Harry Romero

In the beginning, jack had a groove. And thanks to heavyweight house heroes like Harry Romero, that groove is now back. “My love of house came from the culture,” explains Jersey’s finest from his studio headquarters in The Butchashop. Harry, in case you missed the musical memo, is a humble house music legend with classic club cuts like ‘Tania’, ‘Night @ The Black’ and ‘I Go Back’ with Robert Owens under his belt, but really that’s just the tip of the iceberg as his current catalog will attest. Harry’s 2021 saw releases and remixes on labels from Crosstown Rebels to Hot Creations and Classic Recordings, and 2022 will see him release on Defected for the first time since the mighty ‘Revolution’: and just wait until you hear who he has on vocals! (She’s house music royalty and that sums it up.) See, from then to now, Harry represents one thing: and that’s pure quality. His inspirations growing up tell the same story. From the mid to late 80s he listened to Tony Humphreys on the radio and followed Todd Terry, Masters At Work and Fingers Inc.

So, with the full backing of Simon Dunmore and Luke Solomun at Defected and Classic, it’s now Harry’s time to shine. He released the Kolsch/Pete Tong approved ‘Afro Horn’ on Crosstown Rebels, as well as remixes of ‘Tania’ from Honey Dijon and remixes of his own for Jack Back and CeCe Rogers and Danny Tenaglia. Friends for (club) life, his Danny Tenaglia association with ‘Don’t Turn Your Back’ on Hot Creations was a major success: he remixed alongside Mendo and the mighty Carl Cox. He also found time to chat to Honey Dijon to discuss their incredible respective careers in house and released on Cecille with ‘Mood Vision’, a singular and super-distinctive house instrumental that was supported by Honey Dijon and Luciano. With the epic and spiritual sequel to ‘Afro Horn’, ‘It’s You’ having now dropped, we can also now reveal that he’s working on Honey Dijon’s new album. In short, he has become the go-to remixer for house remixes once again and there’s plenty more ahead.

So what’s his ethos now? Simple! To wave his own flag. “I know what I’m capable of in the studio and behind the decks. Harry 2.0, this is my renaissance! “ He’s had a career that now runs across two decades but also recognizes that “this is a rebirth, not a remix.” It’s also about reaching a new generation with a catalogue that speaks for itself. “’Tania’ is still being played by Loco Dice and Luciano. It’s not easy to do something with ‘Tania’, he notes. “Obviously, what Honey Dijon handed in was unbelievable. She knows the original from Danny Tenaglia playing it in the city and she made it harder and tougher while also being something standing on its own.” Make no mistake, 2021 and 2022 may be a crazy world but we’re coming out of the dark and Harry’s steered his way through with skill and dexterity. Up next is his brand new single with Inaya Day, which is called ‘Rise Up’. The ethos of that song couldn’t be any more apt at this moment.