Claude VonStroke, otherwise known as Barclay Crenshaw, is the head of the San Francisco-based record label, Dirty Bird. A product of the internet generation, Crenshaw saw his first tufts of fame through an instructional DVD on how to be a DJ — growing up, young Barclay was determined to make it as a hip-hop DJ; as this dream began to take on a new name, house music, he decided to make a video that would have answered all the questions he had as a young’n. In the process of filming DJs from around the world, he also learned a lot about running his own music label.

Beat That Bird (feat. Justin Martin) by Claude VonStroke by dirtybird

Dirty Bird’s signature blend of hip-hop inspired, jacking tech-house beats vibrate the speakers of clubs all around the world. The label gained it’s notoriety through Crenshaw’s ‘Deep Throat’ back in 2005, and traces it’s roots to an original push of promotion through the European dance music scene. It wasn’t long before the recognition trickled its way back into the states as people sought after these bass heavy, Cali-grown beats. With an impressive roster of artists that are making waves in their own right, it’s no wonder this group of tech-house savants can’t manage to put out a bad record. Release after release, they have proved their name, and the future shows no boundaries for these dirty birds!

We had a chance to catch up with Barclay right before his gig at the infamous Control down in LA. Check out the interview after the jump!

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