AIM Awards 2012
Now in its second year, the Association of Independent Music awards seeks to reward the invention and industry of those without major label backing. This year, legendary figures such as Edwyn Collins and Mute’s Daniel Miller were given recognition, as well as breakthrough artists like Mercury winners, Alt-J. The ceremony was held in The Brewery in Clerkenwell, London, and No Ripcord was there! In between attempting to identify flavours of cake and wondering why there was a BBC 6Music microphone on their table, Joe Rivers and Craig Stevens spoke to some of the main players from the event.
For a full list of winners and nominees, visit http://www.musicindie.com/awards
Simon Raymonde, Bella Union – Winner: Independent Entrepreneur of the Year
To take it right back to the beginning, what made you decide to start Bella Union in the first place?
Gosh, a potted history: well, I was in a band and we didn’t like our record label so we thought we’d start our own – simple as that.
You’ve had a lot of success, so do you feel this award is recognition for all those years of hard work?
I suppose it is, yeah. It hasn’t really sunk in yet – what it means and why I was given it – and I suppose people kind of do like what we do. It’s nice, it’s flattering to think people give a shit enough to vote for something like this – I love that. I am humbled by it, to be honest, because I don’t do this for any kind of reward, not monetary anyway. You have to take your chances and I guess we have been doing it a while – I’ve been in the business over thirty years and it’s nice to finally get some recognition for the label and our artists.
Bella Union has a very exciting and diverse roster. What do you look for in an act?
Something that takes my breath away, something I feel I haven’t got already.
So you’re heavily involved in the A&R side?
Of course, otherwise why do it? I think if I passed that responsibility on I wouldn’t have anything to do. That’s the most fun bit; starting an artist from the ground up and helping them develop. I don’t want to sign two bands that sound the same. Labels can end up sometimes being quite genre-specific and I’d like to keep Bella Union very eclectic with a lot of variety. I don’t know if I achieve it often, but that’s what I want to do in my head.
Is that what keeps you going after all your time in the business? To find that elusive perfect act?
You’re always looking for something that just makes you go, “Fuck! What was that?!” Whether that’s at a gig or on the radio or just trawling through stuff online, we all want to feel that. More often than not, when I sign a band to the label it’s because I’ve had that “Holy shit!” moment and if I don’t keep getting that I’ll probably end up sweeping the streets.
Henry Village, Joe Gossa and Olly Wood, Black Butter Records – Winner: Best Small Label
What does an award like this mean to a label of your size?
It means a lot. We came here because our distributor said, “Go, have a three course meal”, and we thought, “Sweet!” We genuinely thought Brainfeeder or Xtra Mile Recordings would win. So yeah, it does mean a lot to us. It's recognition of a couple of years' hard work. We've been at it for a couple of years non-stop, relentlessly, just giving it everything and doing what we want to do.
A couple of years is still a very short time in the life of a music label. How have you managed to break your way into the scene so quickly?
A bit of luck! We've worked very hard, every hour of the day. We've been very polite but persistent. And we've got good friends. And if you keep trying the same thing year-in-year-out – sooner or later, you'll get it. It might be two years that we've been doing Black Butter, but we’ve been in the industry for much longer, it's not overnight for any of us.
Ras Kwame - DJ
How important are these sorts of ceremonies to help support the independent music scene?
These sorts of ceremonies are of the utmost importance, as far as independent music goes. Working in independent music, you don't really get that many opportunities to cross over onto other award shows like the MOBOs or the Brits etc. So this is one place where you can get recognised for what you do. And I think that because independent music labels are in a place where their marketing and their PR isn't as expansive as companies with a bit more finance, there is a need for more opportunities for people to recognise what they do and to recognise their contribution.
In the UK, we have such a strong independent market and it's important for us to celebrate that. Do you think independent music labels have helped play a part in exporting UK music around the world?
110%, definitely. Speaking from an urban music perspective, I've been fully aware of, been exposed to and even partaken in the whole system and the process - what it takes to make your records yourself. To take them down to the pressing plant, to cut dubplates and acetates, to get them to the DJs, to get them played on air, to print the labels and artwork. It's a cultural expression which I find is unique to the UK, and particularly in London. I go to many cities around the world where a dubplate or acetate being cut is a mystery to them. They have no awareness of how music goes from being in the studio to being on the shelf. And the UK, fortunately, has done a great thing in exporting itself with that culture.
And it's helped by shows like your own, as well, of course.
Thank you. I like to think I play my little contribution and try to represent both independent artists and the wealth of talent that is out there. There's so much music out there that never gets heard.
Changing the topic, who's going to be big in the urban music scene in the next six to twelve months, have you got any tips for us?
