Claude VonStroke

Those who put their ears on Claude VonStroke’s curatorial work for Fabric earlier this year caught a taste of what the VonStroke camp is calling “VonStroke 2.0” – the natural progression of CVS’s sound as it has moved stylistically from hometown Detroit to San Francisco, the quirky producer’s chosen home. Capturing the uniquely varied mood of the San Francisco scene and its people, Bird Brain keeps the groggy sinister chuckles ala “Deep Throat” and “Who’s Afraid of Detroit,” but moves into a controlled flurry of off-kilter synths and self-produced samples that could match the chaos of Haight Street or The Mission. The dirt is still there, but so is a strange new lightness of mood that doesn’t for a second compromise CVS’s omnipresent booty-shakin’ antics.

Claude VonStroke (a.k.a. Barclay Crenshaw) builds his nest out of bass, but, as always, this is home for no ordinary bird. Irresistible single “Vocal Chords” oozes VonStroke’s trademark strangeness: ascending androgynous vocal synths pave a bizarre, and unexpectedly rich, melody that the eccentric producer expertly builds and breaks completely apart. His inherent funkiness comes across most directly in “The Greasy Beat,” which CVS playfully punctuates with soulful grunts courtesy of Bootsy Collins (“Bootzilla here!”) and nearly grotesque bass synths that explode occasionally beneath it all. On perfectly sleazy “Big n’ Round,” CVS bounces throbbing synths and irresistible booty bass over some choice anatomy; meanwhile “Beat That Bird,” co-produced by Justin Martin, is distilled SF-earthquake-ready drum & bass. Mr. VonStroke, you’ve served us well.

“The Greasy Beat (ft. Bo0tsy Collins)”-Claude VonStroke, Bird Brain (Oct. 19,2009)