Photos by Jasmine Safaeian

Baauer: "Harlem Shake" (via SoundCloud)

Harry Rodrigues is in the middle of moving into a spacious new apartment in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood. "Do you like the carpet?" he asks, motioning toward an immaculate new leopard print. His mother, meanwhile, is hauling in a beautiful antique wooden table recently salvaged from relatives in Connecticut. The producer and DJ known as Baauer gives me a quick tour, pointing out a couple of bedrooms-- two other friends will move in eventually-- as well as the beginning of a makeshift studio where he'll begin work on his debut album, due next year, which he hopes to make a highly collaborative affair. His wishlist for the record includes A$AP Ferg ("I love what he’s doing musically, he’s becoming the New York hero"), along with producers Cashmere Cat, Ryan Hemsworth, and Arca.

And while Rodrigues is excited for his future-- as well as his current single with Just Blaze, "Higher"-- it's impossible to ignore the events that led to him landing on the top of Billboard's Hot 100 earlier this year, changing chart history in the process. Few have ascended to pop culture ubiquity as quickly as this 24-year-old, whose "Harlem Shake" inspired a grassroots meme that eventually exploded into a worldwide phenomenon. Rodrigues still seems a little bewildered by it all, repeatedly referring to the ordeal as a "mindfuck."

"Overall, this song got big for no reason of mine," he says, "but I was also connected with it 100 percent." After all, "Harlem Shake" was originally just a track he pounded out while living in his Williamsburg apartment, just a file he sent to anybody in the industry whose e-mail address he could find. (A little bit of trivia: Before "Harlem Shake" came to the attention of Diplo's Mad Decent imprint, G-Unit was the most interested party.) I joined Rodrigues on his unfinished rooftop to talk about the blessing and curse that is "Harlem Shake".

"I got a taste of what it’s like to have a song in that stratosphere

and I can tell you that I’m happy with that being the

only time it happens. I don’t want that shit."

Pitchfork: Take me through the "Harlem Shake" experience, how you were feeling and reacting to the phenomenon at the time.

Baauer: Initially, it reached this point where it was in the DJ world-- Skrillex and Bassnectar were playing it-- and I was like, "Wow, this is sick." And then it cooled off a little bit. I was making new shit. Then, in February, these kids in Australia made that video of them humping to the song, and people were sending it to me on Twitter and posting it. I was like, "OK cool, someone made a video to my song." But it didn’t seem that funny.

Pitchfork: So when did it really hit you?

B: When they did a video on "Jimmy Fallon", I was like, "whoa." That was right at the tipping point. That’s when it changed from “wow!” to “uh-oh, what’s going on here?” From there, it became super out of my control.

AlunaGeorge: "Attracting Flies" (Baauer remix) (via SoundCloud)

Pitchfork: What was the impact like on your Gmail, your Twitter...

B: Dude, overwhelming. People started to call my phone, I'm like, "How did you get my number? Who the fuck is this?" People saying, “We’d like to have Baauer on 'Good Morning America' to do the ‘Harlem Shake’.” I’m like, “fuck no!” It felt invasive.

When it was at its peak, I was just watching it happen, trying to be smart. Then people started to get pissed off at it. Huge backlash! It was this mix of "wow this is great," but also "this is fucking awful." I got kinda depressed. I remember I was about to leave for Europe and all this shit was going on and I was feeling so bummed out. It was a good thing that I was in Europe while the backlash was happening. I feel fortunate for that.

__Pitchfork: Have you made a lot of money from it?

__

B: I still don’t know. I haven’t seen any money from it.

Pitchfork: Why is that?

B: I’m meeting with my lawyer tomorrow for lunch, so I’m gonna find that out. I think it’s mostly because of all the legal shit. ["Harlem Shake" contains vocal samples of Plastic Little rapper Jayson Musson and reggaeton artist Hector Delgado.] I didn’t clear the samples because I was in my fucking bedroom on Grand Street. I wasn't going to think to call up [Delgado], I didn’t even know who it was who did that [sample]; I knew the Jayson Musson [sample]. So I found myself in that fucking pickle. Legal letters and shit. Ugh. Lawyers. So exposure-wise it was fantastic, but everything else...

__Pitchfork: Do you feel pressure to repeat its success now?

__

B: No. I genuinely don’t feel that at all. I got a little taste of what it’s like to have a song in that stratosphere and I can truthfully tell you that I’m happy with that being the only time it happens. I don’t want that shit. Of course, I want to be able to get work and for people to like my music-- the best thing I can do is to keep making music I like and, because of "Harlem Shake", maybe people who otherwise would never know about that kinda shit would hear it.

Disclosure: "You & Me [ft. Eliza Doolittle]" (Baauer Remix) (via SoundCloud)

Pitchfork: What was your favorite "Harlem Shake" video?

B: I like the army dudes in Norway. That was funny. There were some guys underwater, too. The advertising firm in Portland, Wieden and Kennedy, did one that was funny-- but again, they all had this undertone of like, ugh.

Pitchfork: Do you feel like people are always going to expect you to play it?

B: That's just the way it is. Sometimes, when I don’t play it, people get really mad. I didn’t play it in Amsterdam and I overheard two people who were like, “Oh, did you hear he didn’t play ‘Harlem Shake’?” “Agh, that’s what he’s getting paid for!” But whatever, fuck 'em.

At this point, I’m trying to go from playing the original, to just playing a remix, to maybe putting in one little clip-- sort of weening off of it until I can eventually not play it at all. That would be the perfect thing.