Throughout the 2010s, Swedish producer Mr. Tophat (Rudolf Nordström) released dozens of 12" singles, generally consisting of sunny, sprawling house tracks and mostly made in collaboration with Art Alfie, co-founder of the Stockholm-based Karlovak label. Tophat gained a significant amount of exposure through his collaborations with Robyn; the pop icon added a sensual touch to the producer's 2017 EP Trust Me, and Nordström then handled production duties for two tracks on 2018's Honey. Inspired by a month-long stay in Ibiza, ...
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Throughout the 2010s, Swedish producer Mr. Tophat (Rudolf Nordström) released dozens of 12" singles, generally consisting of sunny, sprawling house tracks and mostly made in collaboration with Art Alfie, co-founder of the Stockholm-based Karlovak label. Tophat gained a significant amount of exposure through his collaborations with Robyn; the pop icon added a sensual touch to the producer's 2017 EP Trust Me, and Nordström then handled production duties for two tracks on 2018's Honey. Inspired by a month-long stay in Ibiza, Nordström's first album aims to encapsulate an entire night out, and reaches far beyond the confines of a club. The ambitious triple-header is filled with the type of lush, meandering house explorations he's become known for, but there's more of an emphasis on traditional instrumentation. Nordström states that he was interested in creating club music that could also be played in a concert hall, since it seems like most clubbers aren't actually interested in dancing. To that end, the album is filled with expansive, untethered disco jams as well as relaxed, carefree lounge tracks, often filled with flutes and even guitar solos. "Hedonism" (which features Robyn murmuring away in the background) has an intriguing, nearly baroque-sounding synth melody and a tense, growling bass line, and it's easily one of the album's most energetic selections. Elsewhere, Tophat threads his disco explorations with reverent nods to the history of house music. Paris Grey's vocal from Inner City's timeless classic "Big Fun" drifts in and out of the 16-minute marathon "Tears of Illuminations," while "Memento Mori" is dedicated to the late Romanthony, and a few other cuts resemble swirling, laid-back takes on acid house. The album's title track (with guest vocalist Lune) is presented in three versions, the best being the original extended mix, which holds on to a calmly blissful feeling for as long as it will last. The album shifts away from this sense of reverie during its surprisingly dark third part, which begins with the brooding "Pharmakon." "Twilight" features buzzing vocoders and sinister nocturnal melodies, along with slightly angsty vocals from Lune, who pleads "take me away from myself," then states "sometimes I feel anger, I act like fire." "Solitude" uses a stiff computer voice to purge bitter feelings over solemn, delicate acoustic guitar. While Dusk to Dawn initially seems like the soundtrack to an endless vacation, it ends up unexpectedly vulnerable and revealing, allowing for introspection and spiritual reflection after the all-night party experience. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
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