Dirtybird Players - Miami Edition Claude Vonstroke Justin Martin Eats Everything Catz 'N Dogz French Fries J. Phlip Claude Vonstroke 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 2003, the label 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. Justin Martin There’s a new breed of house music bubbling under in a certain American city, but it’s not coming out of Chicago or New York - this time it’s from San Francisco. Claude VonStroke’s ‘Who’s Afraid of Detroit?’ was one of the biggest tracks of 2006 and the label it came out on is Dirtybird Records, the Bay Area brainchild of VonStroke and DJ/producer Justin Martin. VonStroke and Martin have been injecting avarian squelch, funk and swagger into the tech house template for just over a year now, but while VonStroke was 2006’s unofficial best newcomer, don’t be surprised if Martin doesn’t fly the coop soon too. It might be a fresh sound, but Martin is not exactly a spring chicken. He’s actually been releasing records since 2003 – his first single was ‘The Sad Piano’ issued on Ben Watt’s London label Buzzin’ Fly. Its simplicity and groove made it a favourite of DJs along the lines of Derrick Carter, Pete Tong and Mark Farina, while Charles Webster’s classic remix of the cut even found favour with the Germans, popping up on Steve Bug’s ‘Bugnology’. Since then Martin has racked up two more twelves on Buzzin’ Fly and a couple of jacking house tracks and remixes on labels such as Classic and Freerange. He also promises an artist album in 2007. While San Francisco might not thought be thought of as a dance hotbed, there’s always been enough going on to turn the most curious heads onto the culture. The early drum n bass scene turned Martin away from jazz and hip hop and onto the rave culture of the nineties, a short sharp shock which inspired him to take up DJing and producing. But the truth is Martin had always been musical – as a child he studied the saxophone and classical piano, a musicality which shows in both his productions and DJ sets.