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Music

ANOHNI, David Bowie, and Skepta Are All Up for the 2016 Mercury Prize

The public gets a vote for the first time this year.
Image courtesy of the Mercury Prize.

A number of electronic artists, as well as two grime albums are up for the 25th annual Mercury Prize this year. ANOHNI, Kano, and Skepta are among the 12 artists to make the cut for the prestigious award honoring the best British album of the year.

Radiohead is on the list for the fifth time, with their brooding ninth LP, A Moon Shaped Pool—making them the most nominated act in the prize's history; they have never won the prize.

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Hopelessness––the Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never produced debut LP of ANOHNI, formerly of Antony & The Johnsons, is also on the list, along with two grime records—Skepta's much-hyped Konnichiwa, and Kano's Made in the Manor.

Jamie Woon's soulful, post-dubstep record, Making Time, is another contender, as well as David Bowie's posthumous nomination for the emotionally wrought Blackstar.

The full list of nominees is as follows:

ANOHNI: Hopelessness
Bat For Lashes: The Bride
David Bowie: Blackstar
Jamie Woon: Making Time
Kano: Made in the Manor
Laura Mvula: The Dreaming Room
Michael Kiwanuka: Love & Hate
Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool
Savages: Adore Life
Skepta: Konnichiwa
The 1975: I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it
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Announcing the list, the judging panel said in a press statement: "This is music to make sense of our unsettling times—heartfelt, angry, thoughtful, and thrilling. The 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize 'Albums of the Year' are marked by their musical ambitions, unexpected instrumentation and breathtaking arrangements."

Of the 12 albums that made the shortlist, six will becomes finalists, and one finalist be selected by the Hyundai Mercury Prize Judging Panel and awarded the $32,000 (£25,000) prize. The winner will be announced at the 2016 Awards Show, which will take place on September 15 in London. This year, for the first time ever, fans will select the first of the six finalists through an online vote.