Claude VonStroke spent over 20 years shaping underground dance music and building a community. After selling the Dirtybird brand and taking a 2 year hiatus, he’s back with a new mindset - playing only where he wants, for those who love the originality of his unique style.

His new "Life of Leisure" rebrand is not a status flex; it’s a vacation on the dance-floor.The ravers are the heroes; Claude is just the guide. Leave your villains at the door—fear, anxiety, and stress have no place in
VonStroke’s vibe. Only music, movement, and energy matter. Every show is intentional, every moment sacred.

Claude VonStroke is finally doing more of what he loves and dumping all that stuff that sucks. Shedding his stressed-out, overachiever role for a more reflective and grateful approach. "Life of Leisure" is a victory lap, but we all know it’s not so easy to forget reality. Join him, even if it’s just for a few hours in the club on a Saturday night.

booking: klaus-layer@gmx.de


20.05. Dortmund
02.03.  Rostock 
09.02. Berlin, Panke
 17.06  Berlin (Das Zündet)
04.06. Dortmund
27.05.17 Hamburg (Das Zündet)
12.05.17 Erfurt
15.04.17 Leipzig (Das Zündet)
03. 03.17 England/Wuntwo/Beatpete
04.02.17 Hdf Onit release
26. 11.16 HHV Party Berlin
05. 11.16 Le Flah, Schweiz 
09. 10.16 Frankreich
08. 10.16 Prinzenstrasse, Berlin
 17.09.16 Prinz Charles, Berlin
03. 09.16 AmEnd, Frankfurt am Main 
05.08.16 Panke, Berlin
19.05.16 Prince Charles Club Berlin 
06.04.16 Köln
02.04.16 Berlin, Das Zündet
11. 03.16 Dresden, Ostpol
26.12.15 Berlin, Das Zündet
06. 11.15 Moskau, 16 Tons Club
03.04.15 Dresden, Ostpol
11.04.15 Berlin, Das Zündet

Restless Adventures LP: http://www.hhv.de/shop/de/artikel/klaus-layer-restless-adventures-black-vinyl-edition-403129?bc=true

http://www.youtube.com/crookstyles
https://www.facebook.com/Klaus.Layer
http://www.redefinitionrecords.com/
http://www.daszuendet.blogspot.de/
http://www.redefinitionrecords.com/collections/klaus-layer
http://www.facebook.com//Gruppe-Format

Bookings: mauro@peoplesagency.nl

Green Room EP out 28.11.2025 via Shall Not Fade 💫  Bandcamp >> https://shallnotfade.bandcamp.com/album/green-room-ep 

Rhythms EP out 04.07.2025 via Aus Music 💫  Bandcamp>> https://ausmusic.bandcamp.com/album/rhythms

Cosmik Connection Vol. 10 out 13.09.2024 via Unknown To The Unknown 💫  Bandcamp>> https://unknowntotheunknown.bandcamp.com/album/the-cosmik-connection-vol-10

Love At The Afters EP out 21.06.24 via HE.SHE.THEY. 🌺  
Bandcamp (Digital) >> https://heshethey.bandcamp.com/album/love-at-the-afters
Bandcamp (Limited Edition Purple Vinyl) >> https://dabbstraxx.bandcamp.com/album/love-at-the-afters-limited-edition-12-vinyl-only

Amy Dabbs & Coco Bryce - Slightly Involved Vol. 2 on Dabbs Traxx 🌸 Bandcamp >> https://dabbstraxx.bandcamp.com/album/slightly-involved-vol-2

Only Breaks Can Love Your Heart on Heist Recordings 🌸 Bandcamp >> https://heistrecordings.com/album/only-breaks-can-love-your-heart

Into You EP on Aus Music 🌸 Bandcamp >> https://ausmusic.bandcamp.com/album/into-you-ep-2

The Bobcat Special EP on Shall Not Fade  🌸 Bandcamp >> https://shallnotfade.co.uk/album/the-bobcat-special-ep 

