Mr. Tophat

While Mr. Tophat, Stockholm-based maker/DJ Rudolf Nordström is definitely a prolific purveyor of loose-limbed home music, both by himself and on his regular collaborations. Nordström founded the label Rubbish Yard Contacts before he was 20, with 2010’s Highvalley/Experience, a split solitary with Adam Strömstedt, marking its debut. The next 12 months, Mr. Tophat started another label, Karlovak, with Artwork Alfie, a like-minded maker that Nordström fulfilled at an area nightclub. The duo combined home, disco, and techno in marathon DJ units and a steady blast of singles from Karlovak’s numerous imprints, including KVKR, KRLVK, Karlovak Chromium, and KVK, a vinyl-only collection that released its swan track with 2015’s KVK1000. Regardless of the pair’s occupied schedule, Nordström discovered time for single EPs, including 2016’s A Memoir from your Youngsters, Pt. 1 on Community Ownership and From Another Aspect on Music for Freaks. Mr. Tophat also collaborated with Robyn, initial on the 2016 reworking of her 1999 one “Primary Thing” within her RMX/RBN series, and on the BELIEVE ME EP, which Smalltown Supersound released early in 2017.