- Check yourself into Chateau Kovacs, where everything is fantasy and nothing is as it seems.
- Kornél Kovács has a good sense for not taking music too seriously, something that has resonated with fans of his for years. His records are often described with terms like "perfect for summer," and they're usually defined by a whimsical sense of romance, a fire that he keeps stoking on Hotel Koko. His latest album of plush, pop-friendly house celebrates hotel rooms as mysterious private places where anything can happen.
Darling concepts aside, Kovács has reaffirmed his ability for capturing hearts with bittersweet, sun-kissed earworms. These tracks draw to mind the same feelings of childlike wonder you might encounter on a Traumprinz record, along with the strong production values and hallmarks we've come to expect from anything Koko: bright melodies, loping rhythms and unusual yet intuitive fusions of different styles.
On "Castles," for example, he teams up with fellow Stockholm resident and Studio Barnhus affiliate Kamohelo, perhaps better known as the voice of "techno boy band" Off The Meds. A sailing house melody—which itself feels like a throwback to "Szikra"—is brought up to a contemporary pace with the injection of Kamohelo's playful and captivating vocal motifs. Off The Meds are responsible for some of the freshest music to come out on Studio Barnhus in recent years and "Castles," with its array of ecstatic bells and whistles, is an easy contender for one of the best tracks of 2022.
In addition to Kamohelo, there are a remarkably diverse range of collaborations on Hotel Koko. Chief among them is "Follow You" with Aluna (of AlunaGeorge fame). Skippy garage drums, clipped horns and a fuzzy piano melody swoop gracefully around Aluna's catchy but understated vocals. The results is near-perfect dance pop. Continuing down this path of fusing garage and Amen breaks with radio-friendly vocals—a trend we've seen top the UK charts this year with Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal—Kovács presents "Get Goofy," a gung-ho drum & bass remix of Mishcatt's "Goofy" featuring galloping breakbeats and her instantly recognizable vocal hook, "I get goofy every time I hear you say my name."
"Molly" is a garage lullaby, with soft, whispery vocals and a candy-coated melody anchored by vigorous snares and tight drum rolls, and the occasional sample of an MC hollering, "Let's go." "Szörp," on the other hand, is a peak-time saxophone wafter. A driving melody and a chopped-up horn solo feels perfect for late-night dancing on a grandiose hotel terrace. "Piano House" is a small tribute to a genre that has been so influential to Kovács over the years.
Combining alternately playful and melancholy melodies with impeccably produced garage, drum & bass and house, Kovács has made an album that feels refreshing and distinctive, an appropriately autumnal pairing of sweet and savoury. The music lingers with you like a fond memory.
Tracklist01. Molly
02. Castles feat. Kamohelo
03. Szakad
04. Szörp
05. Usch
06. Goofy feat. MishCatt
07. Vår Dub
08. Follow You feat. Aluna
09. Paris Piano