Four Track Mind EP on Dabbs Traxx 🌸 Bandcamp >> 
dabbstraxx.bandcamp.com/album/four-track-mind-ep

LA-based label focused on establishing a sophisticated vision through various, electronic-based releases of hard-hitting singles and attentive concept albums from progressive artists all over the world.  Sublabel: @discotchari

Heist Recordings was founded by Dam Swindle as a means to gain full control over their own releases, and to create a stage for likeminded musicians to showcase their music. From the first release on, Dam Swindle’s “Break up to make up” EP in summer 2013, Heist has been a go to label for proper underground house and electronic music. Now, nearly 40 releases and 5 compilations in, Heist has brought forward artists like Frits Wentink, Nebraska, Adesse Versions, Fouk, Kassian, Nachtbraker and Alma Negra and continues to search for new talent, with Lars & Maarten fully focused on the A&R side of the label. 

Up till 2016, remixes on the label have been solely done by other original Heist artists on the yearly “Round up EP”, where the remixer and remixee get connected by the luck of the draw and a limited edition double pack is put out. After that, Maarten and Lars decided it was time to add remixers to the EP’s as well, which saw interesting collaboration, expanded the label family with names like Matthew Herbert, Tom Noble, Pépé Bradock, Ge-ology and Byron the Aquarius. 

In 2023 we've celebrated 10 years of Heist Recordings. The year showed a whole batch of releases by new artists like Byron the Aquarius, Amy Dabbs and Cinthie and by Dam Swindle themselves.

Ralf GUM is one of the most respected figures in the house music scene for the distinctive qualities in his exceptional productions and DJ-sets. Since Ralf’s DJ career started in 1990 he always stayed true to his passion for cool and diverse house music. Harmony & Soul & Groove – are the main ingredients, but just some aspects of Ralf’s typical deep sound. With an instinctive feeling for the right vibe, he convincingly performed all over Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South- and North America. In autumn 2008 Ralf toured in South Africa for the first time with great response and was the first German house DJ who was booked in Botswana and Swaziland. In 2012 Ralf finally emigrated from his homeland of Germany to the world's current hot-bed for Soulful House Music, South Africa. 

Ralf GUM is producing music since 1993 and worked with notable artists such as Inaya Day, Beady Belle, Caron Wheeler, Robert Owens, Kenny Bobien, Michael Procter, Wunmi, Concha Buika or the fascinating Monique Bingham. He released on and remixed for top house labels like Mn2S, Papa, Peppermint Jam, Tommy Boy, Compose, Sole Music, Look At You or Defected. His first remix for Defected’s classic record 'Love is what you need (Look ahead)' by King Unique instantly went to the 1 position on Traxsource's download charts in March 2009. Ralf has released numerous well-known songs, amongst them the soulful hit of 2008 “Kissing Strangers” (GOGO Music) featuring Monique Bingham, which was a bestseller in its genre. Thus it scored the number 1 in the “Top 100 Singles 2008” and the “biggest house track 2008” in the annual chart of the ultra-credible Traxsource download-shop. Alone in 2009 Ralf’s works made it 4 times to the top spot in the Traxsource sales chart and he claimed various more Top 10 positions. But his success of course isn’t limited to the Traxsource charts. He had various #1 download-chart positions on Clickgroove, made it to the Top 10 sales of various other download shops and his single “Little W. 12th St.” was amongst the 10 best selling house-songs of the year on the Japanese download-site Wasabeat in 2009. His records are constantly receiving worldwide airplay and can be found in countless playlists of major radio stations including e.g. UK’s “BBC 1”, France’s “Radio FG” or South Africa’s “Metro FM”. Moreover he gained number one positions in the playlists “YFM’s Urban Top 40” or Botswana’s Yarona Mascom Charts where he stayed for instance for 4 weeks with “Complicated feat. Kafele” in May 2010. Further acclaimed hits of Ralf include “All This Love For You” (GOGO Music) featuring Diamondancer, “Ponle Tumbao” (Tommy Boy / Flamingo Discos / Milk & Sugar), "Helena Brown - Canção Dourada" (Peppermint Jam) or „Ralf GUM feat. Concha Buika – Nobody can touch me” (GOGO Music). Ralf GUM’s productions became a worldwide renown trademark in the house scene and UK’S TTR magazine called Ralf “one of Germany’s finest” already in 2005.

