Chloe MooreChloe Moore spoke to ChildsMind, the artist capturing the imagination of a new generation of Irish ravers, rising from barn raves in the Irish countryside to headlining club shows in Dublin.
What began in 2023 as a personal music project quickly evolved into Project 32, a mission to spark connection and energy across the country’s dance scene, one county, one beat, one unforgettable night at a time. With a growing catalogue of euphoric techno, house-infused tracks and a grassroots ethos that lives on Instagram feeds and in packed-out events.
What was the pivotal moment that inspired you to pursue DJing and producing?
I was about ten, sitting in the car with my dad, and he put on The Prodigy. I’d never heard anything like it in my life. All those mad electronic sounds, raw, chaotic, emotional, it flicked some switch in my head. It made me obsessed with figuring out how music like that was created, and honestly, hearing those tracks in my dad’s car at ten years old changed my whole life. That curiosity never left. It’s the moment everything started.
Your sound covers house, techno, trance, and more. How do you decide which style or vibe fits a particular track or set?
I usually start by visualising the moment I want to create live. Like, what does this track feel like at 2 AM at a rave on top of a mountain? What does the crowd look like when that synth comes in? My music always starts with a picture in my head, usually a crowd losing it in the middle of nowhere. Playing at raves has completely changed how I produce. I build everything around how it will feel for a crowd in a wild location. If it doesn’t work in a forest, a mountain, or on a cliffside, it doesn’t make the cut.
Considering recent releases and tours, particularly tracks such as “Lost Without U,” in what ways do you feel your musical style is currently developing?
Playing my own music out live has made me want to push the energy higher and higher every time. My sound’s gotten a lot more 90s rave focused, big chords, fast energy, chaos, but with emotion behind it. And lately I’ve felt a huge pull toward working with Irish vocalists. There’s something special about hearing an Irish voice over rave music; it feels authentic in a way I’d been missing.
From streams to the rave floor, how does the audience’s reaction to your music influence you? Do these responses guide your future creative decisions?
Massively. Sometimes I get home from a rave at 8 AM, no sleep, and I’m straight back into the studio. A packed rave will tell you more about your track than a year in the studio. You learn everything you need from a crowd: what hits, what falls flat, what needs fixing. Playing new music out is the most important part of making a great dance record. The crowd tells you the truth that the studio can’t.
What was the driving force behind your decision to undertake Project 32, the DIY-rave tour that encompassed all 32 counties of Ireland, and what key takeaways did you gain from the experience?
Honestly, it started in my garage with my mates. Wexford has no clubs anymore, nothing. So we just said, screw it, let’s build our own thing. Then we played a few raves around Wexford, and the reaction online was mental. That’s when we said, “Imagine doing this in every county.” The most amazing part is seeing how far people will go just to dance, climbing mountains, trekking through forests, and walking for miles. If nightlife won’t come to us, we’ll drag a sound system up a mountain and make our own. It’s something I never thought I’d see in Ireland.
What is the reaction to your after-rave footage on platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Do you encounter any resistance or criticism?
Most people love it, but of course, there’s criticism, mainly around being public with the raves. But from the start, I wanted to make noise. Not just with the raves themselves, but by showing them online. I think pushing for better nightlife in Ireland means showing people what’s possible. The criticism doesn’t bother me; making noise is part of the mission.
What practical or logistical issues are involved in coordinating raves at non-traditional locations such as mountains, woods, caves, or other remote venues?
The weather is always the big one. After that, shutdowns are always at the back of your mind. But the main challenge? Convincing my mates to drag a full sound system for miles up a mountain. Everyone sees the rave, no one sees the miles we carry speakers through mud.
Do you envision Project 32 maintaining its current DIY/underground ethos, shifting toward more official/licensed events, or pursuing a hybrid approach in the future?
For now, it stays DIY. That’s the heart of it. But in the future, I could see a hybrid system where some shows are official, and some stay completely underground.
In your view, what’s the current state of the dance/electronic scene in Ireland? Where do you see it thriving, and what could change for the better?
Ireland’s dance scene has so much life and so much potential, but the infrastructure is miles behind. The crowds are unbelievable, the hunger is there, and people genuinely want a place to go. Raves are thriving because people are taking it into their own hands. If the country backed its nightlife properly, Ireland could be world-class.
What’s the next chapter for ChildsMind? What should people be watching for?
I’m deep into new music right now, especially a project with Irish vocalists. I want to create something that feels like Ireland’s rave culture in sound: the stories, the accents, the rawness, the nights in the mountains. I’m collecting found sounds from the raves, recordings of people talking, and putting that into the music. It’s a huge project, but I can’t wait to share it. I want to build music that sounds like Ireland feels at a rave at 4 AM.
