We sat down with Claude VonStroke during a rare moment of calm in what has been a transformative period in his career. After more than two decades shaping the global house music scene and building the iconic Dirtybird into a powerhouse, he’s now stepping into a new chapter—one defined by freedom, experimentation, and a deliberate move away from expectations.
With the release of his new project Wrong Number, VonStroke is dialing into a more personal and introspective sound, trading peak-time energy for depth, tension, and atmosphere. From working with his own family on vocals to choosing intimate club settings over massive festival stages, this new era is all about intention over impact.
In this conversation, he opens up about leaving behind a legacy, embracing creative risk, and why sometimes the “wrong” decisions are the ones that matter most.
Check out the full interview below!
1. Wrong Number feels like a deliberate pivot in your career. After selling Dirtybird and stepping away from that chapter, what pushed you creatively to start dialing a completely new number?
Dirtybird grew into something massive, which was incredible, and I am so grateful for that chapter of my life. We really crushed it with the brand and created something new that you could argue is the backbone of what’s popular right now. That success came with a very specific expectation—how the records should sound, how the shows should feel.
After a while the fans wanted it to keep going up and I wanted it to go back to the underground — and I wasn’t able to turn the ship. So we sold it and it was a great decision because we had been literally killing ourselves for more than 20 years. And then all the sudden there was this quiet moment where I could actually ask myself what I wanted to hear again without worrying about money or any of the noise.
Wrong Number is even more personal than Dirtybird. Less predictable, less commercial, and making all the wrong decisions for the right reasons.
2. The first single, “Static In The Deep End,” leans into a more minimal, late-night energy compared to the peak-time tech house sound you helped popularize. What inspired that shift in direction?
A lot of what’s happening right now is very loud, very fast, very “look at me.” I wanted to make something that a commercial DJ would never make, where the room is locked in and you don’t need a big obvious moment. “Static In The Deep End” is more about tension and atmosphere than payoff. It’s not trying to grab you immediately—it kind of pulls you underwater slowly with tension and depth.
3. One of the most unique aspects of the album is that nearly all of the vocals come from inside your own family, especially your son Jasper. How did that idea come about, and how did it influence the character of the record?
My kids (Jasper and Ella) are both very musical. Ella is an incredible songwriter and Jasper is in the extremely competitive pop music program at USC for singing. I played the records for both of them and just asked them to add whatever they were feeling. Ella and I even made an entire choral section together on the intro of “only Call the Landline.”
Everyone is always after me to do collabs for more views. But I’m kind of a hermit type producer. Sometimes collabs come together and I do them but it’s not my natural way of being. Jasper and Ella both did a great job and I’m very excited that they are on the record.
4. Your upcoming tour focuses on small, intimate club spaces rather than large festival stages. Why was it important for you to bring this new music to those kinds of environments?
Because that’s where this music actually works. Big stages kind of demand big moments, and this record isn’t about that. It’s about detail, patience, subtle shifts. In a smaller room, people are listening differently—you can take risks, you can let things breathe.
I wanted to put this music in the right spots. I’m also working on some free daytime events which has always been a dream of mine. I’m very inspired by the rapper LaRussel from the Bay Area. Everything he is doing right now is like the 3.0 version of what I’m trying to do in my career and he is really doing something special.
5. You’ve spent more than two decades shaping dance music as both an artist and a label founder. Now that you’re entering this new chapter, how has your perspective on creativity and the industry changed?
I don’t feel the need to be everywhere anymore and I dont feel the need to be like anybody else either so a lot of the pressure is off. I would so much rather make quality music and quality content than post every day and feed crap to the beast.
Everything I’m doing right now is 100% the wrong path for a new upcoming producer who needs to be everywhere in everyone’s face. This is another reason it’s called Wrong Number. I do not make myself available to play a million shows anymore. Honestly, I think you would be lucky to book me at this point, which is terrible advice for someone else in the music industry.
6. The Wrong Number concept seems to celebrate taking the “wrong” path creatively instead of following trends. Do you think electronic music needs more artists willing to take those kinds of risks right now?
Yeah, but I also get why people don’t. There’s a lot of pressure to stay relevant, and the safest way to do that is to do whatever’s working, to ride trends and stay on top of pop culture. But that’s also how everything starts to sound the same.
The “wrong” decision is the one that doesn’t have an obvious payoff. It’s hard to stand up in front of 3000 people and play your shit even if you know they want to only hear commercial house. But thats where I’m at now.
7. Looking ahead, what do you hope listeners and club audiences feel when they step into this new era of Claude VonStroke?
I want it to feel a little unexpected. Like you walked into something that’s familiar, but slightly off. Less pressure, less big-room energy, more curiosity. If people leave feeling like they heard something they weren’t quite expecting—but it stuck with them—that’s cool to me.
As Claude VonStroke steps into the Wrong Number era, it’s clear this isn’t just a sonic shift—it’s a mindset. Stripping away expectations and embracing unpredictability, he’s choosing a path that prioritizes authenticity over algorithm, and curiosity over convention.
In a landscape often driven by trends and instant gratification, this new chapter feels refreshingly intentional. Whether it’s in the subtle tension of his productions or the intimacy of the spaces he now prefers to play, VonStroke is redefining what success looks like on his own terms.
And if this journey proves anything, it’s that sometimes the most meaningful direction forward starts by dialing the wrong number.
Listen and purchase the first single of his forthcoming album, Wrong Number below!
