5 Things to Know About Portishead's Dummy Winning the 1995 Mercury Prize

Portishead’s Dummy won the 1995 Mercury Prize, beating out Oasis and Pulp. This win helped establish trip hop as a legitimate genre.

The Mercury Prize is awarded annually for the best album from the UK and Ireland. It was known as the Mercury Music Prize at the time.

Oasis was nominated for (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Their album was a massive commercial success but lost to Dummy.

Pulp was nominated for Different Class. Their Britpop classic also fell short against Portishead’s debut.

Dummy’s win was a surprise to many. It signaled a shift away from Britpop dominance toward more experimental electronic music.