But Ralf not only convinces as a producer, but also his DJ-sets have helped him building up his reputation as a forward thinking tastemaker. During his career he had various residencies in South-Germany including the "Airport" (Wuerzburg /Germany), which was the living-room for his interpretation of house for more than 11 years. During more than a decade he captured the crowd with his sessions every Friday night and hosted other worlds-top artists like DJ Gregory, Martin Solveig, Lenny Fontana or Frankie Feliciano, to name just a few. End of 2006 Ralf started his residency at Climax in Stuttgart (Germany), where he can be found regularly since then. From 2002 till 2007 Ralf was holding a bi-weekly event at "Studio-Lounge" (Wuerzburg, Germany) which was called “the deepest and most soulful party of Germany” by the Subculture Magazine. In 2009 Ralf’s tight schedule included 2 extensive South Africa tours and Ralf was invited by DJU and the department of Arts and Culture to conduct various work shops at the Southern African Music conference. In 2010 and 2011 Ralf was selected again as international panellist for the annual Southern African Music Conference where he was teaching about music-production, label business, DJ-ing and more. Nowadays he is frequently found in various South African cities. As a DJ Ralf is steadily travelling and played at some of the best events around the world, including e.g. the “Southport Weekender” (Southport, UK), “Rave on Snow” (Saalbach, Austria), “Nature One” (Germany), “Sundaze” (Jakarta, Indonesia), “Dancevalley” (Amsterdam, Netherlands), “Mo’Vibes” (Munich, Germany) or the “Vodacom Unlimited Festival” (Orlando Stadium, Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa) which was attended by more than 15000 people. He graced the decks at clubs like “360” (Dubai, UAE), “El Devino” (Ibiza, Spain), “Amika” (Miami, USA), “The Room” (Tokyo, Japan), “ECU / Echoes” (Rimini, Italy), “Garito Café” (Palma de Mallorca, Spain), “Disco” (Sao Paulo, Brasil), “Volksgarten” (Vienna, Austria), “House 22” (Pretoria, South Africa), “Days like this” (Birmingham, UK), “Barokko” (Budapest, Hungary) “Marula Cafe” (Madrid, Spain), “Soulstice” (Oslo, Norway), “Oxa” (Zürich, Switzerland), “Atlantis” (Basel, Switzerland), “Stereo Sushi” (Antwerp, Belgium), “Mansion” (Amsterdam, Netherlands), “GURU Club” (Tibisli, Georgia), “Pacha” (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) or “Cocoon” (Frankfurt, Germany).

Ralf GUM embarked on the development of his own record label GOGO Music in 2001. With strong ambitions and his love for music being the driving force, GOGO Music has become Germany’s, if not one of world’s most reputable soulful house music labels. Late 2005 GOGO Music was called “one of the hottest imprints around” by UK’s leading magazine “Blues & Soul” and Germany’s “Subculture” wrote that “GOGO Music is the prime German house label”. In April 2009 Chicago’s best house music publication “5 Magazine” stated, that “GOGO Music has become synonymous with the best Deep House produced in Europe” and 2010 UK’s magazine “SoulM8” certified that “GOGO Music is "one of Germany’s best independent labels". With his label-work Ralf has been pivotal for the international breakthrough of artists like Raw Artistic Soul or Black Coffee and the discovery of many other outstanding talents. In 2003 Ralf initiated the GOGO Music radio-show. What began as a monthly show transmitted on one internet-radio rapidly became one of the most popular broadcasts within the house community and beyond. Since early 2006 the radio show is done on a weekly basis and is to date aired by more than 50 FM- and internet-stations around the globe. The GOGO Music radio show residents Ralf GUM and Benny Pecoraio (aka Ben Moss) plus few selected guests are presenting hebdomadal nothing but the finest house music in a pure one hour DJ mix.

