Music News

Skepta took home the top gong at the AIM Awards 2015 last night (08.09.15).
The 'Shutdown' rapper was recognised for his Outstanding Contribution to Music at the ceremony that celebrated the independent sector's most important and influential artists and was hosted by Radio One's Alice Levine and XFM's John Kennedy.
AIM Awards judge and BBC Radio One and 1Xtra presenter MistaJam said previously: "Since grime was born out of the ashes of UK garage, Skepta has been a pioneer of the sound.
"There's no denying Skepta has put in the blood, sweat and tears for the last 10 whole years and now, as he stands on the cusp of true international acclaim, it feels right to award Skepta for his immense contribution so far to British music."
Elsewhere, alternative rockers Wolf Alice won the Independent Breakthrough of the Year award and Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis took to the stage at The Brewery in London to present British band Enter Shikari with the Independent Album of The Year for their fourth LP 'The Mindsweep'.
FKA twigs' song 'Two Weeks' was picked as the Independent Track of the Year, and Best Second Album went to Young Fathers for 'White Men Are Black Men Too'.
Last year's Outstanding Contribution to Music Award was won by techno deejay Richie Hawtin.

The full list of winners were as follows:

Outstanding Contribution to Music - Skepta
Best Small Label - Erased Tapes
Best Live Act - All Time Low
Independent Breakthrough of the Year - Wolf Alice
Hardest Working Band or Artist - Swans
Special Catalogue Release of the Year - 'Cities Of Darkscorch Boardgame'
Best 'Difficult' Second Album: Young Fathers - 'White Men Are Black Men Too'
Golden Welly Award For Best Independent Festival: Brainchild Festival
Indie Champion Award: Marc Riley - BBC 6 Music
Independent Track of the Year - FKA twigs - 'Two Weeks'
Independent Video of the Year - Flying Lotus - 'Never Catch Me'
PPL Award For Most Played New Independent Act - Jungle
Independent Album of the Year - Enter Shikari - 'The Mindsweep'
Innovator Award - Peter Quicke, Matt Black & Jonathan More - 'Ninja Tune'
Independent Label of the Year - Transgressive
Pioneer Award: Digby Pearson - Earache Records

Sam Smith wants to make songs that are "timeless".
The 'Stay With Me' hitmaker - who was confirmed as the singer for the 'SPECTRE' theme song - thinks he gave the song entitled 'Writing's On The Wall' the best "f***ing shot" he could and hopes he has made a song that will be remembered years after.
He said: "For me it's about making the most timeless songs that will last forever. I've given it a good f**king shot. I love the song.
"With Bond, if you go back through the songs not all of them won Oscars, even the most timeless ones."
Talking about making the track alongside the film's director Sam Mendes and iconic record producer, Jimmy Napes, Sam, 23, admitted some of the lyrics had to be changed as Mendes felt parts of the song "weren't working".
He told The Sun newspaper: "It's his [Mendes] film and vision and there were certain sonics and lyrics he felt maybe weren't working and needed to work in certain ways."
The GQ Award's Best Solo Artist winner also shared how he had to tell a few fibs to hide that he was chosen to make the song and joked that he has become a "really good" liar as a consequence.
He added: "You figured it out and then I had to lie through my teeth, which isn't much fun. My lying is really good now, when you say 'genuinely' people believe it."

Duran Duran don't miss the sex symbol label.
The band was formed over 30 years ago and insisted they are happy that as they get older there is more focus on their music rather than their looks.
During a webchat on The Guardian's website, they were asked: "Does being liberated from the 'sex god' label, and an audience solely interested in your musical talent, alter the way you now perform?"
Drummer Roger Taylor replied: "I don't think we ever took that stuff too seriously. Whereas we've taken our playing very seriously, and still do."
But bassist John Taylor joked: "I'm not sure I like that! 'Being liberated' is a very nice way of saying you're no longer a sex god."
And John also reveled that he hates to show the band's unfinished work to anyone, especially his "judgemental" children.
Speaking ahead of the release of their 14th studio album 'Paper Gods', he said: "I don't like sharing work in progress with anybody. Least of all my children who are amongst the most judgemental people I know. My stepson like Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, my daughter likes Kendrick Lamar, Stepdaughter, Adele."
However, Roger added: "I do play to my children and they say 'yeah, that sounds amazing!' Honest."

