Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie & Danny Dodge.
Hi Annie & Danny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Danny and I first met in Boston 16 years ago at Berklee College of Music. We still remember the exact moment on Boylston Street when our paths crossed — a story we even shared at our wedding out on Cape Cod. Back then, we were both diehard musicians, guitar players, and metalheads. Our first date was spent in a practice room in the basement of the dorms, trading riffs and songs. Both of us were studying Electronic Music Production & Design, fronting separate metal bands as guitarists and vocalists, but it wasn’t long before we started collaborating. From that spark, our first project together, DreamEater, was born.
We wrote our earliest songs in a basement in Quincy, MA, and in Fall 2015 we made the leap to Los Angeles to chase our dream of becoming electronic artists. The grind was real — Annie worked as a composer’s assistant for film and TV (working on shows like Bloodline and The Last Ship), taught private guitar, voice, and production lessons, and sang on scores for film and video games (Fortnite, The Wheel Of Time), while Danny worked in live events, weddings, and film composer work, and other behind-the-scenes industry work. But through it all, DreamEater remained our passion.
As we grew in LA, we explored every corner of electronic music — from dubstep to mid-tempo to metal-inspired EPs — and slowly carved out our own lane. We gained traction on Instagram by blending our love of guitar with electronic music, posting covers of artists we admired like The Glitch Mob and Kill the Noise. A repost from The Glitch Mob gave us our first taste of recognition, and from there, things began to take off.
Four years ago, a pivotal moment came when we collaborated with Matt from Three Days Grace. That release marked the start of a new era and the official transition from DreamEater to our current project, Shadow Cliq.
The foundation of everything we do has always been our relationship — creating together, pushing each other, and refusing to quit. Annie’s guitar playing and vocals are central to our sound, while Danny’s production drives the project. We both contribute across songwriting and all areas of the process, always collaborating, always evolving. We also are very health conscious, and athletic people, that hit the gym everyday and have full sobriety from alcohol.
Our social media presence has also opened unexpected doors. Last year was a mega highlight year for performances, Annie played guitar live on the runaway at Miami Swim Week with The Black Tape Project and also took the stage at EDC Mainstage with Subtronics to play an original guitar solo — both opportunities born directly from the platform we’ve built online. Those moments were reminders that DIY hustle, creativity, and connection really can move mountains.
Today, Shadow Cliq has racked up 24 million streams and built a community of over 750,000 followers — all while being completely self-managed. We are grateful to be represented by UTA who also found us through our social media. We’ve gone through every phase imaginable — working with drummers, experimenting with heavy records, trying on different styles — and we’re now diving headfirst into a new tech house–meets–pop chapter that we think is our best work yet. Through it all, we’ve stayed grounded in our love, our creativity, and the belief that the best is still ahead.
We’ve made it this far with no management, just persistence, passion, and a whole lot of late nights — plus two cats we adopted after a music video shoot, amazing friends we’ve gained along the way, and the wild experience of navigating LA’s strange music scene. It’s been one hell of a journey, but if there’s one thing we know: Shadow Cliq is just getting started.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. Releasing music independently is hard, balancing it with social media is hard, and working together while living together as a couple comes with its own set of challenges. But we’re intentional people — always willing to put in the time and effort to improve. We currently work with a life coach, and we both see therapists, which we consider essential parts of being artists and humans. We’re also very health-conscious, working out daily and making it a priority to stay positive for each other.
Along the way, there have been what we like to call redirections. One of our first big opportunity came when Kill the Noise was planning to bring us on tour for the release of his album — and then COVID hit and the album was shelved. More recently, we were booked at Nocturnal Wonderland, which was extra meaningful because it was the very first festival we ever attended. We were scheduled on one of the main stages, but wildfires broke out around the festival grounds and forced its cancellation.
When we realized Nocturnal was canceled, we made a split-second decision to head to Vegas with our best friend G0rb, who had traveled from Boston to see us. That weekend, we ended up catching Dom Dolla and John Summit — a night that completely ignited our passion for tech house and house music. That inspiration became the seed of our next chapter, Neverland, a project built around pop/house music — something that never would have happened had Nocturnal not burned down.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We like to call ourselves the baddies of the music industry because we don’t fit neatly into any box. What we’re known for isn’t just one thing – it’s a mix of skills, talents, and moments that keep people guessing. Sometimes it’s a viral skit that blows up online and stirs controversy. Sometimes it’s Annie performing on the EDC Mainstage with a dubstep artist. Sometimes it’s us dropping wild music videos or performing like a full-on metal band.
If there’s one thread that ties it all together, it’s the guitar. We’re known for bringing guitar into electronic music — blending it into our productions, weaving it through our DJ sets, and making it part of our live shows alongside vocals and heavy drops. That crossover has become part of our signature, but our reputation goes beyond that.
We’re probably seen as an anomaly — difficult for managers or agents to put into a box — because we’re always changing things up: music-wise, branding-wise, content-wise. And that’s intentional. For us, staying true to our vision means resisting being pigeonholed. We’d rather die as unique, rebellious, beautiful flowers than sell our souls by playing it safe.
At the same time, we’re not afraid to evolve. Right now, that means working on a pop/house record, because that’s what excites us in this moment. Across every phase, one thing has stayed consistent: our music is catchy, melodic, and memorable. Even when we shift genres, people can recognize our sound — and that’s what we’re most proud of.
What makes you happy?
Happiness has shifted for me over the years, but I’ve come to see it as a choice you make every single day. So much of life is out of our control — people, circumstances, timing — but what we can control is how we respond. Over time I’ve also grown more spiritual, and I really believe in loving my fate and the circumstances I’m given. I carry a strong sense of purpose, and I know deep down that music is why I’m here. It’s what drives me to work so avidly and intentionally.
For me, happiness is being authentic in my creativity, surrounding myself with positive loving people, and trusting my gut fully in every decision. The times I’ve gotten into trouble have been when I ignored my heart. So now, happiness means listening to my heart, choosing positivity, and embracing my fate with gratitude.
On a day-to-day level, happiness is creating or performing music together, cuddling with our two cats (Cortez and Bella, we call them “The Bugz”,) and spending quality time with the people we love. Also Taco Bell.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/shadowcliq
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/shadowcliq
- Twitter: https://x.com/shadowcliq
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/shadowcliq
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shadowcliq
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3MwmjpfJvIoCarmc1eehbu?si=20NN_3fDSc-crYebpTiZVA
Image Credits
Photos Left To Right, Top to Bottom
Tracy Nguyen
Olga Pankova
Joe & Kristen Navas
Deven Bussey
Jason Fenmore
Kathryn Frazier (2 photos)
Leo Xandre (last 2 photos)
