AIM Awards 2023: The complete winners list
The AIM Awards has announced the winners of this year’s ceremony at London’s Roundhouse. CEO Silvia Montello said AIM looked to celebrate the “legends, visionaries, innovators and creative talent who continue to keep our UK’s vibrant independent music community the envy of the world”.
Music fans across the world were invited to vote in the ‘Best Live Performer’ category, which was won by Björk, who made her first personal appearance since 2012 to collect the award. RAYE and 070 Shake also claimed victory with the mega-hit ‘Escapism’ nabbing ‘Best Independent Track’.
Avelino’s grime-infused debut, God Save The Streets, won the ‘Best Independent Album’, and Shygirl pipped fellow nominees Ezra Collective and Suki Waterhouse to the UK Independent Breakthrough Award following the critically acclaimed debut Nymph.
Ezra Collective did pick up the award for ‘Best Creative Campaign’, making it a banner year for the freshly crowned Mercury Prize winners. Meanwhile, indie group Wet Leg walked away with the ‘PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Artist’. Rapper and songwriter ENNY’s We Go Again took home the awards for ‘Best Independent EP / Mixtape’.
Wesley Joseph, the artist and director behind the ‘Monsoon’ video, emerged with a ‘Best Independent Video’ award for his self-directed visuals.
Other winners praised for championing independent music were Hospital Records, following nearly three decades of releasing iconic drum and bass sounds. P Money & Whiney, one of the artists from their roster, also performed at the awards, and indie outfit Cassia closed out the ceremony.
See the full list of winners below.
2023 AIM Award winners:
‘Best Independent Album in association with Spotify’
- Kelela – Raven (Warp Records)
- Little Simz – No Thank You (Forever Living Originals)
- Nova Twins – Supernova (Marshall Records)
- Avelino – God Save The Streets (More Music Records/ OddChild Music) – WINNER
- Obongjayar – Some Nights I Dream of Doors (September Recordings)
- Oliver Sim – Hideous Bastard (Young)
- RAYE – My 21st Century Blues (Human Re Sources)
- Rina Sawayama – Hold The Girl (Dirty Hit)
- Shygirl – Nymph (Because Music)
- Wu-Lu – LOGGERHEAD (Warp Records)
‘Best Independent Track in association with Meta’
- Connie Constance – ‘Hurt You’ (Play It Again Sam)
- ENNY – Charge It (FAMM)
- Four Tet – ‘Three Drums’ (Text Records)
- Makaya McCraven – ‘Dream Another’ (XL Recordings)
- Overmono – ‘Good Lies’ (XL Recordings)
- RAYE, 070 Shake – ‘Escapism’ (Human Re Sources) WINNER
- Shygirl – ‘Shlut’ (Because Music)
- Sudan Archives – ‘Selfish Soul’ (Stones Throw Records)
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Spitting Off The Edge of The World’ feat. Perfume Genius (Secretly Canadian)
- Yves Tumor – ‘Echolalia’ (Warp Records)
‘UK Independent Breakthrough’
- Ezra Collective (Partisan Records)
- I.Jordan (Ninja Tune)
- Overmono (XL Recordings)
- Shygirl (Because Music) – WINNER
- Suki Waterhouse (Sub Pop)
‘Best Live Performer’
- Björk – WINNER
‘PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Artist’
- AntsLive (Payday Records, Trademark Records)
- John Summit (Off The Grid Records)
- Surya Sen (Skint Records)
- Vibe Chemistry (DnB Allstars Records)
- Wet Leg (Domino Records) – WINNER
‘Best Independent EP/ Mixtape in association with BBC 1Xtra’
- Bellah – ‘Adultsville’ (Base ‘N’ Rebulz X Marathon Music Group)
- ENNY – ‘We Go Again’ (FAMM) – WINNER
- Jessica Winter – ‘Limerance’ (Lucky Number)
- Saint Joshua – ‘EP2’ (Ditto Music)
- Yunè pinku – ‘BABYLON IX’ (PLATOON)
‘One To Watch in association with BBC Music Introducing’
- Jessica Winter (Lucky Number)
- Juice Menace (Supernature)
- FLOWEROVLOVE (FAE GRP)
- Laughta (MDLBEAST) – WINNER
- Master Peace (PMR)
‘Best Creative Campaign in association with Able’
- Because Music (Shygirl – ‘Nymph’)
- Dirty Hit (Rina Sawayama – ‘Hold The Girl’)
- Human Re Sources (RAYE – ‘My 21st Century Blues’)
- Ninja Tune (Young Fathers – ‘Heavy Heavy’)
- Partisan Records (Ezra Collective – ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’) – WINNER
- XL Recordings (Yaeji – ‘With A Hammer’)
‘Best Independent Remix’
- Sega Bodega Remix (One Little Independent) – Björk – ‘Ovuke (feat. Shygirl)’
- Soulwax Remix (Deewee / Because Music) – Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – ‘Cliche’
- Nu:Tone Remix (Hospital Records) – GLXY – ‘Butterfly Effect (feat. Hugh Hardie & Visionobi)’ WINNER
- Jamie XX remix (Young) – Oliver Sim – ‘GMT’
- Boys Noize (Secretly Canadian) – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Wolf’
‘Best Independent Video in association with Vevo’
- Ezra Collective – ‘No Confusion ft. Kojey Radical’ (Partisan Records)
- Kelela – ‘Enough For Love’ (Warp Records)
- Obongjayar – ‘I Wish It Was Me (Live)’ (September Recordings)
- RAYE, 070 Shake – ‘Escapism.’ (Human Re Sources)
- Wesley Joseph – ‘MONSOON’ (EEVILTWINN) – WINNER
‘Outstanding Contribution to Music in association with Merlin’
- Stephen & David Dewaele – Soulwax / 2manydjs – WINNER
‘Best Independent Label’
- Defected Records
- Forever Living Originals
- Hospital Records – WINNER
- One Little Independent
- Transgressive
‘Best Boutique Label’
- Chess Club
- Glasgow Underground
- Houndstooth
- Rough Bones – WINNER
- So Young Records
‘Music Entrepreneur of the Year’
- Alex Brees – Un:hurd
- Caius Pawson – Young / Space – WINNER
- Jess Kangalee – Good Energy PR
- Keturah Cummings – Forward Slash
- Yasin El Ashrafi – HQ Familia
‘Independent Champion in association with Downtown’
- Jaguar Bingham
- Resident Music – WINNER
- Cafe OTO
‘Innovator Award in association with Amazon Music’
- Dan Carey – WINNER
‘Diversity Champion’
- Charisse Beaumont – Black Lives in Music WINNER
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.