FKA Twigs, Moses Boyd and Yaeji among AIM Award winners

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)