Happa‘s next outing comes in the shape of a new split release with 96 Back, due for release on Thursday, November 21 via via his own label, PT5.

The two-tracker follows Happa’s recent heavyweight double-bill, Only Light / Only Darkness, and his contribution, “LS14 Battler,” sees him taking a more playful approach. We’re told that broken, pulsing beats and all manner of unorthodox sounds contribute to a delirious energy. “It’s the sound of Happa illuminating his style without compromising his experimental adventures,” the label explains.

In contrast, 96 Back’s “36th Chamberlain” has its roots in IDM, but doesn’t lose sight of the fact that music is meant to move you. It’s said to take the listener “from an ambient introduction to a darker denouement, detouring via a minimal breakdown.”

Sheffield-born and currently Manchester-based 96 Back, real name Evan Majumdar-Swift, is a DJ-producer who embodies the renegade spirit of his native Steel City. Majumdar-Swift began nurturing his Ableton skills at an early age, releasing his first EP in 2018, Provisional Electronics, on CPU Records at the age of 18. His 2019 debut album, Excitable, Girl saw him push the boundaries of experimental electro to include Italo-tinged euphoric arpeggios and bittersweet cascading piano melodies.

While Happa made his name with a series of industrial, bass-techno hybrid EPs, released on the likes of Church, Fnord Communications, Bleep, Boomkat, and his own label, PT5, Alikhanizadeh has lately been exploring a brighter, more colourful sound palette. In part influenced by his move to London from Leeds earlier this year, this evolution has also been shaped by recent work with the likes of David Byrne, FKA Twigs, Trim, and more.

Tracklisting

01. Happa “LS14 Battler”
02. 96 Back “36th Chamberlain”

Split (PT/5) is out November 21.