1999. Talvin Singh, 'OK'
Who was he? Completing the obscure trio, Talvin Singh was a producer and tabla player from London. His debut record 'OK' was a conflation of different cultures and sounds, intricately woven like a rich tapestry.
Was it an entirely outrageous choice? No. Well... no. We were just about to turn into the new millennium, and British music had never been so lush as Singh had made it. It was such a bold move to pick an album that drew on the influx of sounds coming from other cultures, but Manic Street Preachers? Possibly Blur's finest record? There's a lot to argue with when it comes down to personal taste, but you can see the thinking behind the winner.
What has he done since? He did a Gomez/Roni Size: released a follow-up that lent too heavily on his Mercury winner, and sunk pretty much into (further) obscurity. After a Madonna collaboration, of course.