96 Back

British producer Evan Majumdar-Swift, best known as 96 Back, established himself as a neo-electro wunderkind before quickly expanding his sound to incorporate IDM, ambient, pop, grime, and more. Making his debut with the 2018 EP Provisional Electronics, a straightforward electro workout, his music grew into a more ambitious hybrid of styles on his dual 2021 full-lengths, 9696 Dream and Love Letters, Nine Through Six.
Evan Majumdar-Swift was born in Sheffield; his father, Matt Swift, was a promoter responsible for the Jive Turkey parties, which preceded the formation of Warp Records. As 96 Back, 18-year old Majumdar-Swift performed his first DJ set for online channel Boiler Room, at an off-camera showcase for Sheffield-based electro label Central Processing Unit. He became the first Sheffield artist to release music on the label, when his debut EP Provisional Electronics appeared that year. However, he resided in Manchester, where he studied production at the BIMM Institute. His debut album, Excitable, Girl, appeared on CPU in early 2019, and the EP Issue in Surreal arrived later in the year, including remixes by labelmates such as Jensen Interceptor and Sync 24. He also released a split-single with Happa. In 2020, 96 Back released TBQFH EP on Hypercolour, as well as the self-issued digital full-length ADRISM, a “pseudo break-up album” which included a collaboration with Skee Mask. Several additional EPs appeared during the year, including his first release for Local Action, Sugilite. The label issued his two 2021 full-lengths, 9696 Dream and Love Letters, Nine Through Six. The first was a set of futuristic club abstractions, while the second was a more emotive set which leaned closer to hyperpop. In between the two albums, Local Action issued 96 Back’s Flex Time, a grime-influenced EP which included a collaboration with Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon. ~ Paul Simpson