What you consider “old school” often depends on when you got into electronic dance music. For long-time listeners, that’s the supposed golden years of house lasting from the late ‘80s into the ‘90s.
For newer listeners, the resurgence of deep house starting around 2013 – an era giving us Duke Dumont and Oliver Heldens – now feels a bit classic in the present.
Whatever your frame of reference, Irish producer Shane Codd has been adding his spin to Ibiza-style piano and groovy beats on his introductory tracks. Listeners caught note last year with “Get Out My Head” – a catchy earworm equally home in 1995 as it would be in 2015.
Not flying under the radar, “Get Out My Head” reached the UK Top 10, peaking at No. 6 and gaining over 42 million streams across the globe.
Now signed to Polydor, Codd didn’t come from nowhere. If you’re in Ireland, you might have heard him on Mark McCabe’s Breakout Producer competition in 2018 – aired on SPIN 1038. Then, “Get Out My Head” progressed gradually from the Irish Singles chart from mid-2020 into early 2021, where it ranked prominently on the Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and eventually the UK Singles Chart.
Building off that momentum, the Dublin-born, County Cavan-raised Codd released follow-up “Always on My Mind” – not a reference to the Elvis Presley song covered by several artists since – and has received support from Capital FM, Kiss FM, and BBC Radio 1 tastemakers.
As Codd gets listeners dancing with his retro good vibes, we had a chance to speak with him about his meteoric rise so far.
How did you get involved in dance music production?
I’ve been into music since I was a kid. My parents used to play dance music around me, and I always loved it. Growing up through school, I would watch Tomorrowland videos and dream of being a DJ. Then, I started DJing in the local bars and getting into production when I was 18/19.
Your sound pulls from the ‘90s and 2000s. What interests or inspires you about this period of dance music?
I have just always loved it since I was young. I love the high tempo uplifting vibe it has. It makes you want to dance.
For production, how do you go about capturing this era with modern technology?
I do incorporate a lot of ‘90s sounds, and I try to add more modern sounds and make something new. I use plugins from the era to get the older sounds and transform them using effects or layers of newer sounds.
About 3 years ago, you were a finalist for ‘Breakout Producer’. How did this help your career?
It gave me an insight into the game and allowed me to meet new people. It was a confidence boost.
Last year’s “Get Out of My Head” peaked at No. 6 on the U.K. Singles chart. How did this feel for you?
Amazing and blown away to think I made that track in my bedroom. I want to do it again and top it.
“Always on My Mind” comes out this month. What was your vision for this track?
I wanted to carry over energy from “Get Out My Head” with an uplifting vibe. The vocal is powerful – I just want to make people feel something and have them wanting to dance.
Charlotte Haining is featured on “Always on My Mind”. How did you two end up working together?
She sent me the vocal in December, and we started doing zooms together to work on the track, which was amazing. We had it ready around April/May.
What are your plans for the rest of 2021? Can we expect any more new music?
I’m looking to release new music and play as many shows as I can. I have a few tunes ready to go that I really like and excited for people to hear. I also have an alias project I’m working on with more of a trance influence, which I’m excited to share.
As a newer but successful artist, where would you like your career to go long term?
I want to be in this game for a long time and continue to release music, grow, and learn. I would like to emulate the success of Calvin Harris and Avicii some day.
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Ivan Yaskey is a Philly-born EDM and synthpop enthusiast and interviewer who recently relocated to beautiful Boston, MA.