Prince decided to release 'HITNRUN' on TIDAL because they offered to pay him what he "felt it was worth".
The 57-year-old musician opted to share his latest album exclusively on Jay Z's streaming service and producer Joshua Welton admitted money played a big part, along with the respect Jay Z showed for Prince's music.
He said: "We believe in high quality music, we believe in artists coming together, we believe in artist ownership, we believe in people and we believe in community. The fact that TIDAL was willing to even pay for the album what Prince felt it was worth, that just showed the appreciation that Jay Z has for music and for Prince. TIDAL were the only ones who said 'we're going to pay you directly for the work that you do'.
"It was a beautiful decision that Prince made, based just on relationships. I don't think it took Prince long to make the decision, and fortunately Hannah [Joshua's wife and 3RDEYEGIRL drummer] and I met with Jay Z at a listening party. He's a really great guy, and the level of greatness that he brings to the table just adds to the great cause."
Joshua also revealed that 'HITNRUN' features some new sounds that fans will not have heard before.
He told Gigwise: "I would definitely say that people will put this on and say 'I have never heard this sound on a Prince record before'. I've heard that said. There's definitely some stuff that will tickle your ears a little bit.
"Prince is a creative, so it's not like he's going to constantly create the same thing. There's new inspiration - it's constantly moving. I don't think people have heard him in this light before, but you'll definitely be able to turn it up loud and get your groove on to it."

The Hollywood Vampires' debut album will be a tribute to Alice Cooper's "dead drunk friends".
The 67-year-old rocker was a founding member of a group of musicians including Harry Nilsson, John Lennon and Keith Moon, who dubbed themselves The Hollywood Vampires and came together at The Rainbow on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip to form a drinking club almost 50 years ago.
And when Alice and his current Hollywood Vampires bandmate Johnny Depp decided to make a covers record, he chose to dedicate it to his pals who have all since passed away.
He told Rolling Stone: "We started saying, 'Let's do an album', I'd never done a covers record so I said, 'I'd like to do one in memory of all our dead drunk friends, the guys that we used to drink with that are now gone.'
"It was a bunch of guys. I told Johnny, 'They're all dead now. Let's do an homage to them.'"
The now teetotal star added: "If any guy is allowed to make an album about his dead drunk friends, it would be me. 33 years ago, I came as close to joining them as possible without doing it. I'm a survivor."
Joe Perry was staying on Johnny's estate while the duo were recording and it wasn't long before he joined the band.
He said: "I was staying literally next door to his studio. So when I would finish working on the book, I would just wander over and they would be doing sessions. Johnny said, 'Hey, you wanna be part of this?' I was like, twist my arm, this was so great.
Alice added: "Joe would come down and start playing, and I went, 'There's the band, right there. We've got two guitar players that sing, now we need a drummer and a bass player.' And then everybody started emerging. We just rocked it."

The Amy Winehouse Foundation has made an album to celebrate the singer's birthday.
The 'Back to Black' star would have turned 32 on September 14 and the charity set up in her name by her father Mitch Winehouse has gathered some of the young musicians that they've helped through their 'Amy's Yard' programme to contribute to the record.
Amy - who tragically died aged 27 in 2011 - was passionate about supporting troubled youngsters and Jhordan Romaine, 21, whose track 'Early Bird' opens the LP, says her legacy changed his life.
He said: "I was registered with two psychiatrists when I was 17, my mum just couldn't cope with it. So I lived on the streets.
"I've always wanted to be a musician - a producer - and the inspiration Amy's Yard gives me is just amazing. But going there is about much more than just making music.
"You get to see what a professional studio looks like and hear just how amazing a human voice can sound! You meet with lawyers and record company executives and real professionals. They're role models."
The LP was recorded in Amy's own studio and Darcus Beese, President of Island Records, says it was an honour to help create the 10-track album.
He said: "It's really gratifying to know that Amy continues to influence and inspire young people through her life and music.
"The Foundation does a fantastic job in keeping Amy's spirit alive by offering hope and opportunity to young people who are struggling in life and it's an honour for Island Records to help these emerging talents get their music heard."
'Amy's Yard - The Sessions: Volume 1' is out on September 18.

