Welcome to the DMC World Barclay. Well, Claude VonStroke is obviously not the name on your Passport – the same way Grooverider, Sasha and 2 Many DJs aren’t printed on theirs – so what’s with the name, a silly pissed up idea at a friend’s birthday party in San Fransisco to blame perhaps?
“Yes exactly. a silly pissed up idea with a girl who followed up on it and made her own birthday party flyers. She remembered the name and I was DJing her birthday the following week after this insane night out when we thought up all these fake DJ names.”
You have certainly moved around in the States, living in some of the most important cities responsible for dance music’s finest – who were the heroes growing up that made you want to move into club music? The DJs, producers and the artists..
“Well I lived in Cleveland, then Detroit, then University in upstate New York, then LA, then Detroit again, then San Fran for the last 10+. Phew! I never made House when I lived in Detroit. Believe it or not I was influenced a lot more by Ed Rush and Optical, Prince & A Tribe Called Quest than Juan Atkins or Derrick May. But if I had to pick someone from the club scene who influenced my sound it would be Cajmere or maybe DJ Assault.”
Brilliant, brilliant story about how you unsuccessfully tried to become sound engineers with your friend Jamie Osborne for Juan Atkins – tell DMC the story …you are now being quoted as one of ‘the godfather’s of Techno’, trawling through The Phone Book isn’t the usual way that most world famous musicians make it…
“We had no idea who he was. We just saw his studio was the closest to my house with the biggest advert in the phone book. So that’s where we went to try to get jobs. He was totally cool. We recognized who he was only by the record that he showed us when we were there that was getting played on “The Electrifying Mojo’s” radio show every night. I don’t think he was even the godfather of Techno yet. In fact I’m probably only 10 years younger than him. I just got a super late start and did about 10 different careers before music whilst he did music his whole life.”
You have moved around the media world very extensively in your career – one of your job’s was working as an assistant for big budget feature films in Hollywood – what films did you work on and which famous dude did you meet back then?
“I worked on all big studio crap movies…’Batman and Robin’, ‘The Relic’, ‘The Jackal’, ‘Beautician and the Beast’, ‘Con Air’…I met everybody there is to meet I suppose. It was good training for being a professional but overall that industry ate me up and spit me out. I wasn’t built for being a kiss ass really. After you start seeing these people every day the magic wears off really quickly.”
You developed a love for Drum & Bass after Hollywood – who were you giving props to from that sound back then?
“Everybody… Dillinja, Ed Rush and Optical, LTJ Bukem, Photek, etc.”
What are the big 10 tunes you are playing right now?
“This will sound like such a load of shit but seriously I’ve been collecting all my favorite music for about one year from new artists and dirtybird people. The entire track-list from CD3 of the Dirtybird 5 year is still unreleased and I have been hammering ALL of it in the clubs to DEATH! They are all wickedÉ most will come out on vinyl as well over the next months…
1. Edu K – Dos Gusanos
2. The Martin Brothers – Duck Face
3. Claude VonStroke – Dood
4. Kink – Elevator
5. Justin Martin – Robot Romance
6. Hickup – Hickup Theme
7. Talal & Zoi – Silky King
8. Worthy & Yankee Zulu – Humble Mumble
9. Donk Boys – Hehu
10. Christian Martin – Polar Bear
11. Sascha Braemer – Club Foot
12. Jacob Seville – Groovin
13. J Phlip – Droppin Bomz on Yer Momz
Some great singles you have been behind, ‘Deep Throat’, Chimps’, and ÔThe Whistler’ and of course the huge ‘Who’s Afraid of Detroit’, 2007 was the year that your debut album ‘ Beware of The Bird’ caused mayhem. The latest album ‘Bird Brain’ – more craziness. You live on the infamous Haight Street in San Fran – I love it there. Tell us about the contrasting album’s – who’s afraid of the biggest Techno city ever us why you love the San Fransisco hippiness…
“That first album was 2006 and some of those tracks I even made in 2005. The difference in the albums is that the first one was a scenario where I just put all my releases together on a CD, but this new album I made all at once as a full album project from the start. So I think this one sounds better as a full CD – as a listen from start to finish. The hit’s off the first one made my career tho.”
What do you think has been your best release to date?
“Sales wise it is ‘Deep Throat’ my 10 miles. Track wise, I’m quite partial to ‘Chimps’. But the record that really broke it was having ‘Whistler/Who’s Afraid of Detroit’ as an A/B vinyl in ’06. It’s like a perfect storm of both sides of my personality and production sound.”
What in my opinion sets you apart from a lot of Techno artists, is the way you bring in crazy samples, big bass lines and basically, if you like, the way De La Soul brought ‘fun’ back into Hip Hop years back and the same way you have brought ‘fun’ back into Techno – thoughts on that?
“That’s the whole point. When you go to a party it is to have fun right? A lot of people automatically associate fun with “cheesy” and that is really where I think my strength lies. I do it fun without the cheese. I play some serious tracks as well as long as the party is good. But in the end I’d much rather you had fun than sit around discussing the track list.”
Talk us through the latest album. What are your favorite tracks – and why?
Of course I like all of them but my favorite is probably the Bootsy Collins collaboration. It just seems so improbable even now and I like all the different versions.”
Biggest Techno DJ of all time?
“Who knows? Carl Cox? Hawtin? It’s none of my concern really. They can fight it out somewhere on a giant stage while I play a fun basement party for 300.”
Great answer…
Favourite city you love DJing in the world?
“San Fran without question. I live in my favorite city.”
Best and worst thing about living in San Fran?
“The worst thing is homeless people. That problem is terrible. Best thing is the people and the creative vibe out here.”
Who is the best American musician ever?
“Aaron Copeland is the best composer. Musician…gawd I could never really say. Charlie Parker? HE is called “bird” you know.”
Your favourite album you hold close to your heart?
“‘The Low End Theory””
Who from the West Coast of America should we be looking out for in 2010 musically?
“J Phlip (pronounced J Flip) She’s got this style that is super funk-tech. I love it.”
So, we come back to your house for a party after a club, what is the cheesiest album sitting on your shelf you’d pull out?
“You would never come back to my house after a party ’cause my wife and my 1 and 3 year old would be sleeping. Hehe. But the album would be Wang Chung’s Greatest Hits.”
What apart from dance music, what other artists/music genres do you check out?
“I check out everything. I’m partial to underground hip-hop and I really love jazz. I just bought 700 Drum n’ Bass vinyl?s this week as well from a guy. Finally got a copy of ‘Alien Girl’!!
What’s next from Claude?
“The five year Dirtybird CDs are coming out in April with some new jams. I got a couple new tracks, a remix of Kenny Larkin on Planet E… I’m also doing a new music producer project called The Grizzl. We’ll see!”
Sunday 31st January
Claude Von Stroke (Dirtybird)
Nat Self (Zombie Disco Squad)
8pm – 2am
T Bar, 22 Houndsditch EC3A 7DB
www.tbarlondon.com
FREE