{"title":"Soccer96","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"tactics","title":"Tactics","description":"\u003cp\u003eSoccer96 return with new EP on Moshi Moshi Records. Soccer96, is the revered synth and drums duo of Danalogue [Dan Leavers] and Betamax [Max Hallett], who are most known as being two thirds of Mercury nominated band The Comet Is Coming (Impulse! Universal), and also producing and mixing the group's records. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis release sees Soccer96 expand on their duo template as they are joined by the entirely original Alabaster DePlume on vocals and Total Refreshment Centre’s head engineer Kristian Craig Robinson AKA ‘Capitol K’ on bass, who also engineered the recordings. These new collaborations were born out of spontaneity. Having produced Alabaster’s LP \u003ci\u003eThe Corner of a Sphere \u003c\/i\u003eDanalogue and Alabaster found a lot of unexpected common ground, in composition, politics and heady late-night jams. They would often find themselves on similar festival bills, where Alabaster would be invited to jump on stage and recite one of his poems over a fiery improvisation. The lyrics were the same, but Alabaster’s delivery was supercharged, direct and pulsing with rhythm. It was clear that this had to be chronicled. Recorded at the duo’s spiritual home, the infamous Total Refreshment Centre, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTactics\u003c\/i\u003e sees Danalogue and Betamax transmit impassioned and motoric synth-scapes over infectious beats and celestial dance. Built out of the raw energy of their improvisations, the band instil adrenaline into every track combining intricate synth riffing with wall of sound atmospherics and a fiery rhythm section. A delicate balance of dark and light, heavy and danceable, the expansion from duo to quartet on this EP also sees Soccer96 resituate itself within the vast musical universe that exists across their previous recordings and other projects. Alabaster’s lyrics carry the voice of a disaffected generation. Responding in the moment, his vocal performances provide an acerbic and sardonic take on the hypocrisies of the leftist ideal against the backdrop of mass consumerism, manipulation of the media, the rise of fascism across Europe and the failings of humans in general. In an era of battling ideologies, Soccer96 are a propellant for Alabaster’s philosophical and topical poetry, amplifying these messages and providing a platform to extend their reach to new audiences. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Moshi Moshi Records","offers":[{"title":"Blue | 12\"","offer_id":50453079654731,"sku":"1108192","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/05c33699-eb3c-4d11-8da5-86bf07b064c4_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727167598"},{"product_id":"inner-worlds","title":"Inner Worlds","description":"\u003cp\u003e“We’ve been reflecting on the relationship between our innerworlds and outerworlds,” says Soccer96’s Danalogue. “How our minds shape our experience and our experience shapes our mind. How caring and nurturing our innerworlds can improve our relationship with our outer experiences. We see the creation of music as the bridge between these two worlds.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetamax, who makes up the duo along with fellow Comet is Coming member Danalogue, describes their latest album as “spiritual combat music to steady us through the stormy changes of the outer world.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor this album the pair co-wrote with The Colours That Rise, Tom Herbert, Salami Rose Joe Louis, Simbad and Rozi Plain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the exhilarating electronic charge and propulsive rhythm of ‘Crystal Pyramid’ to the almost cosmic drum n bass of ‘Speak More of Love’ feat The Colours That Rise, the album takes in a vast array of sounds and styles, from jazz to electronica, while never really sitting comfortably within easy genre categorisation. “We are searching for particular spontaneous energies that feel fresh and resonant,” Betamax says. “The hope is that when we reach this experience the music can penetrate the mind and affect the deepest mental processes.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Moshi Moshi Records","offers":[{"title":"Clear | LP","offer_id":50465174585675,"sku":"1145149","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Tape","offer_id":50465175634251,"sku":"1145148","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50465175142731,"sku":"1145143","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/b6553573-317f-4f7c-ac6d-b069191d84ea_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1727282439"},{"product_id":"dopamine-2","title":"Dopamine","description":"\u003cp\u003e‘The record is inspired by the idea of humanity’s ever-increasing entanglement with technology and artificial intelligence, balancing fears and moral concerns with the possibilities of evolution’s next phase’ \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA new Soccer96 album is a chance for Danalogue (Dan Leavers) and Betamax (Maxwell Hallett) to return to something of a spiritual creative home. Between them, the keyboardist and drummer have become synonymous with the thriving London jazz scene and, in their mind-bending incarnation as the astral synths-and-drums pairing, they’ve traversed stylistic worlds. Over nearly a decade, the duo have metamorphosed from a DIY outfit whose rough-edged recordings hit with a punk spirit, to cosmic dreamers that use sound to travel the reaches of the mind. First single Dopamine features Nuha Ruby Ra on vocals who sings from the perspective of human and machine throughout the track. This concept overlaps with the music seamlessly, forming a meeting point between technological and human exploration. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Moshi Moshi Records","offers":[{"title":"Orange | LP","offer_id":50508724076875,"sku":"1123758","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Blue | LP","offer_id":50508726403403,"sku":"1123759","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50508725289291,"sku":"1123757","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c88b636a-757a-4fd8-8f4b-32f77da1a803_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1727861581"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/soccer96.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}