DirtyBird godfather and label founder Claude VonStroke has gone from fostering a fledging flock of house and tech house producers to organizing campouts and bbqs. Over the course of 15 years, he has released a number of singles and as of February 21, 2020, his fourth album, Freaks and Beaks. It’s an album that highlights the best of what house music can be. It’s funky, fun, and fierce. Growing up I was exposed to a lot of funk music and hip hop that would become the foundation for breaking (think ‘Clear’ from Cybotron) so I hollered and near fell out my chair when ‘These Notes’ In This Order’ came blasting through the speakers. Freaks and Beaks is not an album for those who are looking for a concept album. It goes in many different directions, but each way you turn takes you down a different lane of house music influenced electronic music.
If you want an anthem to fly your freak flag, the bouncy original mix of ‘Freaks Don’t Fail Me Now’ will meet your needs. There is no shortage of hi-hat hijinks and the familiar claps well known to house music but for a departure from the norm, you can find solace in tracks like ‘Flubblebuddy’ and ‘Alpine Arpline,’ both of which creatively use vocal samples. It would be so easy to stamp the typical drum roll and drop into the tracks and be done. Claude VonStroke takes the time to reinvent the four to the floor beat and give listeners something different to digest.
There are a number of ways for a producer to stand out and one of those is the titles of his or her tracks. The track titles are easy enough to pronounce, but are whimsical in nature. My favorite track on the album is, without a doubt, ‘Frankie Goes to Bollywood.’ Blame it on my 80s nostalgia. ‘Frankie Goes to Bollywood’ transported me to a random morning at 3:56 a.m. to an afterhours club that used to be in operation in Midtown, a section of Houston’s Inner Loop that back then was underdeveloped in comparison to the high traffic, dense, bustling area that it is now. For a moment I was back in that club, leaning forward on a rail and watching a queen in the highest platform shoes I had ever seen up to that point waltz in. It was in that moment I knew I was in the persence of greatness.
Want to experience your own flashback and work off some calories? Hop onto the world wide web where Freak and Beaks can be found on all the popular streaming platforms. It is also available for purchase at the Dirty Birds Records online shop for an easy breezy $9.99.
I was listening to electronic dance music without even knowing it when I was listening to Jock Jams in the 90s. Fast forward to my senior year in high school and I had discovered Fatboy Slim. I have been listening to edm ever since and love writing about new sounds, good sounds, and the music that makes us move.
