When you watch the video clips below, the first thing that will strike about Claude VonStroke is how endearing the DJ and producer is with the people around him. You can’t help but notice the ever-present common denominator of warm smiles, all the result of his emotive electronic music.
“Anything that someone can remember and creates some sort of emotion for them…or magic with their friends or lover or just even inside themselves,” he says, of what makes a great song. Or, anything that makes you need to drop your butt down a few inches and groove on the spot.”
Born in Cleveland, and raised in Detroit, the now LA-based VonStroke started off listening to the beats of rap and hip hop, eventually finding his way deeper in sonic spaces like drum and bass, as well as house music, where he’s found a secure spot with his influential Dirtybird Records label. Explorative and surprising, VonStroke’s music reveals how multi-dimensional the genre can really be. It’s this dynamic element that helps correct, what he feels, is a common misconception about house music.
“Some people think house music is only stuff like that track from Madagascar: ‘I like to move it move it,’” he explains with a laugh. “I think there are so many different emotions you can create in house music. You can make it mean, you can make it sweet, you can make it filthy – there’s no limit to the places you can go and the emotions you can create within the genre.”
Music aside, VonStroke’s primary love in life is his children and family, who know him as Dad or by his real name Barclay Crenshaw. (He also loves producing the music his kids create.) On or off stage, VonStroke has developed a reputation as a nice guy who loves connecting with people.
“I’m mostly trying to have fun and by doing that hopefully creating an atmosphere of fun for everyone there,” he explains. “A lot of times, I’m really in the zone, only thinking about what the best possible next track will be for that room at that moment. I don’t even know if it can be classified as thinking at this point; it’s more like something from my gut…it just happens.”
Here’s a day in the life of Claude VonStroke.
Date August 6, 2022
Time I woke up 10:00 a.m.
Every day starts with Meditation and trying to figure out what I want to accomplish for that day.
Breakfast consists of Coffee. I rarely eat a real breakfast even though I love eggs.
To get going I always Try to imagine completing something before I do it.
I don’t feel dressed without Black T-shirt, sweat shorts.
Before I start working I must Clear out any distractions.
Currently working on New EP, possible new album, my next festival and producing a New Year’s show.
But I’d really love to be Walking around Venice Beach like one of those people you wonder about how they are just walking around Venice in the middle of the day without a job.
Book I’m reading Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.
I don’t know how anyone ever Used the phone book to get things done, even though I know I used it when I was a kid I can’t even remember those times.
If I had to play one album on repeat, it would be TheLow End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest.
The perfect midday consists of Somebody telling me we sold out a venue or my favorite DJ is playing something I made or something similar.
To help get through the day I need Help from everyone who works here. Help from my wife. And to hang out with my kids.
Not a day goes by without speaking to Aundy Crenshaw, my wife, and Max Braun, my booking Agent 😉
My daydreams consist of Doing a weird camping festival for free with a huge budget.
In a perfect day, in a perfect world I would finish a song that I love with still enough time in the day to hang out and go to a movie with my family.
I’ll always fight for Independent artists.
Currently in love with All these songs my kids started writing with their amazing piano teacher.
Hoping to make time to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once.
By my bedside I always have Rain sound speaker.
To help get through the night I sometimes eat cereal but I’m trying to quit.
Bed time 2:00 – 3:00 a.m. every night so I can stay on the same timeline on tour almost every weekend.
When I think about tomorrow, it’s always Getting closer to finishing a new song.
