| Dirtybird Records | |
| Founder: | Claude VonStroke |
| Genre: | House, tech house, electronic music |
| Country: | U.S. |
| Location: | San Francisco, California |
Dirtybird Records is an independent electronic music record label based in San Francisco, California. The label was founded in January 2005 by Claude VonStroke (aka Barclay Crenshaw) and specializes in a brand of house music he describes as "tech funk."[1] Dirtybird caters to dance music fans who are seeking something a little more laid back on the dance floor.[2] The catalog is party music.[3] Dirtybird won Underground Label of the Year at the International Dance Music Awards during Winter Music Conference in 2013 (presented in 2014) and 2014 (presented in 2015).[4] [5]
Claude VonStroke got the idea to create a label in 2002 during the production of Intellect, an intensive study and documentary on DJs and producers in house music and techno.[6] He created the concept of the label in order to supply tracks for the DVD's soundtrack. Through the Intellect project, VonStroke met Christian Martin, who later introduced him to his younger brother Justin Martin. Justin would go on to contribute music to the soundtrack.[7]
The first artists to release music on Dirtybird were Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, and Sammy D. In an interview, VonStroke details the beginnings of starting the label, "I did everything humanly possible. Based on what I'd learned making the documentary, I was able to skip a lot of pitfalls and save a lot of money. I worked directly with distributors and did a lot of the legwork. I even shipped bundles to something like 100 DJs with handwritten notes."[2] VonStroke also credits his wife as being the one who helped execute the idea of the label both financially and tactically by giving him a one-year trial with a deadline to pull it off.[2]
The bird logo was derived from a drawing VonStroke used to make when he was a kid to make his little brother laugh [8] but was changed to the lightning bolt cracked egg design in 2015. In 2013, VonStroke began picking a lowbrow surrealist every year to be an "artist in residence" to create release artwork for the label. Notable artists in residence have included Graham Carter, Raoul Deleo, and Dan May.[2] The same year, opened offices in Los Angeles to expand the label's roster.[2] [9]
The first release on Dirtybird was The Southern Draw EP by Justin Martin and Sammy D. The label celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2015 with a compilation album[10] and the first annual Dirtybird Campout festival in California later that same year.[11] In 2013, VonStroke opened offices in Los Angeles to help expand the label's roster. Claude VonStroke picks all the music and is well known for breaking new artists and frequently signs music by unknown producers. The current label manager is Deron Delgado.
On October 20, 2022, Dirtybird was acquired by EMPIRE. Per the terms of the deal, EMPIRE now owns the entirety of the Dirtybird brand, including includes Dirtybird's back catalog and all future releases, minus Dirtybird's live events.[12] Moody Jones serves as the president.