CLAUDE VONSTROKE CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF DIRTYBIRD WITH FOURTH ALBUM ‘FREAKS & BEAKS’
PLUS ‘PART IV’ of BRAND NEW DOCU-SERIES + BRAND NEW DIRTYBIRD BOOK AVAILABLE NOW
OUT NOW on DIRTYBIRD - BUY/STREAM HERE
DIRTYBIRD Book Available HERE
“Calls to arms, invitations to both the peacocks and the wallflowers to loosen up and get down.” - LA Times
“Hard to think of anyone who’s shaped the house music landscape more than Barclay Crenshaw, AKA [Claude VonStroke]” - Fabric
Today, kicking off the year-long celebration of the 15th birthday of his iconic label Dirtybird, Claude VonStroke releases his highly anticipated fourth studio album, Freaks & Beaks.
What started as a humble party in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, turned basement record label, has morphed into a truly thriving community whose familial, fun and welcoming vibe has won over hearts and minds across the world. And while Dirtybird has grown and evolved, VonStroke’s core focus on music remains unwavering. The new album ‘Freaks & Beaks’ is a celebration of quirky innovation and a relentless pursuit of something new and fresh, while hearkening back to the freewheeling spirit that inspired the launch of his label. This is a project that draws upon the inspirations of family, old friends, new fans, and proper dancefloors.
‘Freaks and Beaks’ is the fourth artist album and sixth full-length project from Claude VonStroke. He approached the album with a new process: committing to daily creative time, experimenting with a lot of new hardware, and having fun making a huge amount of sketches. Ultimately, he used many levels of gear all the way from complex modular synths to simple drum apps on his iPad. Keeping it all DIY, he sampled his own voice and his two children on several tracks as well, allowing himself to breathe while creating over 130 ideas which were whittled down to the finished 11 album tracks.
Listen carefully for a nod to the inspirations that underpin VonStroke’s world. Inside jokes between him and Justin Martin (Flubblebuddy), unused experimental live sessions (Session A), vocal samples from loved ones (All My People In The House), playful noodling on synths (Alpine Arpline), obscure French producers (Frankie Goes To Bollywood), championing new talent (Youngblood), irreverent self-aware humor (Birthday Messages), and genre inspirations that ranging from ghetto tech and drum n bass to hip-hop and breaks. This is VonStroke’s love letter to the vibrancy and diversity that have made DIRTYBIRD such a singular label.
Beyond the album, VonStroke is celebrating Dirtybird’s 15 years the only way he knows how - working and providing for his fans. Today, he releases the buzzing Dirtybird book, designed by Bay Area artist Jeremy Fish - featuring never-before-seen photos, interviews with the founders of the label and more. Available as a box set or solo, check it out via the Dirtybird store.
This year, VonStroke will throw two dozen-plus parties, three festivals (including the famous Dirtybird Campout and the new Birdhouse Los Angeles and CampINN), host his traveling Dirtybird BBQ series in major cities across the US, publish a coffee table book, release a seasonal clothing line, stage art shows, and continue his fly-on-the-wall video documentary series. Check out all the Dirtybird 15 year programming here.
We’ll see you on the dancefloor!
Claude VonStroke
Website: https://claudevonstroke.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Claude.VonStroke/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vonstroke/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vonstroke
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/claudevonstroke
Dirtybird Records
Website: https://dirtybirdrecords.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dirtybirdrecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtybirdrecords/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dirtybird
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dirtybirdrecords