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Claude VonStroke

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Location: San Francisco, CA

Website: http://www.dirtybirdrecords.com/claude_vonstroke.html

Bio: "I would like to come over...what are you having for dinner?" asks the creepy character in Claude VonStroke's first hit record, "Deep Throat". After ... (more) selling through 10 pressings in 2005, "Deep Throat" quickly put VonStroke on the map as an up and coming artist. The success of the single was followed up by "Who's Afraid of Detroit?", another international hit championed by Richie Hawtin who called it the"best track of 2006" in DJ magazine. Soon after that Claude released his full length debut album, "Beware of the Bird" to excellent reviews, further establishing him as an original talent in the world of underground dance music. Since then, Claude has done remixes for a very diverse group of top artists ranging all the way from the indy rock band, The Rapture (Vertigo/Universal) to Jeff Samuel (Pokerflat).

Claude VonStroke is better known to locals, as Barclay Crenshaw, the owner of San Francisco's quirky tech-funk label, dirtybird. The label consists of Crenshaw (VonStroke,) fellow producer Justin Martin, and a diverse assortment of top remixers from around the globe such as John Tejada, Audion, Diplo, 3 Channels, Dj Assault, and Kevin Saunderson.

The idea for dirtybird began in 2003 when Crenshaw was producing an intense 5 hour DVD about electronic music called Intellect. The project was a labor of love, taking almost 2 years to complete and starring over 35 top producers and legendary DJs such as Derrick May, Swayzak, Derrick Carter, Deep Dish, Paul Van Dyk, Theo Parish, and many more. The main goal of the Intellect project was to make an informative dvd that could help DJs advance their careers in electronic music. The result was Crenshaw himself starting dirtybird records and a production career under the alias, Claude VonStroke.

Since 2005, dirtybird has managed to solidify a reputation for releasing oddball classic techno and house tracks. The outdoor dirtybird parties in San Francisco's scenic Golden Gate Park have also become a legendary summer destination point for both locals and international travelers.

In addition to production and label management, Claude VonStroke has an intense regimen for preparation and a great ear for song selection. His DJ sets are always inspiring and surprising. You will never hear a set of monotonous music because Claude always takes time to find the special cuts that make for a completely original experience that is not to be missed.

In 2007, Claude is hard at work on his second album. He also has plans to introduce a new deep techno sub-label this year called Mothership. (less)