Junk Yard Connections, a Stockholm-based vinyl-only label, is the slightly more subdued alternative to Mr. Tophat & Art Alfie’s new imprint, the floor-friendlier Karlovak. The Swedish newcomers have carved out a distinctively rough sound across both projects, a raw sort of house music both muffled and beefed up by their signature of vintage bass. This tracky aesthetic is carried over to the Dusty Ballrooms EP, a gently thumping take on 1920s ballroom glitz and glamour.
‘Dusty Jazz’ is the money shot, stringing out a piano chord progression across a rusty house kick and seven minute running time. The upswinging chords build steadily and assuredly, a proper bass beat only dropping in the second half; distinct from your usual jazz-sampling house fare, it’s a downbeat, charming waltzer.
The second A-side is a dubbed-out version of the lead cut, removing the pianos to leave a clinking, lumbering beat. B-side ‘Dazed & Confused’ is more akin to the duo’s Karlovak output, laying down a murky, rugged techno beat enforced by a hefty – and a tad lethargic – undercurrent of analogue bass.
Dusty Ballrooms EP, and ‘Dusty Jazz’ in particular, continues Mr. Tophat & Art Alfie’s invigorating and often novel approach to house music.
Junky Yard Connections | Released: April 1
