When I make predictions like this I usually make multiple picks: who I think will win, who I think should win, and make my own write-in winner. I'll be doing the same today, with a brief explanation as to why I believe my picks hold merit. I'll also be making them in reverse order, just for fun. Enjoy!
Live Act Of The Year
Who will win: Flume
Who should win: Porter Robinson x Madeon
My write-in winner: Mura Masa
It continues to be the year of Flume, after he's taken home hardware just about every time he's been nominated and deservedly so. However I feel the combination of Porter Robinson and Madeon was one not to be overlooked. Their sounds play together perfectly and "Shelter" certainly rivals any of Flume's output. It should come as no surprise that Mura Masa gets my write-in vote, I've been drooling over ,not just his songwriting skills, but his incredible Coachella performance. It's a serious snub for him not to be nominated here, as there's no question he's deserving.
DJ Of The Year
Who will win: A-Trak
Who should win: A-Trak
My write-in winner: Mija
A-Trak is the LeBron of DJing, and I've got faith that the voters here will give the best DJ in the world, the title of DJ Of The Year. It's tough to choose anyone other than A-Trak, but my gut tells me that if the names on this list were all absent, Mija and her mix of genres would reign over all music.
New Artist Of The Year
Who will win: Marshmello
Who should win: Mura Masa
My write-in winner: Sinjin Hawke
This was a tough category. Clearly all deserving artists, but I believe the voters cannot help but pick Marshmello, whose impact (good or bad) cannot be understated. That being said, the quality of collaborations Mura Masa has under his belt is absolutely incredible. In an attempt to make my write-in vote in the same vein as the nominations, I believe Sinjin Hawke is as good as any choice.
Radio Show Of The Year
Who will win: Group Therapy
Who should win: Diplo & Friends
My write-in winner: Essential Mix
There's no discounting the life force of Above & Beyond's mixshow and I believe they will be rewarded for that. However, I believe in terms of taste-making and being on the cutting edge, there is no better mixshow than Diplo & Friends. Straddling the line between the two is the Essential Mix, which hosts some of the biggest names and some of the freshest faces. Its impact cannot be understated.
Club Of The Year
Who will win: Fabric
Who should win: Fabric
My write-in winner: The Hoxton
I don't think anyone would argue that Fabric and the tumultuous year its had is deserving of this title. As for my write-in I got a little nostalgic for my now long lost home, The Hoxton. Sure it doesn't compare in size or interior quality as the others on this list, but its impact in the largest market in Canada cannot be ignored. Toronto may have lost its heart, but I for one will never forget its soul.
Producer Of The Year
Who will win: The Chainsmokers
Who should win: Cashmere Cat
My write-in winner: Mura Masa
I feel like I'm falling into the same trap as I did with my Grammy predictions last year by writing in Flume nearly half the time. But there's no way you're going to get me off this Mura Masa bandwagon. Also I feel like he completes the trifecta when you include The Chainsmokers and Cashmere Cat. If it's based on Billboard alone The Chainsmokers will win, but if you add room for creativity and inventiveness then Cashmere Cat ought to trump the aforementioned pop duo.
Festival Of The Year
Who will win: Tomorrowland
Who should win: Electric Forest
My write-in winner: Shambhala
Tomorrowland remains one of the premier destinations for electronic music aficionados. Its epic nature from stage design to lineup will be enough for it to take the crown. However I believe in terms of overall aesthetic and a lineup that can rival Tomorrowland, Electric Forest is just as, if not more, deserving of a win. Along the same lines, Shambhala is a standout worthy of my write-in.
Remix Of The Year
Who will win: Flume - Say It (Illenium Remix)
Who should win: Rufus Du Sol - Innerbloom (Sasha Remix)
My write-in winner: Busy P - Genie (Joe Goddard Remix)
This is another odd category with both the Sasha and DJ Koze remixes also being nominated in the Record Of The Year Category. I've decided to include them here and ignore them in the next category. To say Illenium's mix was a smash would be a major understatement, but musically I'm more enthralled with Sasha's epic 11 minute masterpiece. Joe Goddard has had an amazing year with an album release and handful of remixes, my favourite of which, "Genie" gets the nod as my write-in.
Record Of The Year
Who will win: Kolsch - Grey
Who should win: Kolsch - Grey
My write-in winner: Tiga - Eye Luv U
Cutting out Sasha and DJ Koze left only three choices, but there still seems to be a clear favourite. You could substitute "KIR" or any one of Kolsch's remixes this year, but "Grey" certainly seems to be a valid choice. Perhaps I should have put him in as Producer Of The Year, it's hard to discount his epic output, but it seemed like they were coming at that category from a different angle. You could just as easily swap Tiga in for Kolsch and make a valid argument. As soon as I heard "Eye Luv U," I knew he had a titanic techno track on his hands. I might argue for "Woke" to take its place, but I think was released too late. Whatever the case, we're getting into the fun categories and all of these tracks kill.
Single Of The Year
Who will win: Purple Lamborghini
Who should win: Shelter
My write-in winner: Mura Masa - Love$ick (ft. A$AP Rocky)
As I mentioned in the preview article, I wouldn't purposefully press play on any of these nominees, as I've heard them more than enough times (again as I said, due to their radio-friendly nature). I feel like "Purple Lamborghini" will win because of its crossover nature and value in the Suicide Squad soundtrack. I do however feel that "Shelter" is more deserving, and I'm not sure I'll get much push back on that. My write-in choice should be obvious, more Mura Masa, and arguably the one that introduced him to the mainstream. You cannot tell me it isn't one of the best pieces of music released this year.
Album Of The Year
Who will win: Justice - Woman
Who should win: Cashmere Cat - 9
My write-in winner: Sinjin Hawke - First Opus
This was a really tough category to choose, each deserving nominees, even if I wasn't a fan of all of them. I believe the voters will choose to show respect to Justice, in part because of their undeniable role in the scene over the past decade plus. However I would argue that Cashmere Cat's ingenious productions on 9 actually made bigger waves than Woman. Finally, we're back here again with Sinjin Hawke and his undeniably epic First Opus. In the scoring system I devised it achieved a significantly higher score than either 9 or Woman. That being said of course this is nothing more than my opinion.
To summarize, this is meant to be a fun activity and a conversation starter. Whether I'm right or not is meaningless, as is the same for award shows in general. The whole purpose is to share music and our appreciation for the people behind it. However if you feel inclined, you may argue with me via Twitter @OggieJames. I'll be live tweeting the show as it iis broadcast this coming Thursday, September 21st at 10:47 EDT via their twitter here.