Best of 2018: Symphonic Award Winners

We’re so stoked to announce the winners for the 2018 Symphonic Awards! We have the pleasure to work with an extremely talented 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 annually 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, Label of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
Congratulations to all of our 2018 winners!

Drumroll, please… Here are the winners for the 2018 Symphonic Awards!

/// ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Brazilian DJ and producer Dazzo has been making a mark on the electronic music scene for quite some time now, and shows no signs of stopping. An avid performer, Dazzo has continued to build up an impressive roster of music festivals, taking the stages of major festivals like Tomorrowland Brasil, Ultra, XXXPerience, Wow Music Festival, Beatnostic Festival, and more. Notable collaborations he’s had over the years include fellow well-known Brazilian DJs Alok and Vintage Culture. Dazzo has released music with Universal Music, House Mag Records and has his own imprint called Run To Castle.
| Stream Dazzo’s music on Spotify here. |

/// LABEL OF THE YEAR

Roush Label was established in Tenerife (Canary Islands) by DJ and producer, Hector Couto, with a clear idea on his mind. He wanted to offer something different–not based on “new trends”–but instead with the main focus being a place to share “good underground house music.” Roush is a label with clear ideology and passion for what they do. They are underground, they are Roush.
| Stream music from Roush on SoundCloud here. |

/// MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

In a feedback loop of adventure, music, and love, CloZee and her fans are ready to let the force of the sound carry everyone to places they have never been before. 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 World Bass’ corner.
CloZee has performed on many continents: from Coachella to India, on four US 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.
In the way the clean curve of a Japanese roof is understated and exotic, CloZee pulls her power from a bold simplicity. Her classical guitar roots allow her an informed, melodic space that draws influence from flamenco to edIT of The Glitch Mob. This melting pot of instrumentation and cinematic flair puts listeners in a mood to move, with international crowds now cultivating the evolution of her genre. Chloé says she rarely lays down only electronic sounds. Her favorite sources are organic and real.
To describe her life, CloZee grins and dramatizes her mind exploding. With traction growing stateside, she is set to expand far beyond the transformational festivals and tours where she grew the same roots that nourished Bassnectar, Beats Antique, and Bonobo. CloZee is breaking through the canopy and into the sun. Come see her fly.
Watch CloZee’s music video “Evasion” below //

The title track, “Evasion,” invites listeners to evade reality and travel the globe through CloZee’s signature mesmerizing, worldly bass sounds. The dynamic track demonstrates Chloé’s abilities as a producer and composer, while using the force of sound to carry listeners to destinations they have never traveled to before. The beautiful “Evasion” music video was filmed in Southern France, in the luscious forest of Ariège, and the bustling city of Toulouse, and really brings the song to life. The video begins with two children parting ways in a forest and flashes forward to the two rediscovering one another. United by the art of dance, the two reunite to the music.
| Stream CloZee’s music on Spotify here. |

/// OUR BEST NEW ARTIST

Every year we like to recognize our best new client that we recognize as Symphonic’s Best New Artist.
Growing up on his dad’s chill out compilations along with vocal albums from the jazz great Chet Baker, Australian electronica artist Nick Murphy launched his career with a downtempo cover of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity.” Looking to avoid any confusion with the Australian singer of the same name, Murphy dubbed himself Chet Faker when he made “No Diggity” his first upload to the internet in 2011. After the song because a viral hit, Faker released his debut EP, Thinking in Textures, on the Opulent label in 2012.
A year later he partnered with fellow Aussie Flume on the Lockjaw EP released on Future Classic, while 2014 saw Downtown Records release his slow and serene debut album, Built on Glass, which debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA Charts.
Despite his success, Murphy felt his sound was changing, and in 2016 he announced he was dropping the Chet Faker name and moving forward as Nick Murphy.
That year he released the tracks “Fear Less” and “Stop Me (Stop You).”
In 2017 Murphy delivered the Missing Link EP, featuring the single “Your Time.”
| Stream Chet Faker’s music on Spotify here. |

/// OUR BEST NEW LABEL

Every year we like to recognize our best new record label client that has joined the Symphonic family, this year we’d like to recognize Bastard Jazz.
Sonically varied and tastefully-curated, the Brooklyn based independent label Bastard Jazz Recordings is an artist and producer-centric imprint that draws from the tidepools of Dub, Latin, Hip-Hop, Afro, Downtempo, Disco and House music, all the while maintaining a vibe that is unabashedly unique. Birthed in 2001, the label has steadily built a global following of passionate devotees through a consistent marathon of vinyl releases, boundary-bending compilations and hit albums that have become collector’s items among music tastemakers from all corners of the dancefloor. With a borderless roster of artists from New York to New Zealand, coupled with an ever-lasting commitment to pressing wax, Bastard Jazz has come to be known as “your favorite DJ’s favorite label”, boasting such talent as Lord Echo, Illa J, Captain Planet, Potatohead People, Colm K, The Elder Statesman, Brit Manor, Kid Loco and many more. Dynamic projects such as the label’s ‘Tempo Dreams’ series have proven to be a stepping stone for emerging talent thanks to partner curators such as Tall Black Guy, Teeko & B.Bravo and Soul Clap.
Founded by A&R and label head Aaron Schultz, and Art Director Jay Marley, the label has expanded to include marketing maven and partner Erik Schneider, as well as a growing team of creative visionaries that continue to push the boundaries of music, art and expression. A mutual love of golden-era electronic and cross-generational threads of funk has ensured that the sounds embedded in the label’s catalog have always pushed the needle of culture forward. With a foothold in every continent, but roots firmly planted in NYC, Bastard Jazz Recordings is defining a new model for record labels and creators alike, with an ear towards our collective post-digital future.
| Stream Bastard Jazz’s music on SoundCloud here. |

/// BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN

With an unmatched style of production and composition, French indie-electronic composer and producer CloZee invites fans to dive into the depths of their imagination, while sharing her experiences of traveling the globe, through her debut album Evasion. Released via Gravitas Recordings and Midnight Escape Records, the LP is comprised of ten mystifying tracks that each lend into a different cultural sound, allowing listeners to experience the ethereal magic Chloé Herry has discovered on her adventures of performing and sharing music throughout the world. Inspiration for Evasion was drawn from various different sources, including a night in the streets of Tokyo, a dancer, a beach in Les Landes, a stormy evening in the mountains, the jungle of Costa Rica, the #MeToo movement, and more. CloZee’s worldly productions acknowledge that music is a language we all understand, a universal dialect where there is a shared passion for music and expressing yourself via melodies and movement.
| Stream CloZee’s Evasion EP on Spotify here. |

/// PARTNER OF THE YEAR

TIDAL is a global, experiential, entertainment platform built for fans, directly from artists around the world. TIDAL members enjoy exclusively curated content that directly connect artists with their fans in multiple ways. The service offers high-fidelity, CD sound quality music, high resolution video, an opportunity to discover new artists via TIDAL Discovery, and unique experiences via TIDAL X. TIDAL is available in 52 countries, with a more than 56 million song catalog and over 225,000 high quality videos.
| Start streaming music and videos on TIDAL here. |