Max HeyraudWe sat down with Fionn Curran to chat about his latest offering, Feels Right Baby, his longstanding relationship with Reboot Records, and how looking back at his roots continues to shape the direction he’s moving in next.
Fionn Curran is back on Reboot Records with Feels Right Baby, a high-impact slice of modern piano house that pairs soaring melodic chords with punchy, tribal techno-inspired drums. His latest offering draws inspiration from longstanding influences like Mall Grab and D.O.D, striking the perfect balance between a glossy sun-drenched open-air party and a peak-time Drogheda rave. It marks another step back towards his roots while simultaneously pushing into new territory, the latest chapter in a musical journey that continues to unfold harmoniously.
Did you have any particular inspiration behind your latest release? Were there any artists you were listening to or thinking about while making it?
I have been listening to a lot of modern piano house with a blend of melodic chords and hardgroove/hardhouse drum patterns. I think this creates a really cool blend. Artists that inspired me were Mall Grab, Sam Alfred and D.O.D.
You’re back on Reboot Records, which feels like a real home base for your music. How do you usually communicate with the team when preparing a release?
Yes definitely. Generally, before we decide on a track to release, we will have gone through hundreds of possible tracks that I’m constantly sending over to the team to critique, usually late at night from my end! Then it’s just a case of getting appropriate high-quality artwork made for the track and submitting it for distribution.
We spoke last year about your return to your roots. How has that approach evolved since then?
Yes, it has definitely evolved. While keeping strong melodies, I feel like in the last few months I’ve really improved my track structure and drums, which surround the melody. This is making these new tracks heavy-hitting alongside the emotive melodies, which I’m really proud of.
Could you give us some insight into your creative process for this release?
Sure. This release involved a lot of listening to modern-sounding house and hardgroove.
The melody piano was really inspired by DOD and his tracks, still sleepless and Like I Do. Also, Mall Grab’s Say Nothing. I really wanted to fit the melodies that I was already good at with better and more impactful drums. Once I found the right drums for this, the rest of the track flowed really quickly from there.
Last year, you mentioned that melody-driven music was cutting through more and more. Do you feel that trend has continued?
Definitely. You can see the trend, especially in Ireland and the UK at the moment, with melody-driven styles across all sub-genres of electronic music growing to be very popular. I’m all for it!