Q&A: H&RRY’s Genuine Presence is What Defines Him as an Electronic Music Artist
WRITTEN BY ANTHONY RATCHKOV
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Harry Morelli is the name behind electronic artist H&RRY, who is soon to be the next favorite name for fans of jigitz, MPH, Levity, it’s murph, and many more. His song on Spotify titled “dance with me” provides that unmistakable groovy house feel, while his edit of “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” by Olivia Dean on Soundcloud is an airy, light-hearted house song. However, the differences in these sounds don’t matter because any one of them will make you dance.
H&RRY has been continuing to build an audience through opening for well-known acts in the electronic community like Jai Wolf. Furthermore, his standout performances are the unforgettable sets he’s put on at Electric Forest for three years in a row.
His alias H&RRY is nearly identical to his real name, Harry, which highlights the fact that his artistry is at the root of who he is. While some other DJs in the electronic scene may have contrasts between their work personality and their real-life personality, the amusing, energetic, and amiable person that H&RRY is on stage is the same person one would see if they met Harry.
Life on Jupiter had the pleasure of sitting down with H&RRY to discuss his music, Mr. Potatohead, and everything in between. Read our full discussion below.
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LIFE ON JUPITER: Where did you get the inspiration to take your high-energy, bright sound and make an edit of an Olivia Dean song, an artist who makes more relaxed music?
MORELLI: I wanted to create a track that was very dancy and got the crowd moving but also was euphoric. I wanted a moment in my sets for people to take a breather while still experiencing a colorful sound. I try to put colors towards a lot of my music. This one was very blue. I did the release with a blue album cover.
Your song “dance with me” has a very fun and timeless energy! Why do you think electronic music fans have such a diverse palette where they can listen to a hundred different edits of the same song that came out ten years ago and still never get bored, but also have a constant obsession for discovering and hearing sounds they have never heard before?
MORELLI: You see that disparity because of EDM being more of a trend nowadays. One of my first artists I listened to was San Holo, he was very big when I started making music in middle and high school, but nobody else knew him. Now the trend has sort of been going to raves. There’s nothing wrong with that, but people who only kinda know the bigger names listen as kind of a way of going out at night. The people who really like to listen are the ones who caused these larger artists to form. The die-hard EDM community is definitely what dictates and pioneers the next generation of artists. I’m from Chicago, and I loved seeking out newer acts when I was in high school, especially during COVID. I’m going to sound hypocritical saying this, but I found John Summit in 2020 when he was really big in Chicago because he kind of blew up during COVID, and then he started touring a lot after that.
PinkPantheress was recently on Hot Ones, and she was asked to put together the perfect singer/songwriter Mr. Potatohead style. With full credit to them for making that question, if you were to do the same for the perfect DJ, whose transitions are you taking, whose energy are you taking, and whose selection variety are you taking?
MORELLI: That’s a good question. For stage energy, I would say my own. I love dancing on stage and I think that's what the crowd likes too. I’ll do camoufly for transitions, and for selection I’ll go with Fred again..
One of the public playlists your music was discovered on is called “Miami Hotel Lobby.” Where would you say is the ideal setting to listen to your music?
MORELLI: My music feels very summer-y. If I had to pick a season, it would be summer. Maybe even driving down the highway with your friends, like a blue golden hour vibe. Or maybe even driving to a rave. One of the things I love most about raves is the production that goes into it. I was a theatre nerd in high school, and I’m a theatre nerd in college, too. I really enjoy creating sets and lighting. I’ll go to shows beforehand and be like “Hey man, here’s this new track of mine, can you just mess around with the lights so I can see how it looks?” So even being in a venue space or some place with really cool lighting is also ideal for me.
You used to perform in musical theatre in school. Are there similarities to the stage presence it takes to be an actor on stage compared to being a DJ?
MORELLI: In a sense, 100%, yes, but I also think that when you’re doing a music theatre production, you’re usually with a lot of other people and you’re not the main focus. When you’re DJing, obviously, the main focus is the crowd, but your performance has to be constantly on. That requires a different type of performance than theatre; it's a bit less rehearsed, and your job is to be smiling the whole time and having a great time.
I like to say I’m a very happy and bubbly person. I love the music, I love what I do. I know how John Summit talks about the difference between John Summit and John Schuster. For the most part, I feel like what I do performance-wise is pretty genuine, whereas theatre performance is more scripted and minute.
You’ve had experience DJing in both eye-level booths and more grand higher-up stages, do you have a preference for which one you like more?
MORELLI: I love a good, intimate 360 set where it's less about people looking at you than it is them dancing with you and having a good time. Those for me are some of the best sets I’ve ever done because I’m very engaged, active, and getting everyone riled up. It’s similar to BUNT. with “In The Round”.
You have been liking many reels of theories and memes of the movie Backrooms on Instagram. The Backrooms are a place where misremembered versions of real-life places and people copy themselves into an office building. What do you hope people will properly remember about H&RRY and his music in the years to come?
MORELLI: I really want people to resonate with my passion for it and realize that obviously I want to be a very successful artist, but that isn’t why I do this in the first place. My goal is to make this bigger for people to enjoy it better. I want to create really cool experiences for people to resonate. My Electric Forest set a couple of years ago was one of my first Forest sets ever underneath my new artist name, H&RRY. That set really resonated with a lot of people. It was so cool seeing people post about it and seeing “Oh my god, this was my first Forest and it was his first Forest too, this was so special.” At the end of the day, I’d want people to remember me as somebody that people can attach to an event, experience, or feeling that will also resonate with the passion that I have for music.
Tell us what H&RRY fans can expect from you next?
MORELLI: I can’t announce anything crazy yet. I just signed with a new record label so definitely lots of new music coming. They’re called New11 records, and they’re based out of New York. They’re trying to find a bunch of artists who all sort of have an up-and-coming trajectory to support. Expect some pop-ups happening in July and August. I’m hoping to do some in LA and some in New York.