Soccer96

London's Soccer96 emerged as an eclectic synth-and-drum duo that fuses jazz, prog, and electronica in dense, cerebral combinations. The project unites Danalogue, whose real name is Dan Leavers, with Betamax, otherwise known as Max Hallett; both musicians also belong to the electro-jazz/Afro-beat trio the Comet Is Coming. Their output, notably the 2021 album Dopamine and the 2022 release Inner Worlds, draws from hip-hop, post-punk, and funk.

Outside Soccer96 and the Comet Is Coming, the pair maintain active careers. Leavers appears with Henry Wu, Scratcha DVA, and Rozi Plain while producing records for Flamingods, Snapped Ankles, and Ibibio Sound Machine. Hallett performs in Super Best Friends Club and Hot Head Show and has guested with Sons of Kemet and the Boredoms. The duo first coalesced in 2012 around an eponymous debut LP that earned strong critical notice. A string of prominent live shows followed, including a collaboration with Can frontman Damo Suzuki. After several singles and remixes, they issued their second album, As Above So Below, on Slowfoot in 2016; the set reflected the influence of Silver Apples, This Heat, and Flying Lotus. Their 2018 effort, Rewind, adopted a beat-tape approach marked by pronounced tape saturation and analog mixing. Signed to Moshi Moshi Records, Soccer96 teamed with vocalist and saxophonist Alabaster DePlume for the 2020 Tactics EP. Dopamine arrived the next year and included one track each from guest vocalists Salami Rose Joe Louis and Nuha Ruby Ra. The 2022 follow-up, Inner Worlds, contained material co-written with Rozi Plain, the Colours That Rise, and bassist Tom Herbert of Polar Bear and the Invisible.