Life & Arts
La Vida y Los Artes
Soy Artista: Producer, composer and rapper Dillon Avery Harp by Karina Ramos Villalobos
Gospel and jazz music played all throughout the home and childhood memories of Dillon Avery Harp. Music runs in his genes, and those sounds have sparked the feelings inside Harp to learn, compose and produce his own music. Harp writes his own music and produces all the beats and instrumentals from a home studio he built himself. Harp considers his music to be a mix of jazz, hip-hop, lo-fi, and ambient sounds. Some of his influences outside of his family include Sade, DJ Screw, and many other artists from Houston. “A lot of my music is really an expression of self,” Harp said. “For the most part, it’s really about Black representation in all forms and empowering my people.” Harp is currently working on a beat cassette tape project that will include a variety of instrumentals, lo-fi sounds, and many different samples of old-school Black power movements and freestyles. (More details will be announced soon about pricing and where and how to obtain them). Discovering Music Theory Around middle school, Harp began playing with local bands and that inspired him to create music of his own. Harp took it into his own hands to begin learning more about music theory by reading books from his local library that taught him to read, understand and compose music. “When you listen to my music, most of it is composed of all influences of life, past and present,” Harp said. “I want to keep spreading that message and I want to work to bring my people’s culture to more modern audiences and stuff, and keep it alive because it’s important as a Black American.” Getting to know Harp Music has always been a part of Harp’s life. Before his father’s passing when Harp was six years old he watched and looked up to his father who was a saxophonist at church. At 13 years old, Harp wondered about what his father would’ve listened to, the things he would’ve played, and naturally started to get into listening to more jazz musicians from the 1950s and on.
Dillon Avery Harp (28) playing his guitar in his at home studio. | Photo by Karina Ramos Villalobos
“I feel like it’s one of those things Humboldt to pursue a degree in critical that’s been there as an outlet really,” Harp studies in class, race, gender, and sexuality said. “I’ve been through a lot of random (CRGS) in fall 2022. stuff and I’ve According to lived super alterHarp, he was doing native lifestyles genomic research A lot of my music is really about his family and for the majority of my life so it’s learned about an expression of self. For the he just kinda always his father’s famous been there.” most part, it’s really about saxophonist cousin, Originally Harp who Black representation in all Everett from Houston, has been a successful Harp moved to forms and empowering my solo artist since the Humboldt when 80s and considered people.” he was 17 and it as inspiration to did a lot of farm continue sharing - Dillon Avery Harp work to create a stories of his past, living. As soon as he turned 18 he enrolled present, and future life. Harp said music at College of the Redwoods to pursue his has always been there for him and will education but took a break to travel for six forever be comforting. years throughout different countries such Harp’s Future Aspirations as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, “I’m going into the critical and race Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. studies program next fall so on an eduNow, at 28, he is finishing up his last cational level continue with that and try GE credits at CR to transfer to Cal Poly to eventually get involved in activist law
10 |El Leñador | febrero 2022| ellenadornews.com
“
to represent our people,” Harp said. “Try to get the causes we see and all believe in collectively represented in certain ways so we can really achieve some of the change and liberation.” How to listen to Harp’s music You can find Harp’s music by going to his Instagram page @wavyrosefold and clicking the link in his bio to go to his SoundCloud where you can listen to all of his released music. This semester El Leñador is continuing the Soy Artista series to highlight local and student artists. Watch artist videos online at www. ellenadornews.com.
