- In some senses it can be easy to confuse John Tejada and his Palette imprint with Claude VonStroke and the Dirtybird crew's releases. The two have helped define Californian tech-house over the past decade and recorded mixes for Fabric, with similar aims almost back-to-back last year. Aesthetically speaking, though, they're miles apart: Whereas Tejada's productions are sleek, cold and modern in grain, CVS seems more in synch with the festive and upbeat approach to house music epitomized by people like The Detroit Grand Pubahs or Green Velvet. As a way to showcase the Dirtybird peeps' contribution to contemporary house music over the past five years, CVS has just released Five Years of Dirtybird, a three CD compilation that stands as an impressive testament to his truly distinctive vision.
CD1 chronicles the label's key releases in unmixed format, while CD2 takes more or less the same ones and has Justin Martin segue them together next to newer or rarer tracks. In both cases, the striking thing is the congeniality of it all: Cuts like "Southern Draw" (the label's very first release from Justin Martin & Sammy D that has a kooky vocal inciting you to "smile at your partner while passing gas" with accompanying sonic exemplification) and CVS' own "Deep Throat," "The Whistler," "Chimps" (with, you guessed it, more accompanying sonic exemplification) and the complex and prismatic "Vocal Chords" all place an emphasis on quirky, organic samples.
It might have seemed stupid at first, but having someone whistle or recording someone else's borborygmic burp has been an innovative move. Then there is the ever amazing "Who's Afraid of Detroit" the CVS track that brought the label massive acclaim and is fully deserving of modern-day classic status; its soft-spoken pads and intricate dynamics have helped it age very, very well. Comparatively, Style of Eye's "The Big Kazoo" feels like electro-house-by-numbers at first, but it also redeems itself by the use of, well, a peculiar kazoo-sounding sample. Hats off, too, to "The Greasy Beat," appearing here in its Robag Wruhme vs. J. Philip guise, which is sweet, like Plaid at their most vulnerable, yet has plenty of funk, courtesy of the understated presence of Bootsy Collins.
CD3 is less heavy on the authoritative moments. Older friends such as The Martin Brothers show a bumpier, more crowd-pleasing approach to production, as the current single "Robot Romance" masterfully demonstrates. But it is the label's recent recruits like Worthy & Yankee Zulu ("Humble Mumble"), Talal & Zoi ("Silky King") and Hickup ("Hickup Theme") that bode well for the future of the imprint.
With an array of producers all dedicated to hunting for unusual and sometimes wacky sounds with which to pepper their tracks, Dirtybird has become the home of a truly distinctive voice. In fact, rarely has dance music been able to inscribe its main concern—the body and its inputs, its actions, its reactions—into the very core of its fabric so effectively and with such conviction. On the basis of Five Years of Dirtybird, Claude VonStroke really has something to be proud of, no matter how ridiculous he looks with a bird nest on his head.
Lista de sequência de músicasCD One: The Past
01. Christian Martin & Claude VonStroke - The Capacitron
02. Justin Martin & Sammy D - Southern Draw
03. Claude VonStroke - Deep Throat
04. The Martin Brothers - Stoopit
05. Solo - Conogloid
06. Justin Martin - Cicada (Claude VonStroke Remix)
07. Sascha Braemer - Some Sweat
08. Claude VonStroke - Who's Afraid of Detroit?
09. Style of Eye - The Big Kazoo
10. Tim Green - Revox (Justin Martin Remix)
11. The Martin Brothers - Full Moon
12. Claude VonStroke - The Whistler
13. Christian Martin & Claude VonStroke - Groundhog Day
CD Two: The Present: Justin Martin's 5 Year Dirtybird Mix
01. Intro (A Phone Call From the Boss)
02. Justin Martin & Sammy D - The Southern Draw / Justin Martin & Tanner Ross - Breff
03. Julio Bashmore - World Peace
04. The Martin Brothers - Duckface
05. Justin Martin & Claude VonStroke - Beat That Bird (Acapella)
06. Claude VonStroke - Vocal Chords (Voodeux's Grumbly Mix)
07. Claude VonStroke - The Greasy Beat feat. Bootsy Collins (Robag Wruhme Mother Jones Mix vs J. Philip Mix)
08. Sascha Braemer - Some Sweat
09. Justin Martin & Sammy Dee - I Miss You... Please Call Me Back Someday
10. Mike Monday - Grace (Justin Martin Remix)
11. ICS - Espagnol / Edu K - Dos Gusanos
12. Tim Green - Revox (Justin Martin Remix)
13. Iz & Diz - Magnificent (Justin Martin's No Heart & Soul Mix)
14. Justin Martin - Robot Romance
15. Claude VonStroke - Deep Throat (Just Martin Remix) / Claude VonStroke - The Whistler
16. Claude VonStroke - Twang Chung
17. Claude VonStroke - Chimps
18. Justin Martin - Cicada (Claude VonStroke's 17yr. Mix)
19. Christian Martin & Claude VonStroke - Groundhog Day
20. Claude VonStroke - Who's Afraid of Detroit? / The Martin Brothers - Stoopit
CD Three: The Future
01. Edu K - Dos Gusanos
02. The Martin Brothers - Duck Face
03. Claude VonStroke - Dood
04. Kink - Elevator
05. Justin Martin - Robot Romance
06. Hickup - Hickup Theme
07. Talal & Zoi - Silky King
08. Worthy & Yankee Zulu - Humble Mumble
09. Donk Boys - Hehu
10. Christian Martin - Polar Bear
11. Sascha Braemer - Club Foot
12. J Phlip - Droppin Bombz on Yer Momz
13. Jacob Seville - Groovin