Claude VonStroke

Above all else, Claude VonStroke is grateful. His smiley persona behind the DJ booth shows that he’s grateful to be creating, curating and performing music. It just so happens that he's also released some of the most iconic house tracks of the last two decades.

Claude VonStroke–real name Barclay Crenshaw–spent his formative years in Detroit, Michigan, a hotbed of great underground club music. In high school he had his own radio show. He leaned more towards hip-hop at the time, but began to explore the blossoming electronic music scene around him. After moving to Los Angeles as an adult and spending some time working on movie sets, he got the idea to start his own record label. With the help of his wife Aundy and brothers Justin and Christian Martin, Dirtybird Records was formed in 2005.

Through his own imprint he’s released four full-length studio albums, each one uncoincidentally bird-themed in some way. He was also able to build an impeccable roster of acts like Justin Martin, Julio Bashmore, Eats Everything, Shadow Child and Shiba San to name a few. Today, Dirtybird is recognized as one of the top independent electronic labels in the world.

In the 15 years since its inception, VonStroke’s label has grown into an event series and a clothing brand. The flagship festival, Dirtybird Campout, started in 2015 and showcases some of the best acts in underground house and bass music. Keeping with his brand of fun-loving energy, the festival puts a special emphasis on games and activities for happy-go-lucky festival goers.

In more recent years, Crenshaw has been experimenting with creation outside the Claude VonStroke moniker. In 2014, he began collaborating with singer and DJ Green Velvet as the duo Get Real. In 2015, he debuted another project, Barclay Crenshaw. Using his given name, the producer took a departure from his well-known alias in favor of "slowed-down, emotive collection of collaborations and instrumentals."

It just goes to show that in a day of increasing exclusivity, Claude VonStroke sits at the forefront of all that is authentic and fun.