I think the UK music scene's in a very funny place right now. I think the majors have had their belly full of urban music in the past couple of years. So I think in terms of someone coming through, it's going to be more from an independent perspective. I'd be looking at an artist like Sneakbo. He has the potential, he has the talent. People at street level, at urban music level are really hyped for this guy. He embodies what they think, what they feel, how they act and he speaks their language. And I think he's an artist who's not just your average rapper, he's got a dancehall influence. I think he's got something that will transcend a little wider in the long-term. I don't think it's going to happen in the next three to four months, but in say, eight months to a year or so, I think Sneakbo is gonna be big news out here.
And what about internationally?
Internationally, I would say Angel Haze is a really good call. She looks like she's on the button with what she does. She's someone who's taken it back to authentic, traditional rapping and someone who's got a really good ear for a beat as well. So, Angel Haze, yeah - definitely in the next six months, it's her time.
4AD – Winner: Independent Label of the Year
4AD has been going for a long time now. What do you think sets your apart from other labels?
It’s picking the right things and picking timeless things. You never know at the time and you can’t think too much about it, you just hope you pick right.
What would you say makes a typical 4AD artist?
Originality, not knowing where it’s going to end and a certain amount of attitude that says they know better than us. The artist is always the boss and we want them to bring that kind of individuality to the label, the assuredness that they’re amazing.
So you prefer to work with artists who already have a clear identity?
They need to believe in themselves. If they believe in themselves so much that they “know”, then we want to share in that. We don’t create the acts, they create themselves; we’re a conduit to them.
Who have you got on 4AD that you’re currently excited about?
Next year there’s Daughter, the new National album, the new Deerhunter album, the new Zomby album. We keep it exciting.
Could 2013 be an even better year for you?
I hope so, it should be. Every year’s a great year when you’re fully engaged and there’s nothing to moan about. It’s hard to quantify what’s big; a year that you stay in business is great!
LeeFest – Winner: Golden Welly Award for best small festival
It’s been a difficult year for festivals – what sets you apart?
It has been a difficult year, but we run a really small festival that’s about a lot of detail and a lot of love in our hearts, and we found we thrived this year. I think people struggled because the weather’s been really bad and the media don’t help by perpetuating this idea that festivals are terrible places to go to. Everyone’s had a difficult year, maybe because people see festivals as more of a disposable thing now.
Festivals can be seen as a lifestyle thing, but do you focus on providing for the serious music fan and try to curate an experience?
We’ve grown really slowly and we started from a very local base and we’ve been really cautious throughout the last few years to not lose that. To begin with, everyone was really local to us but now we’re getting people come over from Australia and stuff like that. But it’s always really been about the local community so we try and focus on that.
Who was the one act you had this year that was a huge success for you?
I think the band who represent how open-minded to genres we are is a group called Public Service Broadcasting. It’s just these two guys, Mr. Willgoose and Wrigglesworth, who had this vision of a group using archive files and old propaganda films from the war and have made this amazing collection of music. We’ve had them for a couple of years now and we’re proud to have had them on this year. I think they were the ones who really hit it off for us.
Joe Shrewsbury and Rob Jones, 65daysofstatic – Winner: Hardest Working Band or Artist
Does this feel like recognition for the hard work you've put in?
To be honest, being in London in a room full of people and hearing our name is just recognition that we exist. Hard work is a fairly difficult thing to quantify. I know for a fact that Cancer Bats have done a lot more gigs than we have. On the Pentagram tour, they did six gigs in one day, so it depends how you measure hard work. But it's nice that someone decided our name should be read out, it's very cool.
What for you makes a hard working band? Is it the effort a band puts into their career as a whole, is it the level of touring or is it the output they create?
Without being too melodramatic, 65daysofstatic is something that has not just been part of our lives, but integral to them for over a decade now. And as any band tonight will tell you, to be a band that doesn't make chart-friendly music is really hard, and you have to live it 24/7. Not in a hedonistic manner, but in the sense that you need to take care of every aspect of it as a business and as a creative endeavour. So for us, it's been something that's become completely intertwined with our lives.
So it's almost a by-product of running your band that you have to do so many gigs to make the project financially viable?
Well, financial viability is a reality that we have yet to grasp. But the gigs are what we choose to do, that's the easy bit. It's the adding up of petrol receipts that takes most of your time!
What about musical output, because you're fairly prolific...
Fairly, yes. We're slowing down as we get older!
Your last album [Silent Running] was released at the end of 2011...
Yeah, it was a crowd-funded release. And it's a release that we're very, very proud of. And we did it without a record label, which was empowering.
The very definition of independent! When can we expect more music from you guys?
We're demoing our sixth record at the moment, as we speak. Not really as we speak, because we're here! But we were doing it earlier today. We'd really like to get something out as early as possible next year.
And you're off to Australia as well?
Yeah, before that, for New Year. We're doing Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and China.
Does your music translate well to other markets?
It seems to chime with a small number of people very loudly. And I don't know why that is, but they're the reason we're still here. And I don't know if that has anything to do with the fact that we have no singer and no lyrics, but whatever it is, we're very thankful for it.
13 November, 2012 - 21:29 — No Ripcord Staff