Musician, writer, and label runner Nabil Ayers has worn many hats throughout his illustrious career within the music community and solidified a legacy as a champion of independent music both locally in Seattle and across the globe. The son of legendary musician Roy Ayers, Nabil co-founded Seattle's Sonic Boom Records in 1997 at the age of 25 and played drums in several bands including The Long Winters and Tommy Stinson. He's the current President of Beggars Group US, where he has managed campaigns for renowned acts such as The National, Big Thief, Grimes, Future Islands and St. Vincent, and he also runs his own independent label The Control Group / Valley of Search that has released music by Cate Le Bon, Lykke Li, The Killers, PJ Harvey, Patricia Brennan, and his uncle, the jazz musician Alan Braufman. As a writer, Nabil has written about race and music for The New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and GQ. His new memoir My Life in the Sunshine will be published this month on June 7th.
Nabil's guest DJ mix for Midnight In A Perfect World connects the musical dots between the songs that relate to his memoir alongside the songs that defined his time spent in Seattle.
Artist | Title |
---|---|
Midnight In A Perfect World | Intro |
Masma Dream World | Unwind |
Alice Coltrane | Jai Rama Chandra |
Roy Ayers Ubiquity | We Live in Brooklyn Baby |
Alan Braufman | Sunrise (Angel Bat Dawid Remix) |
Patricia Brennan | Solar |
Joanna Newsom | Sprout and the Bean |
Pixies | Where Is My Mind (Live in Spokane, WA) |
L'Rain | Two Face |
Sudan Archives | Selfish Soul |
Bartees Strange | Heavy Heart |
Soundgarden | Beyond the Wheel |
Nirvana | Paper Cuts |
7 Year Bitch | Crying Shame |
Death Cab for Cutie | I Will Possess Your Heart |
Fresh off the release of their new album Let It Be Blue, !!!'s Nic Offer shares a guest DJ mix for Midnight In A Perfect World full of timeless global funk grooves.
Vietnamese-Canadian electronic musician and multi-media artist x/o delivers a dizzying quilt-like guest DJ mix for Midnight In A Perfect World that weaves together adventurous underground club rhythms in mesmerizing fashion.
Acclaimed German electronic producer Tensnake shares a neon-tinted guest DJ mix that's a perfect soundtrack for a late-night summertime cruise through the city.