Next to his Ralf GUM productions, he started two further projects. "SUGAR BEAT", is a collaboration with drummer Steffen Meder which developed out of their unique live performance: “Jazzy Live Drums & Uplifting Spinning”. With SUGAR BEAT’s irresistible sound a new broken beat style is being created. After some sweet remixes on GOGO Music, in 2006 the first own productions have been released on the “GOGO Music Spring Collection 06”. Together with soul-mate Benny Pecoraio, Ralf joined forces and started “4 Ears”. Their first release 'Can't Be Without You' was signed to Canadian deep house label Iwanai Music and hit immediately the Traxsource Top10.

During his career Ralf had the pleasure to compile and mix various CD-Compilations including for example “Arrival Vol. I” in 2004, a double Mix-CD together with Howard Donald (of famous pop-group Take That), for which they toured together all over Germany. As well in 2004 Ralf’s compilation “Studio – the finest in lounge and house music”, was released and selected as CD of the month in the December edition of Germany’s “Raveline” magazine. In February 2005 the first GOGO Music label-compilation “GO!” including highlights of the first 3 years label work came out. It was called the best compilation of the year by UK’S “TTR” magazine. In October 2006 the second part “GO!!” hit the market and achieved likewise attention and success as the first edition.

In 2006 Ralf GUM held his first GOGO Music Winter Music Conference event in Miami with great success. With an impressive line-up including e.g. Kenny Dixon Jr aka Moodyman, Theo Parrish, Markus Enochson, Glenn Underground plus the GOGO Music DJs, the party went down in a storm and was one of the most talked about at the conference. 2007 saw GOGO Music teaming up with Atal Music and Bubble Soul for a joint WMC event at Hotel Victor, called “Yes Please”. With an equally great line-up including e.g. Jamie Lewis, Raw Artistic Soul and many others, it was a great success and the kick-off for further “Yes Please” parties: The critical acclaimed WMC event in 2008 at Sagamore and the ADE 2008 event at Mansion. More highlights worth to adduce are Ralf’s appearance at MTV’s “Battle of the DJs” in April 2003 and several invitations to the You.FM Clubnight , a show dedicated to electronic music and club culture, which was transmitted on the German national radio-and TV-station Hessischer Rundfunk (2 times in 2005, one time in 2006, 2007 and 2009).

In 2008 Ralf GUM unveiled his long awaited debut masterpiece album titled “Uniting Music” on his label GOGO Music. Composing a continuous piece of music, seamless and blended into a luscious texture of soulful-, afro-and latin-house and jazz inspired grooves, Ralf showcased his ability to create wonderful original songs. With each song intertwining with another, he’s pushing the boundaries well beyond the traditional dj mix sense! Almost seeming like one beautiful track the whole album contained it all: really pretty dreamy tracks, some real groovin’ live sounding deals and some late night slices of hypnotic house, too. The album received great plaudit worldwide, as for example UK’s “M8” Magazine called the CD „simply one of the best albums of the year” and the German 3Sat TV show “Kulturzeit” wrote on its web-site that “no single second of the album bores”. “Uniting Music” was released by Rambling Records in Japan and by Soul Candi in South Africa, too.

2012 saw the release of Ralf GUM’s second long-player titled “Never Leaves You” including “Take Me To My Love” which has become the biggest House Anthem in South Africa this summer and reached the number #1 spot on South Africa’s biggest radio-station Metro FM for 3 weeks. It’s just one of the many highlights on Ralf’s album, a sort of vocal house dream team, bringing together the heavenly tonsils of Kenny Bobien, Robert Owens, Kafele and former Soul II Soul star Caron Wheeler amongst many others. In the talented hands of Ralf that team complimented rather than countered an impressive, truly soulful collection of songs and emphatically demonstrates his ability to orchestrate soul-house goodness on the grandest possible scale. The album not only received critical acclaim globally, but reached GOLD status in South Africa.

