2016 marked the 30th year of The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards, also known as The ARIA Awards. The event commemorates artists across all genres, but was overtaken by a large amount of wins from its esteemed electronic nominee Flume, for his most recent album Skin. The Australian DJ and producer went home with the following eight awards:
Engineer of the Year
Best Male Artist
Best Dance Release
Best Pop Release
Best Independent Release
Best Cover Art
Producer of the Year
Album Of The Year
Apart of Flume’s success was the flourishing nightlife of Sydney’s past in which he grew as an artist. However, the controversial Lockout Laws impacting the city’s clubs and small venues incited him to comment on the matter in his acceptance speech:
“I want to say a big thank you to … the small venues and the small parties that are doing what they’re doing, because that’s where music evolves, that’s where all the exiting stuff happens, and that’s what’s getting shut down right now. To our policy-makers and our politicians, please keep Sydney open so that the young artists of the next generation can have the same opportunities that I had.”
His words hold a powerful message regarding the larger issue of government policy attempting to regulate venues which house electronic music. Hopefully Flume’s words and influence as an artist will help affect change within Sydney’s compromised nightlife.
Nevertheless, congratulations to Flume on his massive win and heres to more success for him in the future. Watch his performance of “Say It” featuring Tove Lo below!
