AIM’s Independent Music Awards has revealed its first nominees for 2024.
Returning to London’s Roundhouse on October 17, the tastemaker awards for the independent sector see a broad list of nominees from across the UK's regions and nations, genres and music communities.
Barry Can't Swim, CasIsDead, Jorja Smith and Sampha each have two nominations for this year’s awards.
It’s a big year for Ninja Tune, with releases from Actress, Barry Can’t Swim, Nabihah Iqbal and George Riley all up for awards. Artist services business EGA Distro, and labels XL Recordings and Heavenly Recordings, each have three nominations.
The Best Independent Album (in association with Spotify) Award category contenders include Jorja Smith’s Falling Or Flying, Barry Can’t Swim’s When Will We Land?, D-Block Europe’s Rolling Stone, Kim Gordon’s The Collective, Actress’ LXXXVIII and Nubiyan Twist’s Find Your Flame.
Other album contenders are electronic duo Mount Kimbie with The Sunset Violent, Anohni and The Johnsons’ My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross and Skrapz’s Reflection.
BRITs winner CasIsDead’s Venom is in the running for Best Independent Track (in association with Meta), along with Fontaines DC’s Starburster and winners of the 2023 Mercury Prize, Ezra Collective, with Ajala. Also up for this category are Kneecap’s Better Way To Live feat. Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten, Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair’s Set The Roof, Sampha’s Spirit 2.0, Jorja Smith’s Little Things, NikNak’s 1200RPM, Matthew Halsall’s An Ever Changing View and Amy Gadiaga’s All Black Everything.
This year spans the regions and nations, genres and communities of the UK’s independent music scene, recognising success, talent and artistry
Gee Davy
2024’s UK Independent Breakthrough shortlist (in association with Amazon Music) includes further recognition of CasIsDead and Barry Can’t Swim, as well as Bar Italia, Saint Harison and Wunderhorse. All five nominees will also receive complimentary access to studio time at The Breakthrough Lab, the Amazon Music songwriting and production suite at London’s Metropolis Studios.
BBC Music Introducing continues its collaboration with AIM on the One To Watch category. This year’s nominees see two Manchester artists in the running, spoken word artist Antony Szmierek and drum & bass MC OneDa. Also nominated are DJ Kitty Amor, masked electro-punk producer Lynks and vocalist/producer Miso Extra. Previous winners include this year’s Mercury nominee Nia Archives and Arlo Parks, who went on to win trophies at the BRITs and Mercurys.
Best Independent EP/Mixtape sees nominations for JGrrey’s If Not Now?’, K-Trap and Headie One’s collaborative project Strength To Strength, George Riley’s Un/limited Love, Honesty’s Box and Potter Payper’s Thanks For Hating.
The Best Independent Remix category returns, with nominations going to Egyptian Lover’s remix of Sudan Archives’ Freakalizer, Joy Anonymous’ remix of Ezra Collective track Joy (Life Goes On) feat. Sampa The Great, and L Beats’ mash-up of Jorja Smith’s Little Things and Crystal Waters’ club classic Gypsy Woman. P-rallel’s remix of Aluna and Jayda G’s Mine O’ Mine is also in the running, as well as Olof Dreijer’s take on Björk and Rosalía track Oral.
This year’s Best Independent Video category (in association with Vevo) sees Sampha receive another nomination for his single Only feat. Georgia, alongside last year’s One To Watch nominee Master Peace with I Might Be Fake. These are joined by Mitski for My Love Mine All Mine, Gia Ford’s Poolside and Khruangbin’s A Love International.
AIM interim CEO Gee Davy said: “We hope you are as excited as we are by this first list of nominees for 2024’s Independent Music Awards. Each year, our panel of tastemaker judges across favourite radio, press and online titles return a great list. This year spans the regions and nations, genres and communities of the UK’s independent music scene, recognising success, talent and artistry. We are delighted that the BBC, Amazon, Meta, Vevo, Spotify and Notion, alongside our other sponsors and partners continue to support and champion the Awards, which enables us to continue to shine a light on the ever-growing independent music sector.”
AIM chair, Ruth Barlow, added: “Congratulations to the first of this year’s AIM Award nominees, these lists provide a great glimpse into the length and breadth of the UK’s independent sector and highlight a handful of the innovators, culture makers and commercial successes AIM’s outstanding community has to offer.”
The award for Best Live Performer will once again be decided by music fans worldwide, with a public vote now open here.
Nominations for the remaining categories, including Best Boutique Label and Independent Champion, will be announced in the coming months.
Details of live performances set to take place throughout the ceremony will also soon be revealed, along with further details of the Awards’ partnership with the BBC.
See below for the AIM Independent Music Awards current 2024 nominees:
Best Independent Album (in association with Spotify)
Actress - LXXXVIII (Ninja Tune)
Anohni and the Johnsons - My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross (Rough Trade Records)
Barry Can’t Swim - When Will We Land? (Ninja Tune)
D-Block Europe - Rolling Stone (EGA Distro)
Jorja Smith - falling or flying (FAMM)
Kim Gordon - The Collective (Matador Records)
Mount Kimbie - The Sunset Violent (Warp Records)
Nabihah Iqbal - Dreamer (Ninja Tune)
Nubiyan Twist - Find Your Flame (Strut Records)
Skrapz - Reflection (EGA Distro)
Best Independent Remix
P-rallel Remix - Aluna, Jayda G - Mine O’ Mine (Mad Decent Under Exclusive Licence to Because Music)
Olof Dreijer Remix - Björk - Oral (feat. Rosalia) (One Little Independent)
L Beats Mashup - Jorja Smith - Little Things x Gypsy Woman (FAMM)
Egyptian Lover Remix - Sudan Archives - Freakalizer (Stones Throw Records)
Ezra Collective, Sampa The Great - Joy (Life Goes On) (Partisan Records)
One To Watch (in association with BBC Music Introducing)
Antony Szmierek (LAB Records)
Kitty Amor (Defected Records)
Lynks (Heavenly Recordings)
Miso Extra (Transgressive)
OneDa (Heavenly Recordings)
Best Independent Track (in association with Meta)
Amy Gadiaga - All Black Everything (Jazz re:freshed)
CasIsDead - Venom (XL Recordings)
Sampha - Spirit 2.0 (Young)
Fontaines DC - Starburster (XL Recordings)
Ezra Collective - Ajala (Partisan Records)
Jorja Smith - Little Things (FAMM)
Kneecap, Grian Chatten - Better Way To Live (Heavenly Recordings)
Matthew Halsall - An Ever Changing View (Gondwana Records)
NikNak - 1200RPM (Accidental Records)
Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair - Set The Roof (Warp Records)
Best Independent EP/Mixtape
George Riley - Un/limited Love (Ninja Tune)
Headie One & K-Trap - Strength To Strength (One Records and Thousand8)
JGrrey - If Not Now? (PACE, a subsidiary of Marathon Music Group)
Potter Payper - Thanks For Hating (EGA Distro)
Honesty - Box (Partisan Records)
UK Independent Breakthrough (in association with Amazon Music)
Bar Italia (Matador Records)
CasIsDead (XL Recordings)
Wunderhorse (Communion Records)
Barry Can’t Swim (Ninja Tune)
Saint Harison (Platoon)
Best Independent Video (in association with Vevo)
Gia Ford - Poolside (Chrysalis Records)
Khruangbin - A Love International (Dead Oceans)
Master Peace - I Might Be Fake feat. Georgia (PMR Records)
Mitski - My Love Mine All Mine (Dead Oceans)
Sampha - Only (Young)
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