artists in the world.