Mr. Tophat
Rudolf Nordström aka Mr. Tophat has a true affection for dance music. He has been in the game for over 10 years now and has released over two dozen of his own productions. He has recently collaborated with Swedish pop star, Robyn on an EP called Trust Me featuring tracks;
Right Time, Trust Me and Disco Davato (2016). Nordström is used to playing around the globe and can be heard at the biggest clubs in Europe such as Berghain in Berlin. We are used to him releasing up to one track every third week in some periods of his career under his now sleeping labels, Junk Yard Connections (2009), which released limited editions in vinyl only, and Karlovak (2011). Stockholm based at the moment, he is finishing his debut album, Dusk to Dawn, under his new label Twilight Enterprise, and he’s enjoying the introverted and dull sides of the city that give him harmony and relief in his creative process.
Odalïsque Magazine has a unique and dynamic network, Mr. Tophat and Kristina Svensson Vučković of KSV Jewellery happen to be friends and we thought it would be nice to have them sit down together during this shoot and chat music, fashion, collaborations, and life.
How did you come up with the name Mr. Tophat?
I went through a phase where I always wore a top hat and one day it became my hallmark. It was about ten years ago, I thought that a top hat was a very nice accessory for me. Being really fascinated by the roaring 20s in Berlin, I felt an association with the hat and the time period.
Your style is very exceptional. Have you become more interested in fashion as you’ve developed as an artist or has it always been there?
I've always been into fashion. I think it is very intriguing and interesting when it comes to overall style, because you can send so many different signals and create different attraction values. There is something exciting about fashion, at first, it just looks just like a surface.
What would be your hallmark if hats weren’t your thing?
Probably sunglasses.
What kind of music are you interested in?
Generally, I am inspired by art, but if it is music, then dead artists rather than ones that are alive. The more commissions I have done for fashion and advertising, the more the music has been taken out of a scenography perspective. I think of the music as a dramatic episode, compared to before when I’ve imagined the music from a still image.
Did you write the music for Ganni’s Spring/summer 2019 & Autumn/winter 2019 shows during Copenhagen Fashion Week?
Yes, I did both of them, and I have also created music for Cecilie Bahnsen on three of her shows at Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Coming from an artistic background, especially within your family, you have also studied interior design at Konstfack [Sweden’s University of Arts, Crafts and Design]. Is that something you would like to pursue in the future?
Music was something I found an interest for around the age of 16, during my high schools years when I was studying to be a carpenter. And then I realized that it was not something I wanted to do forever. I understood quite quickly that I was more interested in designing rather than making than actually physically making the product. I always saw making music as a hobby, but during my studies it had grown so much in popularity, I was able to actually make money off it. So, I decided to give it a chance and see how far it would take me.
You have since had collaborations with Robyn. Are you planning any more projects together?
I’m not sure. I feel that the songs we have done together is a special capsule collection and am looking at new projects at the moment. In May and June, my debut album Dusk to Dawn will be released. I have been working on it for four years. It is an epic LP that stretches over three hours and I am really looking forward to sharing it with the world. Three hours of music with Mr. Tophat.
Is it a new sound that we will hear?
You will recognise ‘the sound of Mr. Tophat’, but it’s a different sound profile in the energy flow and the narrative.
What would your dream project be?
Probably produce a record together with Yayoi Kusama.
Are there any drawbacks with being a DJ?
The drawback would be the day after a gig, the uncomfortable work hours. Partly a truth and partly a joke, but I guess the downside is the late nights. It can get quite tiring since it is such a social and outgoing job and the fact that I work mostly nights. Compared to working in the studio where you can get lonely and isolated, the contrasts with the artistic part of the job could vary and it is hard to find a middle ground sometimes.
If you had to be another person, who would it be? Who would you identify yourself with?
It would have been interesting to be Jackie Kennedy or someone like Neil Armstrong and fly to the Moon. I have been fascinated by the 1950–60s post-war era lately, especially in America. It would have been interesting to be and even see Miles Davis live. I do think that the feline species is close to me if I could choose to be an animal in another life. Maybe it has to do with my star sign Leo. I don’t think I would like to be a fish. Although, I can do a two and a half front flip into water.