The hallmark of Ralf’s sound is his love for jazzy harmonies coupled with wicked underground beats. But the distinctive groove isn’t the only reason for Ralf’s success – his passion for all things soulful shines through in all he does. This helps him creating a simply irresistible groove every time he emerges from the studio or works the turntables. Due to his successful work in various areas there is no denying that Ralf GUM has established in the top-league of the most prolific dj/producers in the house scene.

Links: 

Label-website: www.GOGO-Music.net
Artist-web-site: www.RalfGUM.com
Facebook-site: facebook.com/Ralf.GUM.GOGO 
Myspace-site: www.myspace.com/RalfGUM
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RalfGUM
Youtube: www.youtube.com/RalfGUM 
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/ralf-gum-gogo-music


It was in 2011 that Dutch pair Lars Dales and Maarten Smeets quickly broke through in the electronic music scene. Since then they have become known for their widescreen approach to making and playing club-ready grooves. From deep to disco, tech to soul, they join the dots between the past and the present with their own sense of storytelling and do so in clubs around the world, as well as in their studio. House might be the root of the Dam Swindle sound, but it takes nourishment from a much wider world of music. 

Still now, their breakthrough tunes such as ‘The Wrap Around’ and ‘The Break Up’ receive countless plays on dancefloors all over the world and the duo has made timeless music such as their 2023 disco-house bomb ‘ That’s right’ and 90’s throwback banger ‘Allright – just a tribute’ that became one of the hits of the 2024 festival summer. Dam Swindle has built a trademark sound, while still evolving and maturing their craft in various musical niches. Their landmark 2018 album High Life shows a broad musicality from the duo and this is even more so on their highly anticipated 2025 long player ‘Open’.  ‘Open’ features countless collaborations with high-profile artists such as Dutch pianist Joep Beving and New York-based Ethiopian vocalist Haile Supreme, and sees the duo flex their sound from ambient electronica to synthwave, hiphouse and more. 

Since 2013, the pair has also established their record label Heist Recordings as one of the key independent labels for underground dance music, while also releasing music on other underground mainstays such as Aus Music and Classic Music Company. Heist is more than just a label, though - it is a breeding ground for talents old and new; somewhere talent is nurtured and allowed to develop. Label showcases and special projects such as the yearly Roundup EP; where all artists from the past 12 months remix each other after a random selection process, furthers the family vibe and helps Heist stand out from crowd. Artists such as Cinthie, DJ Sneak, Crackazat, Tesfa Williams, Makèz, Pépé Bradock, Matthew Herbert, Ge-Ology, Byron the Aquarius and many more have all contributed, proving that it is a place for unrestrained creatives to be free with their own sonic visions. The label looks as good as it sounds, too, thanks to visual artist Bas Koopmans's standout artwork designs. 
 
Proof of Dam Swindle's widescreen approach to production is their long and talented list of collaborators, which includes the likes of acclaimed musician Tom Misch, US talent Seven Davis Jr., instrumental collective Jungle by Night, plus Marc de Clive-Lowe, Jitwam and Lorenz Rhode. Next to their own originals, a broad spectrum of artists have asked Dam Swindle for some of their special remix magic: on labels like Strut and Soundway they have reworked the legendary Pat Thomas, aka the ‘Golden voice of Africa,' and gave his single ‘Yamona’ a contemporary electronic edge, as well as The Mauskovic Dance Band’s track ‘Space Drum Machine’ and plenty more artists like Kerri Chandler, Mayer Hawthorne and Tom Misch. As their talent for bridging genres from all over the world continues to attract global attention, high-profile projects keep rolling in from all points on the musical globe. 

Dam Swindle are famously avid collectors of both old and new records, and it shows in their DJ sets, which keep you on your toes as they move freely through the broad world of house music with skillfully blended moods of soulful techno, acid, breaks, disco and more, all to create those special moments that crowds never forget. It is for that reason that their name has become a real stamp of authority and invention in the dance music world. Whatever they do, then, this pair do with irresistible charm.

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