- These days it's hard to fathom the concept of a superstar DJ and their ridiculous demands. (Laurent Garnier in Dublin next month for €37.50 anyone?) So for a recession-beating €15, there was no excuse for any self-respecting Dublin techno fan not to make their way to the Button Factory last week for Dirtybird head honcho Claude VonStroke.
For a man embarking on a music career for the fifth time, Claude VonStroke is unlikely to take his success for granted. Constantly smiling and engaging with the crowd, the man known to his mother as Barclay Crenshaw was in the mood to party, and why wouldn't he be? He's just mixed the latest installment of the ever popular Fabric series, his Dirtybird label is set for world domination in 2009 and he'll soon be entertaining the Miami glitterazi at WMC. Life must be good. After selling out at the same venue in June last year, I was well aware of what to expect; thundering baselines, subtle synths, catchy hooks and an overriding desire to dance. I couldn't wait.
Teasing the crowd with a monster of a set, by the time he unleashed his own take on Magic Johnson's "Scanning for Viruses," the heaving dance floor was bordering on pure pandemonium. From tech house to minimal to techno to house and back again, VonStroke is a hard man to pigeonhole, ending the set with the ubiquitous "The Whistler," which received the response usually associated with the response of an Irish World Cup victory.
Hate it or love it, 2009 looks set to be the year when Claude von Stroke's profile reaches stratospheric proportions. I just hope it's not the last time we party together for a paltry €15.