Girl Unit, Kenny Larkin & Andy Caldwell on Claude VonStroke

Girl Unit, Kenny Larkin & Andy Caldwell on Claude VonStroke

12 August, 2011 | 7.43AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: andy caldwell, claude vonstroke, dirtybird, girl unit, kenny larkin

Balancing booty-grade beats with trippy details and a slightly tweaked sense of humor, Claude VonStroke has an inimitable touch. You most likely know that already, of course. It’s apparent in his productions, it’s apparent in the way he runs dirtybird, and it’s apparent in the remixes he turns in for other artists, 13 of which have recently been compiled in the collection ”Makeovers."

Featuring his reworks for the likes of Cajmere, Gonzales, Katy B, and more, the collection ably shows off VonStroke’s versatility—you can tell that he’s really engaging with the source material, and not just stamping his own signature sound over the top. But it also shows how all his work points towards a larger vision. You get that sense from his subtitles, as well: “Claude VonStroke Bavarian Ferrari Mix,” “Claude VonStroke Must Have Subs Mix,” “Claude VonStroke Fry Like an Eagle Mix"… Not since Matthew Herbert has a remixer made such good use of those few precious characters inside the parenthesis.

Since VonStroke’s work is a little different from the norm, we decided to do something a little different as well. We reached out to Girl Unit, Kenny Larkin, and Andy Caldwell, all artists who have gone under VonStroke’s scalpel—and returned gushing about his surgical skills and bedside manner.

Read on as Claude gets his ego (von-) stroked by the three peers-slash-fans.

Girl Unit

Girl Unit, “Wut (Claude VonStroke Fully Dressed Mix)” [dirtybird]

How did the Claude VonStroke remix come about?

He actually approached the label to do the remix. We’d all agreed initially, before the EP was out, that we didn’t wanted any done, but I had to say yes to this, partially out of curiosity but mostly because myself and the label knew we’d be in safe hands. And obviously we were all really flattered as VonStroke and the Dirty Bird label have all been huge influences.

What did you think of his submission? Did anything surprise you?

I loved it, I thought it covered so many bases with regards to what I like and what I play. I think the most surprising part was how how he kept the purity of the melody intact while completely stripping down the drop to a rolling rhythm track. It’s definitely got a lot more versatility over the original.

Generally speaking, what do you hope for when another artist remixes your work? Have you ever been disappointed by a remix, or had to reject one?

I’ve only had two official remixes done of my tracks, excluding the
CVS remix, and I was lucky enough to really love both of them. I guess in terms of having a remix done for me, I just want to have something that sounds like it’s been processed through someone else’s brain.

What are some of your favorite remixes of all time? Could you name two or three?

Ciara – “Promise (Cory Bold Remix)”

Lunice – “Fancy Forty (Rustie Remix)”

Lazer Sword – “Batman (Lando Kal Remix)”

Lazer Sword - Batman (Lando Kal Remix) by LAZER SWORD

Andy Caldwell

Andy Caldwell, “Warrior (Claude VonStroke Sharp Toof Mix)” [dirtybird]

How did the Claude VonStroke remix come about?

At the time, Mr. VonStroke was just coming up, and, being that he was my neighbor, just a few miles away in San Francisco, it made perfect sense. I loved his productions, too, and I’m always looking for fresh talent. He handed me a copy of his album and that pretty much sealed the deal. Barclay is also just straight-up one of the dopest people I’ve met, genuinely nice guy.

What did you think of his submission? Did anything surprise you?

It was actually much more bangin’ than I thought he’d do. The lyrics and vocal style of the song are so mellow, I really didn’t know what to expect. But his remix gave new life to my song and exposed the release to a whole new audience. I still work it into my sets from time to time.

Generally speaking, what do you hope for when another artist remixes your work? Have you ever been disappointed by a remix, or had to reject one?

Remixes are like playing the lottery: you just never really know if you’re going to get back what you put in, especially from a label perspective. Since I started my label Uno Recordings I’ve rejected plenty of remixes! It’s amazing the crap that sometimes gets turned in. Like vocals that are completely out of key with the music, or beats that sound like they were recorded in a tunnel. But I’ve also had the pleasure of having my music remixed by some incredible artists like Claude Von Stroke, Wolfgang Gartner, Kaskade, Trentemoller, Dirty South, Alex Kenji, Tiger Stripes and Morgan Page, to name a few!

What are some of your favorite remixes of all time? Could you name two or three?

Of all time? That’s not even fair! To be honest, it would take a list of at least a hundred, no way I could choose only two or three. Off the top of my head, the following come to mind as being very special to me:

Yoshimoto, “Du What U Du (Trentemoller Remix)” [Uno]

Andy Caldwell feat. Gram’ma Funk, “Funk Nasty (Wolfgang Gartner Remix)” [Uno]

Kaskade and Andy Caldwell, “Sorry (Dirty South Remix)” [Ultra]
*My name was left off the credits on this one, grrr!!!

Kenny Larkin

Kenny Larkin, “GLOB (Claude VonStroke “71” Mix)” [dirtybird]

How did the Claude VonStroke remix come about?

The remix was as a result of Carl Craig and Claude speaking to each other :)

What did you think of his submission? Did anything surprise you?

It was a cool surprise to know that he would be doing the remix indeed.

Generally speaking, what do you hope for when another artist remixes your work? Have you ever been disappointed by a remix, or had to reject one?

I hope for “feeling” in anything I produce, remix, or release. When someone remixes my stuff, I hope for exactly the same. It doesn’t have to be a stomper of a track; as long as it has feeling, I’m cool.

What are some of your favorite remixes of all time? Could you name two or three?

Too many to list, really. Carl is one of my remix heroes, and I’m not doin’ too bad myself. Got a lot of great remixes coming out this year!

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