Dashoda

Introducing Dashoda, aka solo Irish electronic producer, singer and songwriter Gavin MacDermott. With Indie electronic beats full of flair and energy, Dashoda is electro-pop rooted in ambient 80s rock with a lick of techno, tied together like a daydream by his smooth vocals. 

Growing up in Wexford and Malahide, Gavin began to lay down his first original songs using various instruments - a Roland digital recorder, guitars, mandolins, bass and an old Yamaha keyboard. Inspired by the cinematic works by the likes of David Lynch and Takeshi Kitano, Gavin’s creative process seeks to build narratives and atmospheres, thus making his music an immersive experience. 

It was the electronic songs of the 80s that helped Gavin to find his voice but it was in his early twenties that the world of electronic production beckoned when he discovered Ableton. This discovery brought his music and film influences together in a confluence that ultimately became Dashoda. 

Dashoda grew from imaginative atmospheres and visual colourscapes, building hooks out of feelings and translating this inner monologue into an audio sensory experience. Musically, his inspiration grew from listening to bands like New Order to Blood Orange, Roxy Music to Sascha Funke, Dan Avery, Japan, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Prefab Sprout. Growing up, his Dad had a thing for guitar bands, and he and Gavin would often while away afternoons listening to Pink Floyd albums on repeat. Additionally, an obsession with 80s Scottish art rock band, The Blue Nile remains with Gavin to this day and probably serves as one of his greatest inspirations to keep writing and crafting new music.

By 2017 Gavin had accumulated a number of demos, produced in his bedroom that he felt would reflect his musical journey. He then approached producer Darragh Nolan (Sacred Animals, A. Smyth, Ailbhe Reddy, Basciville) to help craft his sound at Asta Kalapa Studios. This led to supporting Booka Brass Band on their 2017 Irish tour and gigging in Kreuzberg, Berlin in 2018.

2019 promises the release of Dashoda’s first debut single “In Between” followed by a second release in the pipeline and performances in the coming months.