Mr Tophat & Art Alfie Music Playlist: Guest Selector

The Karlovak duo go halves on eight choice LPs ahead of the ninth instalment in their mesmerising KVK series

Feature by Rudolf Nordström & Oscar Wedren | 06 Mar 2015

MR. TOPHAT (RUDOLF) PICKS:

Plastikman – Musik [Plus 8]
This was the album that really drove me into the minimal techno scene. I remember when I heard the album for the first time, it totally blew me away, especially Plastique and Ethnik. The two 606s that are running along the bassline and melody made with the 303s is when minimalism is pretty much at its best. Ethnik is cool since it has a kind of long arrangement, it takes a while before the different parts go in; also very beautiful minimalism. A lot of feeling in this and, for me, it produces an image of a cold warehouse at some point in the 90s. I like it a lot!

The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land [XL]
Doc Martens, neon clothes and asking, "Where is the rave?" That was my motto during the time I listened to this album. For me, the golden nuggets here are Breathe, Smack My Bitch Up and Firestarter. So much energy, quite aggressive and typical of The Prodigy's ethos.

Jan Johansson ‎– Jazz På Svenska [Megafon]
I listened a lot to this album when I was around ten years old – the name literally translates as Jazz in Swedish. As you'd expect, it's very typical of Swedish jazz from the 60s. It's melancholic to start with and it only gets more melancholic once you know what happened to Jan Johansson. He died in a traffic accident in 1968 at the age of 37, leaving two small boys and a family behind. This is his most famous album and a lot of the tracks are actually different Swedish folk songs, re-created in a jazz arrangement.

The Doors – The Doors [Elektra] 
This is a nostalgic album for me, I remember when I was small and my family listened to this album when we drove around with the car during the summers at our countryside home in the north of Sweden. We'd sit in the car and just look across all the pines, fir trees and the big forests that never end. You could really feel the mysticism. Nice psychedelic, organic and a lot of 'troll' vibes.

ART ALFIE (OSCAR) PICKS:

Ebba Grön – 1978-1982 [Mistlur]
This is classic Swedish punk rock. I bought this record when I was around ten years old and it's probably one of most influential experiences I've ever had, maybe more politically than music-wise. It has some sort of raw energy and urgency. I mean, I still like it. A lot of the band members have kept on doing great stuff. The drummer actually lived in the house next to mine in Midsommarkransen, a Stockholm suburb, and had some beef with a guy in my house. Their dogs didn't get along apparently. One track in particular, Staten & Kapitalet, is just as valid today as back then.

The Roots – Illadelph Halflife [Geffen]
I loved this album so much at the time, I actually bought it twice. I traded my first copy for a Shorty's hoodie with a dude in my school. I missed it so much I had to buy it again. The sounds are dark and warm and all the drums are, of course, super funky. I recommend checking out the whole album.

Lost Boyz – Legal Drug Money [Uptown]
I wanted to have a record from the 90s New York hip-hop scene because this has to be my fave time and place for hip-hop. It showed once again that expression and bounce often goes a lot further than slick, technical musicianship. I love the grit, the bounce and the attitude in these tracks. I was thinking of picking Wu Tang's first album, Enter the Wu-Tang, but I choose this in the end. I used to listen to these tracks into my twenties and I feel that it's a little bit overlooked. I have to highlight two tracks here: 1, 2, 3 Thousand Problems, and Reneé.

Killa B and Mika – Kya Bamba Mix CD #1
I never really knew anything about this mixtape until recently, just now actually. I just had a burned CD that I got from my friend Ronny. Me and my friends used to listen to that tape over and over, at the party, at the after-party and the morning after. Couldn't find the whole thing online unfortunately.


More from The Skinny:


guest selector: the zenker brothers chip in with eight cherished lps

dj chart: self-proclaimed ageing b-boy ben sims slects 10 favourites

KVK900 is out 9 Mar on Karlovak Records http://karlovak.com