GIMA Nominations 2018: Trout Fresh Leads with Five, Followed by CHIU PI and EggPlantEgg

The list of nominees for this year’s Gold Indie Music Awards (GIMA), the highlight of the year for Taiwanese indie musicians, was released on the 19th of this month. Trout Fresh, a member of hip-hop group SmashRegz, is in the top spot with 5 nominations for his solo album Awesome by Accident. Electronic musician CHIU PI, who has just finished his tour, and EggPlantEgg, Best New Artist of this year’s Golden Melody Awards, followed with four nominations each.

SmashRegz was founded in 2008 by Trout Fresh, Chang Wu, and SJIN. The name means to “smash regulations." They have been producing a variety of musical works displaying the diversity and fluidity of rhythms and lyrics. Last year, all three members released solo albums, which showcased their capabilities as SmashRegz in a much wider range while still held with each other in a trinity-esque concept. The albums received great acclamations and were praised by the hip-hop fans and the media. The most active member of the group, Trout Fresh, was shortlisted for Best Album, Best Singer-Songwriter, Best New Artist, Best Hip-Hop Album, and Best Hip-Hop Song. He is the most nominated hip-hop artist in the history of the event. Chang Wu, another crew member, has also been shortlisted for his single “Empty Seated", making SmashRegz the most representative of Taiwan hip-hop groups this year.

CHIU PI of the label ROKON, is a rare electronic music singer-songwriter in Taiwan. He was nominated for four awards this time. He is familiar with all kinds of artistic creations, and has charmed fans with his unique combination of images, music and dances. Since the release of the album SPLENDOR, it has won the annual awards of the Chinese Musicians Exchange Association, the Chinese Music Media Festival, and the Freshmusic Music Magazine. In July, he ended his two-months-long Endless Comeback Tour and has recently been actively releasing various music and video works. Another top contender with four nominations is EggPlantEgg, a group that performs in Hokkien language. They have recently claimed victory on the stage of the Golden Melody Awards, having not only defeated many senior singers who are good at traditional styles and snatched the Best Hokkien Album Award, but also took home the Best New Artist. Their victory over the numerous hip-hop, R&B artists has made them the revolutionary of Taiwanese music.

Now entering its 9th year, the Gold Indie Music Awards is hosted by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development. It is currently the most prestigious independent music award in Taiwan. Each year, it acknowledges the most outstanding musicians in the fields of rock, hip-hop, folk, electronics, jazz and other unique music styles. This year’s GIMA sets itself apart from previous ones, which had consisted mainly of Taiwanese indie music, and upgrades to a series GIMA themed events. In addition to the award ceremony on October 27th, more than 50 high-quality artists from Asian countries and Taiwan are invited to participate in Asia Rolling Music Festival, a two-week international music festival, in the two major cities of Kaohsiung and Taipei. The first lineup announced includes Hong Kong hip-hop legend LMF, the Thai prince of ballads STAMP, Korean psych-electronic group WE ARE THE NIGHT and Indonesian romantic rock band ikkubaru.

List of Nominees for the Golden Indie Music Awards 2018

GENERAL FIELD

Best Album
Yeemao Song – Yeemao
Cassa Nova – Sunset Rollercoaster
Awesome by Accident – Trout Fresh
SPLENDOR – CHUI PI
Brothers Shouldn’t Live Without Dreams – Sorry Youth
Hi, Matelin – Matelin

Best Band
EggPlantEgg
Accusefive
Sunset Rollercoaster
No Nonsense Collective
LEO37+SOSS
Flesh Juicer

Best Singer-songwriter
Trout Fresh
Puzzle Man
CHUI PI
Paige Su
Dlrkloc

Best New Artist
Accusefive
No Nonsense Collective
Trout Fresh
Dlrkloc
Your Woman Sleep With Others

Best Musician
Minyen Hsieh
Tseng Kuo Hung
FunQ
Yuying Hsu
Toshi Fujii
Lee Chen-Chung
Chung Yufeng
Adriano Moreira

Best Live Performance
Flesh Juicer – Flesh Juicer Pighead’s Farewell Party
Go Go Machine Orchestra – Al Yakubouskaya x Go Go Machine Orchestra
Cosmospeople – Our Bizarre Adventure
TRASH – Flight to Mars: Launch Pad
EggPlantEgg – Debut Album Cartoon Character Mini Tour

Best Overseas Album
Circle Circus – Power Milk
QUARTER – Sophy
7 – Dean Kiva
Ends – Per se
Moonlight is Very White – Moxi Zishi

GENRE FIELD

Best Rock Album
Cartoon Character – EggPlantEgg
Jet Generation – Random
Alter Ego – PUMPKINney Fan Club
Asia Impact – LTK Commune
Brothers Shouldn’t Live Without Dreams – Sorry Youth

Best Rock Song
“Ms. Doremi" – EggPlantEgg
“How Much Do You Know About the Melon" – Accusefive
“Betel Nuts" – No Nonsense Collective
“Missing You" – Sweet John
“Largest Era" — Outlet Drift

Best Folk Album
Meet – Zy Co
Yet Again, My Romantic Masculinity – FiftyBodyFifty
la mathuaw maqitan apiakuzan -Magaitan
Lesha – Lesha
Homecoming – Bobby Chen

Best Folk Song
“Save or Sell me" – Zy Co
“Countdown" – Night Keepers
“Suihua" – Bobby Chen
“Name" – Midi Yang
“Save Me Baby" – The Chairs
“Cram Schools Killed the Children" – Your Woman Sleep With Others

Best Hip Hop Album
Bombard the Headquarters – Zhong Xiangyu
Yeemao Song – Yeemao
Awesome by Accident – Trout Fresh
Organic Melodies – Puzzle Man
Be Well World – LEO37+SOSS

Best Hip Hop Song
“2017 Space Odyssey feat. DJ Didilong" – Yeemao
“Empty Seated" – Chang Wu
“The Wimp Has Left the Building" – Trout Fresh
“They Don’t" – LEO37+SOSS
“Peace?" – Kung Fu Entertainment

Best Electronic Album
ADDICT – JADE EYES
SPLENDOR – CHUI PI
Hi, Matelin – Matelin
Pale – Ruby Fatale
tek.experience – 3R2

Best Electronic Single
“VIVIAN" – JADE EYES
“Happy Matrix Day" – P.C.B.
“ROLE MODEL" – CHUI PI
“Enigmatic Self" – Matelin
“Whisper" – Ruby Fatale
“Undergrounds of Taipei" – 3R2

Best Jazz Album
Animal Triste – Ying-Da Chen Quartet
happened, happening – Yuying Hsu
Blue Bear – Toshi Fujii
Light Through Cracks, Folds in Time – Circo
In Our Blood – Vincent Hsu & Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band

Best Jazz Single
“Animal Triste" – Ying-Da Chen Quartet
“Banana" – Jay Hung
“Twilight" – Toshi Fujii
“Fuego del Fuelle" – Circo
“Dreamer’s Blues " – Vincent Hsu & Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band

Best Stylized Album
Dirt Road – Ayugo Huang
Swasieq – Yawai Mawlin
Pendulum – Chung Yufeng
Rooty Mental – A Root

Best Stylized Song
“Dirt Road" – Ayugo Huang
“Cila Cisan Rgyax Myen La" – Yawai Mawlin
“Pipa-menco" – Chung Yufeng
“Dance Party of Gods" – A Root
“Floral Cluster" – Prairie WWWW

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD

Outstanding Contribution Award
Radish Records