FKA Twigs, Moses Boyd and Yaeji among AIM Award winners
Digga D, Little Simz and Flying Lotus also picked up prizes
The AIM Independent Music Awards hosted its first ever virtual ceremony last night.
FKa twigs (pictured), Digga D, Moses Boyd, Yaeji, Flying Lotus, Tony Allen, AJ Tracey, Little Simz, Lafawndah and Nídia were among the winners.
There were also prizes for Arlo Parks, Freya Ridings, Sarathy Korwar, Five Finger Death Punch, Jazz re:freshed, The Howl & The Hum, Speedy Wunderground, Helen Smith and Vince Clarke, who joined Erasure bandmate Andy Bell for a world debut performance of their new track ‘Nerves of Steel’.
Further performances on the night came from Little Simz, AJ Tracey and a moving tribute to Tony Allen by Damon Albarn, Ezra Collective’s Femi Koleoso, Gorillaz’ Seye Adelekan and Remi Kabaka Jr., and The Good, The Bad & The Queen’s Simon Tong.
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FKA twigs, who scooped the Best [Difficult] Second Album prize for ‘MAGDALENE’, said: “MAGDALENE’s so precious to me, so it really means the world. Being an independent artist means every vision is my own and I get to express that, and my label releases without question or judgement. So thank you Young Turks, and thank you again this means everything”.
Flying Lotus, who won Best Independent Track for his Anderson. Paak collaboration ‘More’, said: “It feels like a true blessing to be able to receive an award and to be acknowledged in these times, when they make us feel like our work isn’t essential and what we do is just, whatever. So, thank you for the reminder that what we do is very important.”
The Best Independent Remix gong went to Lafawndah and Nídia for the rework of ‘Tourist’. Speaking to Mixmag about the remix, Lafawndah said: "Nidia’s interpretation has a lot of humour, it's cheeky and something about it is connected to our inner child, it's playful and I love that she only used a couple of stems as a point of departure for something of her own. It's a new track with some subliminal taste of the original.”
Moses Boyd picked up the UK Independent Breakthrough prize following the release of his debut solo album ‘Dark Matter’. Talking to Mixmag about taking on roles beyond drumming in the creation of the album, he said: "I enjoyed it a lot. It was quite liberating being able to detach myself from one discipline and focus on another. It kind of forces you to look at your work or music in general from a different perspective. In doing so I feel you have a greater outlook on the other areas, whether that be songwriting, drumming, or producing. They all influence each other. But I love having the freedom to choose which perspective I start from".
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See the full list of nominations and winners below and head to aimawards.co.uk for further details.
UK INDEPENDENT BREAKTHROUGH IN ASSOCIATION WITH YOUTUBE MUSIC
GEORGIA
DIGGA D
DC FOUNTAINS
KOKOROKO
MOSES BOYD (WINNER)
BEST CREATIVE PACKAGING IN ASSOCIATION WITH SIGNATURE BREW
DIGGA D – DOUBLE TAP DIARIES (WINNER)
HANIA RANI – ‘ESJA’ SHEET MUSIC BOOK
MOTÖRHEAD - 1979
SOPHIE – OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES NON-STOP REMIX ALBUM
MOSES BOYD – DARK MATTER LP (DINKED EDITION)
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH FUGA
VINCE CLARKE (WINNER)
INDIE CHAMPION IN ASSOCIATION WITH MCPS
HELEN SMITH (WINNER)
BEST SMALL LABEL IN ASSOCIATION WITH KEY PRODUCTION
BEDROOM INDIE
EDITION RECORDS
WOMAN CULTURE
HOUNDSTOOTH
SPEEDY WUNDERGROUND (WINNER)
BEST INDEPENDENT REMIX IN ASSOCIATION WITH DESIGNSCENE
LAFAWNDAH – TOURIST X NÍDIA REWORK (WINNER)
KING OF THE ROLLERS – YOU GOT ME (S.P.Y. REMIX)
MAKAYA MCCRAVEN - GIL SCOTT-HERON - WE’RE NEW AGAIN
APPARAT - OUTLIER (SOLOMUN REMIX)
MARIE DAVIDSON - WORK IT(SOULWAX REMIX)
ONE TO WATCH IN ASSOCIATION WITH BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING
ARLO PARKS (WINNER)
WHITE WHITE
CAROLINE
GREENTEA PENG
CRAZY LIFE
BEST INDEPENDENT VIDEO IN ASSOCIATION WITH VEVO
BLACK PUMAS – COLORS
BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB – EAT, SLEEP, WAKE (NOTHING BUT YOU)
FLYING LOTUS – BLACK BALLOONS REPRISE (FT. DENZEL CURRY)
GREENTEA PENG - MR. SUN (MISS DA SUN)
THE HOWL & THE HUM – THE ONLY BOY RACER LEFT ON THE ISLAND (WINNER)
ZEBRA KATZ – MOOR
INNOVATOR AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH AMAZON MUSIC
AJ TRACEY (WINNER)
BEST [DIFFICULT] SECOND ALBUM IN ASSOCIATION WITH PROPER MUSIC
FLOATING POINTS – CRUSH
FKA TWIGS – MAGDALENE (WINNER)
JOE ARMON JONES – TURN TO CLEAR VIEW
LIFE – A PICTURE OF GOOD HEALTH
MOSES SUMNEY – GRÆ
INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH IN ASSOCIATION WITH DEEZER
BICEP
FLOATING POINTS
HANIA RANI
IDLES
YAEJI (WINNER)
PIONEER AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH EVOKE STUDIOS
LITTLE SIMZ (WINNER)
PPL AWARD FOR MOST PLAYED NEW INDEPENDENT ARTIST
FREYA RIDINGS (WINNER)
DC FOUNTAINS
JAYKAE
JADE BIRD
NSG
BEST INDEPENDENT ALBUM IN ASSOCIATION WITH SPOTIFY
BROOKE BENTHAM – EVERYDAY NOTHING
EVERYTHING IS RECORDED – FRIDAY FOREVER
KIDJO OJUA – THE MIXTAPE
KIM GORDON – NO HOME RECORD
LAURA MARLING – SONG FOR OUR DAUGHTER
MOSES BOYD – DARK MATTER
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - GHOSTEEN
THE NINTH WAVE – INFANCY
PHOENIX DA ICEFIRE & HUSKY BROWN – PANACEA
SARATHY KORWAR – MORE ARRIVING (WINNER)
BEST LIVE ACT IN ASSOCIATION WITH CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY
AYANNA WITTER-JOHNSON
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH (WINNER)
RED RUM CLUB
THE REYTONS
THE DARKNESS
BEST INDEPENDENT TRACK IN ASSOCIATION WITH FACEBOOK
AJ TRACEY – DINNER GUEST (FT. MOSTACK)
DIGGA D – NO DIET
FLYING LOTUS – MORE (FT. ANDERSON .PAAK) (WINNER)
KING KRULE – ALONE, OMEN 3
LAUV - MODERN LONELINESS
SORRY – RIGHT ROUND THE CLOCK
SQUID – SLUDGE
SUDAN ARCHIVES – CONFESSIONS
TONY ALLEN & HUGH MASEKELA – WE’VE LANDED
YVES TUMOR – GOSPEL FOR A NEW CENTURY
BEST INDEPENDENT LABEL IN ASSOCIATION WITH [PIAS]
BROWNSWOOD RECORDINGS
GOOD SOLDIER
JAZZ RE:REFRESHED (WINNER)
STONES THROW
YOUNG TURKS
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC IN ASSOCIATION WITH MERLIN
TONY ALLEN (WINNER)