Beyond the bright lights, the spectacle of lasers, and the pulpit of the DJ booth, there’s an enigmatic mystery emanating from within the culture of L.A.’s vibrant electronic dance music scene. Explore it with us in eye-opening bursts as we put the city’s finest electronic music producers under the microscope to better understand their greatness in addition to their contributions to the industry in our new, electronic music-dedicated series, “Not Another DJ.” 

When the Dirtybird label moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2013, few could have expected that it would start a clothing line, management business and become a global empire that it is today. Even fewer could have predicted that it would lead to the crew landing Mixmag’s “Label of the Year” or that the hustling dad and label boss, Barclay Crenshaw, who is better known as Claude VonStroke, would start dropping chart-topping radio hits like “MAHARAJA” which was recently named DJ Mag’s “track of the year” — but after about 15 years living in the Bay Area a young and hopeful Crenshaw was starting to get an earful from a local friend about moving to L.A. so he gave it a shot. 

“He convinced me that it did matter that the music industry was in L.A..” Crenshaw explained. “We were on an outpost due for a change so we just did it.” The move catapulted the Dirtybird name into the upper echelons of house music popularity, making what Crenshaw called “a massive difference” in his career.  About as quickly as he could kill a two-pound burrito at his favorite L.A., food staple Tarasco’s on Sepulveda, promoters knew who they were, Gary Richards was his neighbor and the accolades were pouring in. “It was almost like growing up,” said Crenshaw.

Now fresh off his fifth West Coast edition of Dirtybird Campout (the summer camp-themed festival that last year relocated from Bradley to Modesto), Crenshaw doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Along with his forthcoming February 2020 release of a full feature-length 11-track album which Crenshaw calls “the biggest project we’ve ever done,” fans can look forward to new tour dates, and a colossal coffee table book in honor of the label’s 15th birthday. 

Find all of the info at claudevonstroke.com

 

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