Irish producer and DJ Welshy, aka Ross Walsh, has been making a name for himself on the dance and electronica scene over the past couple of years.

He first came to prominence when he sampled an Irish-language poem from his Leaving Cert course in 2016 in one of his songs 2020 has proven especially productive for the young Kilkenny man, signing a deal with Sony and amassing over 40 million streams.

He recently released his new single 'Haiti', so we took the opportunity to catch up with him to learn more about his influences, likes and dislikes, and most importantly, his favourite takeaway food.

What’s the music that you listened to growing up, that you still listen to today?
Growing up, I listened to a lot of Avicii and Calvin Harris. Still to this day I always find myself going back to Calvin Harris’s album '18 Months' or Avicii’s album 'True'. Two albums jam-packed with anthems.

In three words, describe the minute before you walk on stage.
Oh My God

How do you wind down after a gig?
After a gig I like to take a breather and chill backstage with all the crew and have a chat and find out their thoughts on the show, what they liked and disliked and how to improve for the next one.

What’s the one song you wish you’d written or recorded first?
That's a good one. There's so many songs I wish I wrote, but for me it would have to be 'Seek Bromance' by Avicii. This song is the reason I started making music. When I started producing music I was always trying to replicate the elements of 'Seek Bromance'. The problem was nobody could do it better than Avicii.

You can only have three albums on your phone/in your house at any one time - what three would you pick for today?
I mentioned two of them already - '18 Months' by Calvin Harris, 'True' by Avicii and 'Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac.

Name one record, one book and one film that everyone should hear / read / see.
Record - 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac. It doesn’t matter what genre of music you're into - this song, in my opinion, is one of the all time greats.
Book - I’ve recently just read 'The Successful Mind'. It's a compilation of 33 authors on how to live a purposeful, productive and happy life - I really enjoyed this book.
Film - I absolutely loved Inception. You can watch this movie over and over and have a different opinion on the ending.

Pick the director and lead actor(s) for a biopic about your life.
That's a tough one. I think directed by Christopher Nolan, as he’ll make the story a lot better than it actually is and starring Matthew McConaughey, as I think it’d be hilarious to hear his take on my culchie Irish accent. I wish I had a more serious answer!

You’re ordering take-away, what do you get?
I don’t really get takeaway that often, but when I do, I always get a Chinese. You can’t go too far wrong with a good Szechuan chicken.

Describe your perfect day off.
For me the perfect day off is very simple - it would be going to watch a hurling match, heading to the pub afterwards and analysing the match over a few pints with my friends and anyone who was at the match in the pub. There are two things I’m very passionate about, music and the GAA.

Tell us, in one sentence, why we should come to your next gig.
Over lockdown and throughout the pandemic, I, like many other producers, have created lots of new music that has gone unheard in a club setting. My next gig I hope is a chance to showcase all the great productions that have been made by me and fellow producers during these difficult times.

BONUS QUESTION: Recommend a podcast and tell us why we should subscribe to it.
I absolutely love The 2 Johnnies podcast. If you’re Irish and have even the tiniest interest in the GAA, this podcast will leave you in tears.

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'Haiti' is out now.