★★★★★
Claude VonStroke is what you would call a "producer's producer." Growing up near the musical mecca of Detroit, VonStroke crafts technically tight instrumentals that invoke the spirit of first-wave techno. Released on his Dirtybird imprint, last year's processes broad house beats through downbeat, sparse and textural filters...
- exclaim.ca
2014-05-03
★★★★★
Not long after its inception in 2005, Claude VonStroke's Dirtybird label became one of the most significant outposts for house music on the US West Coast. For most of the San Francisco imprint's lifetime, a small roster of artists have been responsible for the bulk of its output, with VonStroke leading the charge. The Dirtybird sound, like its founder's, is tried-and-tested, rarely deviating from the bass-heavy style that originally won over its fans...
- www.residentadvisor.net
2013-10-30
★★★★★
As with his previous two albums, Urban Animal shows a depth to Claude VonStroke (a.k.a. Barclay Crenshaw) that isn't always obvious in his party-friendly singles. On 2006's Beware of the Bird, club anthems "Deep Throat" and "The Whistler" contrasted with "Lullaby"'s spooky washes; for 2009's Bird Brain it was "Aundy," named for his wife, that provided the calm amongst the bassy brashness...
- www.xlr8r.com
2013-09-23
★★★★★
Claude VonStroke is no stranger to making a good dance song. With releases such as 'The Whistler' and 'Who's Afraid of Detroit?' which catapulted Claude VonStroke into the mainstream, it's safe to say that there was an air of anticipation surrounding the release of "Bird Brain." On first listening to the album it's clear that the formula has been kept the same, with minimal funk sounds dominating throughout and cleverly placed vocals planting Claude VonStroke's signature on each track...
- hangout.altsounds.com
2010-11-02
★★★★★
This is a taste of Claude VonStroke's new work, representing his deeper, moodier capabilities. "Aundy" pays homage to the '90s drum 'n bass sound of people like LTJ Bukem and Good Looking Records. "Storm On Lake Saint Claire" is a vibing summer track that builds and sways with cascading melodies raining down on your ears. It is a perfect building-block for bridging the gap between moody house and big room thunder.
- www.forcedexposure.com
2010-08-27
★★★★★
Here are two teaser tracks from Claude Vonstroke's Bird Brain full-length. On "Vocal Chords," CVS constructs a mad vocal pattern up and down through 4 octaves and all the vowel sounds of the live human voice. Then he creates a "chord" out of the notes all together for an even bigger surprise in the second half. On "Big N' Round" Claude makes an ultra-wide filter sweep sound like a pair of humongous tits bouncing up and down on a trampoline.
- www.forcedexposure.com
2010-08-27
★★★★★
Taking the characteristic bump of dirtybird/mothership, including the fresh sounds of Italoboyz and Voodeux, and merging it with the likes of Troy Pierce's stripped-back precision and the melancholic grace of Stimming, Fabric 46 is the eccentric, animated, wide-ranging sound of Claude VonStroke embodied...
- www.forcedexposure.com
2010-08-27
★★★★★
Bird Brain is Claude VonStroke's second artist album. In true CVS style, the music is a diverse menagerie of sounds and samples, many provided by the man himself. His love for his home city of San Francisco and its people heavily influences the music of Bird Brain. The sites and sounds of the bustling Haight St. where he lives have seeped into the tracks...
- www.forcedexposure.com
2010-08-27
★★★★★
"Bird Brain is Claude VonStroke's second artist album. In true CVS style, the music is a diverse menagerie of sounds and samples, many provided by the man himself. His love for his home city of San Francisco and its people heavily influences the music of Bird Brain. The sites and sounds of the bustling Haight St. where he lives have seeped into the tracks...
- www.forcedexposure.com
2009-11-26