MadeByHarry on Montreal Culture and the Art of the Beat

MadeByHarry isn't just surviving the transition from bedroom beatmaker to global DJ—he’s engineering it with the precision of a trilingual architect. Escaping a Canadian storm for the humidity of Miami, the Montreal-bred producer sat down on The Lexis Star Show to pull back the curtain on a career that spans from his father’s legendary Latin record store to high-stakes sessions in Colombia with the likes of Kevin Roldán and Bryant Myers.

Harry’s vibe is rooted in a specific kind of Montreal multiculturalism: a "trillingo" upbringing where Spanish was the law at home, French was the language of the street, and English was the necessity of the industry. It’s this collision of cultures that defines his sonic signature—a relentless fusion of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) energy with the heart of Latin rhythm.

The Record Store DNA

Success wasn't an accident for Harry; it was an inheritance. He grew up in the aisles of Caravaggio Disco, one of Montreal’s first major Latin music hubs. "We grew up in that store," he recalls, noting how he watched the first generation of immigrants flock to his father for every new release. That exposure created a subconscious library of sound that he now taps into whenever he opens his laptop.

While his roots are Latin, his entry point into creation was strictly electronic. "I started music with the EDM genre," he says, but as he began to reconnect with reggaeton and merengue, he realized he didn't have to choose between them. Instead, he treats production like a culinary art. "I see music like a soup," Harry explains. "When you have a whole bunch of ingredients... you just add. 'Oh, this is good. Drop it there.'"

"In order to be successful, you need to be constant."

The "Badlands" of Late-Night Creation

For Harry, the creative process follows a strict internal clock. While the rest of the world sleeps, the "badlands" of the night become his prime time. It’s a period of total focus where he usually starts with the skeleton of a track: the drums. "Most of the time I start with the drums," he says. "It’s rare that I actually get a melody [first]. I go with the flow, but most of the time it’s with a drum pattern."

This discipline is what separates the hobbyists from the pros. Harry is vocal about the grit required to move past creative blocks. He views talent as a baseline, but consistency as the ultimate differentiator. It’s about the hours spent in the program, even when the inspiration feels thin.

"When you have the capacity of creating something, you’re already talented. Now what makes it good or bad is how much time you spend on your talent."

Columbia, Tiny, and the Producer’s Signature

If you think Harry is just getting started, his resume suggests otherwise. Thanks to a pivotal 2016 trip to Colombia with Diamond Beats, he has already worked at the "highest level," logging time with heavy hitters like Ñengo Flow and Noriel. But the hunger hasn't dissipated. When asked about his dream collaboration, the answer is immediate: the legendary producer Tiny.

How do you know you’re listening to a MadeByHarry track? Look for the electronic fingerprint. "My signature, basically, is you always find something that has electronic music influence. Always. Always, always, always," he says. It’s that "little touch" that stays consistent whether he’s producing a club anthem or a moody, heartbreak-fueled beat.

Never Hit Delete

Perhaps his most practical advice for the next generation of producers is a lesson learned from the "laptop graveyard." Despite having gone through four or five laptops in his career, Harry is adamant about project preservation. Even if a beat feels like a failure in the moment, he refuses to scrap it permanently.

• Never delete your music; keep it for a month and revisit it.

• Use emotions—even anger—as fuel for the laptop rather than doing "stupid things."

• Focus on the DJ career to give your produced tracks a direct platform.

He closes with a reminder that every mistake is a data point. Whether it’s his friend Medi losing a hard drive or Harry himself navigating the learning curve of musical theory, the goal remains the same: Stay constant. Stay in the night. Keep making the soup.

Chapters

• 00:00 — Intro

• 01:25 — Who Is Made By Harry

• 03:40 — Growing Up Around Music

• 06:10 — How He Creates Beats

• 08:34 — Why Night Is Prime Time

• 09:35 — Never Delete Your Music

• 11:36 — Musical Influences

• 13:14 — Finding His Signature Sound

• 14:21 — “You Need to Be Constant”

• 17:57 — Turning Emotions Into Music

• 20:21 — Closing & Final Thoughts