Listen to my Spotify playlist here - http://bit.ly/InTheBagJZ

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.

Bookings:
UK / EU - miguel.sanchez@caa.com
ROW - bshprits@teamwass.com

MGMT:  scott@ecce.ltd

facebook.com/rickiedh
instagram.com/rickiedh

Weekly radio show hosted by Gorgon City (Matt and Kye) on Rinse FM from 5pm - 7pm (GMT) every Sunday. Hailing from the impressive Black Butter camp (who brought you Rudimental amongst others) and due to release their debut album in 2014 as a joint venture with Virgin / EMI, the pair are one of the most exciting and hotly tipped new acts in the ever-flourishing landscape of British club savvy pop.

Connecting club culture to the wider world, on screen and irl through parties, film and video.

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.

Grant Cavner is following