World exclusive interview! The dirtybird boss gets set for EDC
Interview by Dan Prince
Hey Barclay welcome back to DMCWORLD…where on planet earth are you today?
“Hi Dan…I’m on a train from Penn Station to Boston, Mass.”
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after jumping out of bed?
“That Boy George thing that goes “Do you really want to hurt me? Do you really want to make me cry?”
Hilarious. Well another monstrous weekend for you has just flown by, let’s kick off with Holy Ship that sailed from Miami to the Bahamas with yourself joining the likes of Skrillex and Fatboy Slim. What were some of the highlights from that nautical jaunt?
“Well it’s hard to remember because the ship was total chaos! My fave moments were DJing on the main deck with my buddy Justin Martin and also meeting DJ Mustard and his crew. Also, both Gary (Destructo) and Wax Motif were such awesome guys, they let me drop in on their sets which was cool. And of course hanging with my Get Real partner GreenVelvet is always fun too. But most impressive was watching Justin Jay take the artist lounge from Crickets to people ballroom dancing when he played all this ridiculous wedding music like Shaggy ‘It Wasn’t Me’ and Kool & The Gang ‘Get Down On It’ – that was amazing.”
Wowzer. Well, Dirtybird recently celebrated it’s 10th Anniversary with a 14 track compilation featuring a host of new music. Word on the grapevine is that you have a stack of EPs and album releases ready to fly in 2015…what can you tell us?
“Yeah the label is buzzing with new stuff. We are breaking in some new names right now like Will Clarke, Billy Kenny & Abby Jane, plus we have a great release just out by the main guy who broke out of our camp last year, Shiba San. After that I have a new VonStroke EP called ‘Make A Cake’ that I was playing on Holy Ship and there are rumblings that a second Justin Martin album could appear!! Wow, that would be amazing.”
The DIrtybird 10 album is as you put it a ‘fluff free zone’ and it looks like all the artists really brought their A-game. Did you find there was a sense of competition between your superstars, each one trying to outdo each other with their track?
“Yes and no – they didn’t actually get to hear them all until it was finished so the competition was literally just to get a spot on the comp. Usually I’m begging them for tracks but this year we had more than we could handle and not everything could make it on.”
You admitted in an interview recently that you paid $45 for the original vinyl of Ark ‘Sucubz’ back in 2001. What though is the most you have ever paid for a record?
“That’s the most and it was 45 Euros so like $70. But I did also pay a similar price for an original pressing of Ed Rush and optical ‘Alien Girl’ on vinyl.”
A stunning line up awaited you down in Puero Rico on Saturday for Electric Daisy Carnival. The UK is getting really excited about the UK leg of EDC which takes place July 11th with the likes of Art Department, Hardwell, Jamie Jones and Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike headlining. You tour the world…how far up the pecking order does a UK crowd rate in 2015 for it’s musical knowledge on craziness out on the dancefloor?
“Luckily for us the UK has always been a really strong supporter of Dirtybird since the beginning. Even though I go there much less often, it’s more because I have a family and not because I don’t want to go. I think the UK crowd is awesome and they party hardcore. I expect the show to be amazing!”
What are the 5 big records in your box this weekend…
“Shit Dan, I may have to blow my own horn…but hey I’m sorry most of these are on dirtybird…
Green Velvet & Carl Craig – Rosalie
And I thought Green Velvet and CVS was a good combo as Get Real! These are two giant legends doing what they do best for the dancefloor.
Claude VonStroke – Make A Cake
My new one. It’s weird and quirky and classic DB. All the sounds are made with scratching a needle across vinyls.
Will Clarke – The Boogie Woogie
Straight dancefloor fire. This is our new guy to watch.
Billy Kenny and Abby Jane – I Operate
This one is a bass hammer. I love the way this drops without going over the top.
Catz ‘n Dogz – Czas Poczeka (Chyba) – Pets Recordings
These guys are really coming into their own. This is from their upcoming album. Little known fact. I released their first two albums!
“Music is cyclical and I don’t think things are always clear-cut. Ultimately, everything is an opportunity for us. There is no difficulty with EDM. We lead our own path and people follow when they’re ready.” – A great quote from your super-fly label manager Stacey Gamble from a couple of weeks back. Dirtybird sits in that enviable position of being both commercial and cutting edge…funny but cool! How do you think the American scene is gonna progress/deviate this year?
“It’s impossible to guess but I think it’s headed in our direction. Fingers crossed! I can’t say it better than Stacey did there.”
Miami is just around the corner…what are Dirtybird up to this time round?
“This time we are doing a B2B showcase at Steam on Sunday the last day of WMC. Its a small intimate room 500 cap so don’t forget to get tix now.”
Name 3 bucket list adventures you want to do in your lifetime…
#1 see where the trolls live in Iceland
#2 write a classic hip-hop track
#3 write another classic hip-hop track
A young producer to watch in 2015…
“Will Clarke from Bristol, UK.”
What are the plans for the BBQ events this year?
“Yeah we are about to announce the cities and dates in a week! It’s 7 or 8 cities this year. A lot of them are different than last year. And we have a really major announcement for LA.”
Coachella announced it’s line up this week…AC/DC, Jack White and Drake headline this year’s proceedings with the dance line up including yourself, David Guetta, Eats Everything and Carl Craig. Man, there are so many freakin’ festivals on the calendar these days…what though is the 1 festival you always look forward to and why?
“The best festival is called What The Festival in Portland. I just love it because it’s chill and fun and everyone is happy there. Plus they have amazing onion rings in the town where the hotel is.”
An album we’d be surprised to find nestling in your collection?
“I don’t know if it’s a surprise but the best album of the year so far for me is Joey Bada$$ ‘Before the Money’.”
What are your Ibiza plans this summer?
“I can’t say flat out but I will be at DC10 a lot more than usual this year! (Which is awesome).”
A celebrity you wouldn’t want to get stuck in a lift with?
“Kanye West but not because I don’t want to meet him…more because I’ll feel like he might spazz instead of going McGiver with me to help us get out.”
And finally, what is the next track exploding out of the Vonstroke studio to look forward to?
“Two tracks –‘ Make a Cake’ and ‘Barrump!’”
**
Claude VonStroke will be appearing at the 3rd annual Electric Daisy Carnival at Milton Keynes Bowl on July11th joining the likes of Art Department, Carnage, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Hardwell, High Contrast, Jamie Jones, Markus Schulz, Miguel Campbell, Paul Van DYk, Pendulum, Ricky Ahmend, Sigma, Sub Focus, Tiesto, Steve Aoki and Shy FX.
Tickets at http://www.cream.co.uk/go/edcuk2015
Further information : www.electricdaisycarnival.co.uk
