Last night saw the awards ceremony for this AIM Independent Music Awards in London. The judging panel, which included tQ’s Luke Turner, recognised ace imprint Hyperdub for two awards, receiving Best Small Label and founder Steve Goodman, aka Kode 9, getting the Innovator Award, a fitting double whammy considering it’s their tenth anniversary this year. Ben Watt won Best ‘Difficult’ Second Album for Hendra, Purple Snow: Forecasting The Minneapolis Sound won the Special Catalogue Release of The Year, Domino won Independent Label of The Year, Richie Hawtin won Outstanding Contribution to Music and Martin Mills, head of the Beggars Group, won Pioneer Award.
Fellow Quietus editor John Doran was also won of tonight’s winners, taking home the Indie Champion Award. Well, we say "taking home", but with John currently being away, Natalie Sharp, aka The Lone Taxidermist, collected it in his absence. She appropriately delivered, as the AIM Awards Twitter records, "a death metal grunt then told us to listen to Nurse With Wound". (We should add that Luke wasn’t on the panel for this prize.)
Take a look at the full list of winners below, and congratulations to everyone who won and was nominated:
Best Live Act (in association with Songkick): Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Independent Breakthrough of The Year (sponsored by 7digital): London Grammar
Hardest Working Band or Artist (in association with Jack Daniel’s): Ghetts
Best ‘Difficult’ Second Album (in association with Xfm): Ben Watt – Hendra
Independent Album of The Year (sponsored by MixRadio): Arctic Monkeys – AM
Best Small Label (sponsored by Disc Manufacturing Services): Hyperdub
PPL Award For Most Played New Independent Act: London Grammar
Special Catalogue Release of The Year (in association with Amazon Music): Various – Purple Snow: Forecasting The Minneapolis Sound
Independent Label of The Year (sponsored by Believe Digital): Domino
Independent Track of The Year (sponsored by Spotify): Twin Atlantic – ‘Heart & Soul’
Independent Video of The Year (sponsored by VEVO): Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip – ‘You Will See
Me’
Indie Champion Award (sponsored by CI): John Doran, The Quietus
Golden Welly Award for Best Independent Festival (in association with AIF and DIY): Barn on the Farm
Special Recognition Award: Alison Wenham, AIM Chairman and CEO
Outstanding Contribution to Music (sponsored by eMusic): Richie Hawtin
Pioneer Award: Martin Mills, Beggars Group
Innovator Award (sponsored by The Orchard): Steve Goodman aka Kode9 of Hyperdub Records