Best of 2017: Symphonic Award Winners

We are super excited to announce the winners for the 2017 Symphonic Awards! We have the pleasure to work with an amazing client base, consisting of musicians and record labels, who strive all year long to release great music all across the world. The Symphonic Awards is our way of recognizing their efforts.

We love seeing the immense support our clients receive, and it certainly showed with the final votes for Artist of the Year and Label of the Year.

Congratulations to all of our 2017 winners!

Drumroll, please… Here are the winners for the 2017 Symphonic Awards!

/// ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Being based simultaneously in Toulouse, France and on stages across the world makes this electronic musician stand out. With inspirations far afield from music – a painting, the weather, a dream – in her craft, Chloé Herry’s derivations are difficult to trace.
Under the broad structure of electronic and bass music, and informed by sound the world over, CloZee finds her best fit in the ‘World Bass’ corner.

CloZee has performed on many continents: from Coachella to India, on five North American Tours, and everywhere around her native France. She is a standout on the roster of her labels, Gravitas Recordings & Otodayo Records. Followers in many languages drive streams counted in millions. But art’s ability to transport others is this talented producer’s special magic – manifest whenever someone presses play.

| Stream CloZee’s music here. |

\\ RUNNERS UP FOR ARTIST OF THE YEAR //

X&G |Calliope Musicals | TWO OWLS

/// LABEL OF THE YEAR

Unknown Records is a Record Label located in Wollongong, New South Wales. The label consistently releases electronic music, specializing in techno, house, and tech house music. They actively host shows and events for their talented roster of artists at Institute of Dance along with other popular Australian dance music clubs. Over the past year, the label put on their successful “Unknown Records Tour, 2017” throughout the dance music capitals of Australia.

| Stream Unknown Record’s tracks here. |

\\ RUNNERS UP FOR LABEL OF THE YEAR //

Gravitas Recordings | Play Me Records | RKJ Music

/// ARTIST TO WATCH

Hirie is the frontwoman of the exhilarating reggae band HIRIE. “Hirie is a lifestyle choice, it’s about healing the body, the mind, and the spirit. Our fans and our band are always saying ‘let’s get HIRIE,’ it’s a way to detach from the painful complexities of the world, and bask in joyous energy,” says the band’s lead singer and sage who has taken the band’s namesake for her own. HIRIE is poppy and purposeful, harnessing the power of accessible songcraft, social consciousness, world­ class musicianship, and the disarming and spellbinding qualities of reggae, the band exudes mainstream appeal without diluting its artistic vision.

| Stream HIRIE’s music here. |

/// BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST

Lorn forges a connection between the current exploding beat scene and its roots in the experimental scratch community born many years ago. Sharing his music online with other explorers of new software technology, Lorn cultivated a global following with his original scratch beats and traveled to play in the UK, Europe and Canada before ever releasing an album.

Unafraid and unhinged, Lorn’s music is exquisitely dark and ominous, simmering with
anger that churns forcefully against a furtive longing. Yet Lorn passes far beyond this
evocative brutality and plunges head first into the absurd; he draws not only a portrait of shadowy struggle but also arouses a dynamic universe of sentiments using deconstructed sounds and skills built from the ground up.

| Stream Lorn’s music here. |

/// BEST INTERNATIONAL LABEL

Future House Music consists of an international team of music enthusiasts devoted to promote and showcase new aspiring artists that push the boundaries of electronic house music. Ever since it started ‘FHM’ back in July 2014, the main motivation has been to gather people from all across the globe, with a similar passion and taste in music, which has ultimately led to the great community they have today. The label kicked off 2016 with a new milestone: the birth of their own label where they provide official releases with an even greater variety of character. Additionally, they have also brought FHM to your doorstep with ”Future House Music On Tour”, an event concept which has been launched in 4 different countries so far.

| Stream Future House Music’s tracks here. |

/// BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Mary Lambert isn’t your typical triple-platinum selling pop artist. Inspired by confessional folk singers as well as spoken-word performers, she is a brutally candid writer who deals directly in her art with her past traumas. With her past horrors, you wouldn’t expect Mary to be disarmingly hilarious, but she charms effortlessly, and the effect on her audience is bewitching. She describes her performances as “safe spaces where crying is encouraged; My entire prerogative is about connection, about being present, and facilitating true catharsis. Also, fart jokes.”

Lambert received two Grammy nominations for “Song Of The Year” and “Album Of The Year”, as well as the iconic performance alongside pop legend Madonna at the 2014 Grammys. Mary then signed with Capitol Records, where she released her debut album “Heart on My Sleeve” produced by Eric Rosse (Sara Bareilles, Tori Amos) and Benny Cassette (Kanye West). Her smash single, “Secrets” launched to No. 1 on the Billboard Dance charts, and was certified RIAA Gold in 2015. The New York Times called her debut album “refreshing and severely personal”.

| Stream Mary Lambert’s music here. |

/// BEST NEW ARTIST

Riccie Oriach is an artist with a rock soul and 100% Latin veins.

“I would describe my music as a compilation of stories, memories and thoughts thrown on a dance floor where everyone, despite being different, has a good time dancing.”

Each nuance, each feeling and the “flow” that emerges from his songs is completely collaborative and is enjoyed, especially when his band plays live. Riccie knows how to get the best out of his teammates and let it flow so that each one leaves his personal stamp, summed up in a unique style. Neither music nor Oriach’s head knows limits.

| Stream Riccie Oriach’s music here. |

/// BEST NEW LABEL

Always Proper is a record label and a collective located in Austin, Texas that’s making big moves in the local scene. Everything Always Proper does is unapologetic and popular, and the artists making up the collective are extremely proactive by working hard to keep content constantly flowing. The collective is quite versatile, from supporting artists to artwork and radio, this label is definitely earning their stripes within the local music community and beyond.

| Stream Always Proper’s tracks here. |

/// LABEL TO WATCH

Chillhop Records might be the perfect label for those who need to get work done. Much like ambient and classical, the music on Chillhop can easily block distractions. They specialize in releasing Chilled Hip Hop music, both lyrical and instrumental. The perfect music for studying, working & chilling out! The sound is a sample-based blend of smooth jazz and boom-bap to which people have caught on: the label’s most popular YouTube stream, “Chill Gaming/Study Beats,” has up to 6,000 people tuning in each day (the channel itself has 1.1 million subscribers).

| Stream Chillhop Records’ tracks here. |

/// PARTNER OF THE YEAR

Traxsource is a unique electronic music store created and curated by DJs with decades of experience in the scene. Their drive is fuelled by one ethos – to operate ‘a music store with the attitude of independent record label’. From selling bespoke vinyl in the halcyon days of house to digital music to today’s tech-savvy audience, their team has always delivered the perfect platform for the finest labels and producers to promote their artistry.

The website hits continue to grow, with a social media reach of almost 500,000 people a week and climbing and the platform’s in-house radio show ‘Traxsource LIVE!’ has a worldwide syndication of over 4 million listeners every week, steadily growing as more people begin to understand the true sound of the underground.

| Stream music on Traxsource here. |