Dashoda

Dashoda is the moniker for Irish producer, singer and songwriter Gavin MacDermott, originally from Dublin. 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. He tries to create musical narratives and atmospheres that transport the listener and cites the works of directors David Lynch, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Michael Mann and Takeshi Kitano as inspiration.

Musical inspirations come from far and wide - Blood Orange, Roxy Music, Japan, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Prefab Sprout. An obsession with Scottish band The Blue Nile serves as one of Gavin’s greatest inspirations to keep writing and crafting new music as Dashoda.

Summer 2019 saw the release of Dashoda’s debut single ‘In Between’ and sophomore single ‘38 Long’ have success across the Irish airwaves on RTÉ 2FM, BBC Radio Ulster, FM104, KCLR, WLR, PlayIrish and inclusion on Spotify's New Music Friday UK, A Breath of Fresh Éire and An Alternative Éire playlists.

That period also saw Dashoda garner coverage on Nialler9, Joe.ie, Hot Press, GoldenPlec, The Last Mixed Tape, Totally Dublin and Broadsheet.ie and play shows at Electric Picnic, Whelans and Bello Bar. In 2020 Dashoda remixed Benny Smiles’ single ‘When We Touch’ and commenced writing and recording a debut EP.

His latest single, 2022’s ‘Looking For You’, has been incredibly well received by radio in Ireland, with multiple plays on 18 stations in the Republic, including RTÉ 2fm, Red FM and iRadio. Nialler9 featured Dashoda on the cover of his Tracks of the Week upon release and Hot Press commented: “The neon, shimmering synth will have you itching to bust out the mirror ball. It's a fun injection of dance grooviness after three years of absolute carnage in the world.”

Dashoda supported one of Ireland’s hottest exports, 49th & Main (signed to Ninja Tune), on their Irish tour in 2022, selling out venues in Limerick and Dublin. Opening for the duo feels prophetic, setting up Dashoda as a fellow rising star.

2023 sees the release of Dashoda’s debut EP Never Enough, which is “inspired by the experience of avoidance and self-sabotage," he hints of the upcoming EP's themes, which will sit well with fans of The Blue Nile, Talking Heads and David Lynch movies as well as dedicated pop fans.

Add to this the almost 1 million radio impacts ‘Looking For You’ achieved in just a few months and his upcoming live date at The Workman’s Cellar, Dublin, and it's not hard to see why Dashoda is firmly on track to being one of Ireland’s most exciting new acts.