Harry Nathan Interview on Nagamag.com

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Harry Nathan:
Lofi House, Disco, Nu-disco

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Harry Nathan:
Harry Nathan is an Australian/Greek producer, singer & songwriter, known for his dreamy storytelling and eclectic production, with a fluid connection between soulful lyricism and a deep burning house influence, which can be traced right back to Harry Nathan’s roots in his youth as an up and coming DJ. “I loved house music growing up and have always been a fan of soul and disco. When I was 14, I wanted to mix like Roger Sanchez but couldn’t afford DJ gear, so I cross-wired three stereos to practise mixing. If I needed to slow one down, I would press pause twice really quickly. When I got a regular gig as a wedding DJ when 15 years old, I was stoked just to use better gear and change the pitch. We had a little wedding consortium with some DJ friends from high school. I had to learn to appeal to all tastes, from disco to funk to classic Greek (for the Greek weddings) but I was really crazy about old school house and disco. When the bride and groom left, we’d drink the leftover wedding booze and go back to back mixing house classics till the morning." – Harry Nathan

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Harry Nathan:
I remember being at Summadayze festival on the Gold Coast in Australia as a teenager, front row, watching Roger Sanchez mix three different songs at the same time, from looped acapellas to drum loops and random samples, it was as if there was always at least two tracks playing the whole set. This style of DJing really intrigued me, it brought a whole new dimension to the art of DJ live performance. Carl Cox is another DJ I greatly respect who performs like this also. I'm fundamentally inspired by wanting to evolve the game, creating new sounds and new ways of performing that push the art form of songwriting and music performance.

Nagamag:
How much has your own life played in the creation of the recent Sweet Release EP?

Harry Nathan:
I’d say the EP is pretty honest and close to my own life. Sweet Release” explores the ups and downs of being in a turbulent relationship. “Frontin’ Me” was actually a stream of consciousness recording. I was just jamming into a 1984 Sony M-10 micro cassette recorder. When entering this kind of trance, my lyrics tend to reflect unsurfaced emotions. It wasn’t until after I had finished the recording in one take that I realised the song was about living in LA, and meeting people that are fake, putting up a façade trying to impress all the time. Harriet Tubman is an outlier here, but still mirrors my life experience at the time living in LA. My across the hall neighbour, actor Ryan Lee (who has been in all of my music videos) popped over to grab a fun fizzy drink from my fridge. Our doors are always unlocked, it’s like a Seinfeld situation, sliding into each other’s places a la Kramer style. He walked into my studio and started talking into my microphone, not knowing I was recording. The first part of this recording ended up in the outro of ‘Fool For Your Love’, from my first EP. It landed perfectly in that spot. Ryan continued talking, as if hosting a fictional radio show, when an imaginary Harriet Tubman decided to join us. I legitimately had no idea who Harriet Tubman was, asking ‘Who’s Harry Tubman?’ - to which Ryan replied ‘Underground Railroad Queen’.

Nagamag:
You are also an award winning film maker? Your music videos are quite unique in that you make them with your friends?

Harry Nathan:
My first single Rooftops has won 34 independent short film awards, including Best Fantasy Film at the Los Angeles Film Awards, Best Music Video at the Sydney Short Film Festival, and Best Music Video at the Athens Short Film Festival. The sequel to "Rooftops" was "Fool For Your Love", which is set in the same alternate universe. We make these videos with our best friends, Hollywood actors Odeya Rush, Ryan Lee and Christian Valderrama at my place in Los Angeles. Our most recent video was for "Frontin Me". The original idea was for me to perform the song, though it quickly evolved on the fly to me being on an ambiguous red carpet, being interviewed by Tammy. I entered a trance that took me back to my fourth-grade sleepover.” Rooftops: youtu.be/AYJTTBmJwHI Frontin' Me: youtu.be/I_AZCOhTOPE

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Harry Nathan:
Khruangbin "Evan Finds the Third Room"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Harry Nathan:
Everything But The Girl "Tracey In My Room (Lazy Dog Bootleg Vocal Mix)"