DJ Dano rounds off the Letterkenny Sound Film Festival

The Sound Soundtrack Film Festival was rounded off in fantastic style by an audio-visual masterclass performance by Daniel McGarrigle on Sunday night. 

Known more casually as ‘DJ Dano’, the Letterkenny native created and conducted a unique cinematic rave that had the crowd at the RCC dancing to every beat amid a flood of fun and film nostalgia.

On the whole, the Sound Festival celebrated the art of music and sound in film and there had been a number of wonderful performances throughout the weekend from the Donegal Chamber Orchestra, Sinéad Gleeson and Little John Nee amongst many others. It was a superb showcase of local talent while providing a platform for so many great performances.

Holding the responsibility of having to round off the weekend might have been a nerve-wrecking prospect for Dano, and even if that was the case, it certainly didn’t show as his energy and enthusiasm transpired to everyone who had come along that evening. 

In a somewhat dimly lit room at the end of the Regional Cultural Center, this show was lit up with a dazzling kaleidoscope of lights where clips from a number of famous movies were perfectly synced to Dano’s dance music. 

It was rich enjoyment for both the eyes and the ears and, because most of the tracks and clips were from decades gone by, there was that feeling that you were being transported back to a younger and more innocent time in your life. Dano’s choice of clips were based on his favourites as a child, where he spent his younger days growing up in the Gortlee region of the town. 

Those in attendance were treated to clips and cuts from such nineties Hollywood classics as Wayne’s World, Back to the Future, Lost in Translation, Jurassic Park as well as a number of Anime movies to name only a few. All of which were worked in time with Dano’s DJ set list and it didn’t take long until the flashing balloons and glow-sticks made an appearance to add to the jovial atmosphere. 

“I had a fantastic night,” Dan said. “I’ve seen so many incredible performances in the auditorium of the RCC and it’s always an honour to play there. I was so hyped to see so many of my friends in one room too. There was such positive energy in the place and that made any of my pre-gig nerves dissolve as soon as I started DJing.”

Perhaps what made this set most memorable was the originality of the concept. It’s fair to say it was a very unique show and, in turn, one just had to ask where the idea came from. 

“I studied Motion Graphics for my Master’s Degree in 2009. My final project and dissertation was based around creating visuals for live performances, so I suppose I’ve always had an interest in using visuals for a live show. I’ve dabbled in things like this with other bands through the years but this was the first time I used the big screen to full effect while DJing,” he said. 

“The idea came about when Jeremy Howard, an employee of the RCC, asked me if I had any ideas about how we could round off the festival. I made up a rough running order of the music I wanted to play and edited the music with clips from some of my favourite films. I spent about an hour every evening for the last two months working on that,” he added. 

This particular show may have signaled the end of the first Sound music for film festival, but it’s certainly not the end of the road for Daniel McGarrigle. He’s also a member of the Shindig House Band; a popular four-piece who cover 1990s dance and hip-hop tracks and he has set his sights on some new creative projects already.

“Hopefully I’ll get the chance to perform at the RCC again soon. I might even get the chance to play in another town or city, but the main thing is that I just love creating stuff like this. The band are my best buds and I would really like to get back to creating some of our own music that we could look to record too,” he added. 

It may have been a one-man-show on the night but Dano is the first to acknowledge that there were many people to thank. The RCC’s Derek O’Connor had pulled a lot of strings to get the show up and running.

“I’d also like to give a shout out to my creative team of Emmet Toner and Adam Moore. I’m always stoked to hang out and get inspired by them,” he said. “I’d also like to give an extra special thanks to the Shindig House Band for just being some of the best folk going in my life. And, of course, a huge thanks goes to everyone who came along and partied on the night.”