Ellie Goulding, Mumford & Sons and Carrie Underwood will headline the Apple Music Festival at London's Roundhouse.
They will be among the main acts at the event, formerly known as the iTunes Festival, which is set to take place from September 19th until September 28th.
Carrie said: "Playing in the UK is always such a thrill! I'm really looking forward to heading back and being a part of such an amazing line-up at Apple Music Festival. What a unique concert experience, not only for the fans at the Roundhouse, but also for fans across the globe who can stream it live!"
Mumford & Sons added: "We've had some great experiences at the Roundhouse over the past few years. The first time we played there was in 2009 opening for The Temper Trap and Stephen Fry, and then we were lucky enough to return a year later to collaborate with Laura Marling and Dharohar Project who had travelled in from India for their first trip outside the country. It was one of the most memorable and surreal shows we've ever played. Nobody knew what was going to happen next, least of all us.
"In 2012 we celebrated the release of 'Babel' at The Roundhouse, which was awesome. We're looking forward to coming back for this year's Apple Music Festival. We've not played London for a bit and we're looking forward to it".
LION BABE, NAO and Jack Garratt have also been added to the line-up.
Previously announced headliners include Take That, Florence + The Machine, Disclosure and Pharrell Williams.
One Direction will be supported by Little Mix, and singer Niall Horan said: "It'll be great to be back in London and we can't wait to perform for our fans in the Roundhouse and around the world on Apple Music!"
Previous performers at the eight-year-old old event - which has been renamed the Apple Music Festival to support the launch of the new Apple Music app - have included Adele, Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake.

Apple Music Festival Current Line-Up:
September 19 Ellie Goulding
September 20 Take That
September 21 Carrie Underwood
September 22 One Direction + Little Mi
September 23 The Weeknd
September 24 The Chemical Brothers
September 25 Disclosure + LION BABE + NAO
September 26 Pharrell Williams + Leon Bridges
September 27 Mumford & Sons + Jack Garratt
September 28 Florence + The Machine + James Bay

Suede will release their next album 'Night Thoughts' in January.
The legendary Britpop band's seventh LP deals with "life, death, love, anguish and despair" and will be accompanied by a full-length feature film to be shown at London's Roundhouse venue on November 13 and 14.
Speaking to NME.com, the film's director Roger Sargent said: "The record deals with a lot of familial themes, life, death, love, anguish and despair; themes that are expanded upon in its visual companion, providing a study of how those elements affect the human psyche.
"The film starts with a man drowning in the waters of a deserted beach at night, as he fights for life, his mind plays out the events that lead him to be there."
Suede disbanded in 2003 after poor sales of their fifth record, 'A New Morning' and lead singer Brett Anderson's public battle with drug addiction.
They reformed in 2013 to make new music and tour again but
Brett admitted making a comeback album 'Bloodsports' was no easy feat.
He said: "I felt, before we reformed, that we'd gone off the radar a bit. And when we got back together we reminded people of what we did really well. I think there was a real re-evaulation of Suede as an artistic force.
"With 'Bloodsports' (2013 comeback album), we tried to make it compete with our best ever work. It's very hard doing a comeback album when you haven't made an LP for 10 years, because you can't reinvent yourself - you have to look at what you've done best and solidify that. But it sent out a statement that we can still make great music."
'Night Thoughts' will go on sale January 22.

Adele rejected a song she recorded with Sia from her album.
The 'Rolling in the Deep' hitmaker teamed up with the 'Chandelier' singer on a track titled 'Alive' and although it was originally intended for her highly anticipated third album, Sia has now kept it for her own record after Adele turned it down.
Sia said: "It's about [her] life, so now I sing the song from [her] perspective."
The 39-year-old singer went on to admit that a lot of the songs on her album 'This Is Acting' were originally written for other artists but for one reason or another had been rejected.
She told RTV Slovenija: "I have these songs made and they have [been] rejected, but [they] seemed good, so I kept [them for] myself."
Sia is now preparing to release 'Alive' as the lead single off of her seventh studio album.
Meanwhile, Adele is reportedly preparing to unveil her next LP - which is rumoured to be titled '25' - in November after its original release date of May 2014 was pushed back by her record label XL Recordings.
The 27-year-old star's last album '21', which was released in 2011, sold 11 million copies worldwide and topped the charts in 2011 and 2012.