With 18 major award categories that are voted on by industry members, 2023 South Australian Music Awards spotlight the diverse and incredible local talent on display within the state.
"South Australia is at heart a creative state and the music talent coming out of this state is incredibly exciting and I don't envy the panel of independent judges this year," shares Music SA CEO, Christine Schloithe."MusicSA is very proud to host these awards each year on behalf of the South Australian contemporary music industry and we wish everyone all the best in all categories."
Read the list of 2023 SA Music Award nominees.
We'll be profiling a number of this year's nominees with our Spotlight On series, that continues with funk-jazz-progressive band Slowmango, who are nominated for Best Group, Best Release, Best Cover Art, and Best Music Video.
A six-piece band who create raw, progressive, and genre-exploring grooves that combine global musical influences with a buffet of psychedelia, funk, jazz, and progressive rock, Slowmango have packed out dance floors at Harvest Rock, Dark Mofo, Darwin Festival and a sold-out residency at The Lab.
They pull inspiration from the deep pockets of the world, incorporating elements from reissued lost tapes of Africa and Asia, the summers of love in both '69 and '89, the funkier side of jazz, and a healthy dose of improvisation.
Slowmango released their debut LP, 'Hypercolour Miscellaneous', in July this year.
What's the elevator pitch version of your 2023 so far?
[Adi Schmidt Mumm] 2023 has been a big year for us, one of closing and opening chapters. We released our debut album 'Hypercolour Miscellaneous' in July, a collection of songs we have crafted and played over the past two or so years, which has given us the space and time to work on new material and bring in the next mango season.
Biggest moment creatively you/ the band have had in 2023?
The release of our debut album and our coinciding album show at The Lab, which we threw with our good buddies The Bait Fridge.
Our shows at The Lab always have a different theme, and for this one we invited guests to the 'Hypercolour Miscellaneous Bistro Buffet' for an evening of sonic gastronomy and audible delights. A restaurant theme where each item on the menu was one of the songs from the album and was paired with visuals and artistic performances by The Bait Fridge.
Being a creative, artist, musician can be a lonely existence, so what does it mean to be nominated for a South Australian Music Award?
To be honest, loneliness isn't much of a thing in the Slowmango world. We are surrounded by an incredible community of artists, musicians, dancers, actors and friends who feed and nurture each other's creativity.
Collaboration is paramount to the Slowmango creative process and it's something we cherish and constantly practice. In saying that, being nominated for an SA Music Award means a lot to us. Being recognised for the work you do is always a reassuring and motivating thing. I think especially with our experimental tendencies it feels good to know our work is engaged and appreciated.
Fast forward to the awards ceremony; if your name is read out as winner who are you mentioning-thanking in your speech?
Our Mums, Dads and partners, The Bait Fridge, everyone that's come to a show, bought a record and been supportive, everyone that contributed to our album crowdfund, and the SA music community for making it what it is.
How can folks best support independent musicians-bands?
Really, I think the best thing people can do is just spread the word about musicians and bands they admire and want to support. Word of mouth is, and always will be, the most powerful marketing tool.
2024 is just around the corner; anything special you're brewing in the background you can share?
We've got a collection of new songs brewing which we can't wait to play at shows, record and release into the world. And we've got some exciting shows and projects in the works all over Australia (and maybe abroad).
What makes South Australian music unique?
I think the Festival Season feeds the South Australian creative community with a unique cultural buffet of music, art, theatre, dance, etc. from all over the world and the impact of this can't be understated. Especially for a relatively small and highly isolated city like Adelaide. It's like the carnival comes to town and brings a wealth of new ideas and styles.
The 2023 SA Music Awards will be staged at Woodville Town Hall (Adelaide) on 8 November.
