Claude VonStroke is a tech-house/electro-house producer based in San Francisco, California.
"Claude VonStroke" is better known to locals as Barclay Crenshaw, the owner of San Francisco's avant-house label, Dirtybird. The Dirtybird label consists of Crenshaw (VonStroke) fellow producer Justin Martin, and a wide assortment of top remixers from around the globe such as John Tejada, Sammy D, Jesse Rose, and Frankie. In 2005, Dirtybird released a series of daring and creative singles that were played by everyone from Richie Hawtin to Damian Lazarus and received top marks from all the DJ magazines.
The idea for Dirtybird began in 2003 when Barclay was producing an intense 5 hour DVD about electronic music called, “Intellect.” San Francisco newcomer, Justin Martin was hired by Crenshaw to help make house music for the DVD. Barclay quickly recognized Justin's talent and took on a role as his manager, negotiating his first deals with Buzzin'fly, Classic, and Utensil Recordings. The “Intellect” project was a labour of love for Crenshaw, taking almost 2 years to make 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 with Justin and a production career under the quirky alias, Claude VonStroke.
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 boring bunch of monotonous tracks because just like A&R at Dirtybird, Claude always takes time to find the tracks that mean something. Tricky sound effects, nasty bass, inspiring melodies, and up front originals make for a completely original experience that is not to be missed.
His new album, Bird Brain, is out soon on Dirtybird. He currently has one LP out on Dirtybird, Beware of the Bird.