If you’re looking for culture reccs, you want to make sure they’re coming from a good source. Fortunately, you’re in the right place – because who better to ask than music producer Danny L Harle? The longtime collaborator of Dua’s has just released his self-proclaimed debut album, Cerulean (some may point out that it follows 2021’s Harlecore, but this is being framed as a ‘debut’ of sorts): a bold, fully realised statement that captures the breadth of Harle’s sonic universe and marks a new phase in his own evolution. So there was no better time for us to sit down for a chat – there’s lots to discuss.
The album features a star-studded cast, including Dua herself, Clairo, Caroline Polachek, PinkPantheress and MNEK, among others – all artists who each complement Danny’s high-definition production style. Over the years, he has cemented his signature sound: late ’90s and early ’00s trance and euphoric pop, refracted through hyperpop maximalism. On Cerulean, those influences are clear. For Danny, the album explores the imagined landscapes music can create; the emotional and mental spaces we drift into when sound takes hold.
So, back to those cultural reccs: like Danny’s musical world, his cultural references span past, present and future. During an afternoon in his East London studio, we delved into the mind behind so many of our favourite pop records, and discovered everything from the restaurant he’d eat at forever (note: you will make friends with a seal while you’re there) to the electronic pioneer whose brain he’d love to pick. Oh, and the music collaboration he’d most like to see? That, you’ll just have to find out – but trust us, it’s one you’re not likely to guess.
Discover Danny’s full Culture List in our video below...
