Dashoda is the moniker for Irish producer, singer and songwriter Gavin MacDermott, whose debut EP 'Never Enough' has just been released.

Dashoda is electro-pop crafted from a palette of dance, ambient techno, and 1980s pop, tied together by a baritone crooner vocal.The songs are crafted with a cinematic perspective in mind and music is a visual process for Gavin, who tries to create musical narratives and atmospheres that transport the listener.

Citing the works of directors David Lynch, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Michael Mann and Takeshi Kitano as inspiration, we caught up with him to learn more.

1. What’s the music that you listened to growing up, that you still listen to today?
My dad was a big influence in terms of introducing new artists to me when I was a kid and in my early teens. We would stay up listening to music when I would visit him on the weekends and he would tell stories about the bands, if he saw them live, or how they followed their own path. I think he was always into the idea of the rebel or the creative maverick. It gave me a lot of excitement for going to gigs when I was older and buying records in the meantime. 

Recently I have revisited Grace Jones, Kate Bush, Neil Young, and the Smashing Pumpkins, from these days of listening to records with my dad. I’ll have specific memories about hearing some tracks for the first time and then some songs will resonate even more with me because I’m at a different point in life. 

Moby’s 'Play' is one I come back to now and again for sentimental reasons. It was huge when it came out and it was probably one of my earliest exposures to electronic music. My dad isn’t a musician but I remember him explaining multitrack recording to me and how Moby made the record on his own, and that always stuck with me. 

2. In three words, describe the minute before you walk on stage.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!

3. How do you wind down after a gig?
Have a beer backstage if there is a backstage and, if not, hide in the jacks until I’ve calmed down a bit!

4. What’s the one song (by another artist) you wish you’d written or recorded first?
This can be a fun thing to think about but tricky to answer, because I would have ended up doing something totally different or ruining the song. I think I’d have to go with “The Whole of the Moon” by The Waterboys. It’s such an incredible sounding record to this day. 

5. What is your pet peeve?
People yapping through a gig or film. I’ve started to see more people complaining about this online too, so maybe it's becoming a thing unfortunately.  

6. Name one record, one book and one film that everyone should hear / read / see.
‘Still : Until’ by Royal Yellow (Mark O’Brien). It is a beautiful EP written during lockdown with an atmosphere of anticipation, which is one of the best feelings. Full disclaimer: Mark also worked with me on some music videos for my upcoming EP “Never Enough”. 

The film would be a fairly current choice: ‘An Cailín Ciúin’. It’s a delicate, human story and I feel like it captures so much about being from or living in Ireland. It has also made me reflect a lot on our complicated relationship with the Irish language. 

Books-wise I’m not a great reader at all these days. I’ve read a few John Le Carré books over the last year or two and they’ve all been great. It’s complete escapism but he’s also a master of subtlety and I like how he writes about class and relationships. 

7. Pick the director and lead actor(s) for a biopic about your life.
Terry Gilliam to direct Michael Cera in an absurdist black comedy. 

8. You’re ordering take-away, what do you get?
It’s got to be Nasi Goreng from Xian Street Food. 

9. Describe your perfect day off.
I love a good wander around town when I’ve absolutely nothing to do, or, better still, when I should be doing something else. If I’m up early on a Saturday I like to go in with our dog Rua. Stall into a few book or record shops. Then get a late afternoon pint and head to Whelan’s for a gig that night. 

10. Tell us, in one sentence, why we should come to your next gig (whenever it may be.)
If you like 80s-influenced indie bops with a bit of melancholy, then it might just be your bag. 

BONUS QUESTION: Recommend a podcast and tell us why we should subscribe to it.  
I’d recommend “The Music Tricked Me” by Elise Mollé. Elise is a studio engineer who works in several studios around Ireland. I recorded some vocals with her for two tracks on my EP. It’s fun and insightful, great to see more Irish podcasts exploring music production! 

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Dashoda's debut EP 'Never Enough' is out now.