Claude von Stroke Releases First Album as Barclay Crenshaw

Known for his impressive house label, Dirty Bird Records, Claude von Stroke took a turn down Highway 375. Using his birth name for the first time, he just released a 10-track album Barclay Crenshaw and started his 2017 North American tour.  

This “cosmic manifesto” is a synthesized combo of 90’s hip-hop and bass-filled electronic music with an undeniable extraterrestrial vibe, unconventional to Claude von Stroke’s traditional “tech-funk” productions.  My first Barclay Crenshaw experience was on Holy Ship 9.0, before his album debut. I found myself in awe that I was in the middle of the ocean, yet felt like I was part of some alien summoning ritual in the middle of the desert.

I was amazed to find that this album is “inspired by themes of otherworldly exploration and retro-futurism” and based on his story of an explorer who found artifacts suggesting that an alien race had abducted a large group of children, returning them a few days later. The only clues to what happened to these kids are in cryptic art and music left behind.

Holy Ship was just the start of a busy year for Barclay. He’s on festival lineups across the nation. Check out his website for an out-of-this-world experience. May the alien bass waves be with you.