- As Mr. Tophat & Art Alfie end their series of Karlovak singles with KVK1000, they're already three records into a new one, KRLVK. These have been helmed by Ben Sims, DJ Jes and Radio Slave, as the duo began to invite outside artists onto their label. Those records were faithful to the Karlovak sound—I particularly like DJ Jes's bright disco loops on First Generation—but they've not quite nailed whatever it is that makes Rudolf Nordström and Oscar Wedren's finely-tuned formula so effective.
KVK1000 hews close to what the producers do best, but "SDIK Orchestra" shows off a couple of neat new tricks. The duo's big drums and techy disco groove on the A-side thunder along in a thinner atmosphere than usual. Their tracks can occasionally feel a bit too dense, and so the extra space does wonders for "SDIK Orchestra"'s simmering soul and disco samples, which suddenly explode with joy about five minutes in. After the midway peak, faint horror movie screams spill out as the colour begins to drain. Some dance floors might not notice this shift in mood too much, but it's a shlocky little gift for those that do.
"Bengan," a bubbling house track that plateaus with thick hand percussion and muddy film dialogue, leans too heavily on its large frame and an intermittent, three-syllable vocal. The undulating tones of its counterpart underscore how flat "Bengan" is in comparison.
TracklistA SDIK Orchestra
B Bengan