Barclay Crenshaw, the mastermind behind the iconic house music of Claude VonStroke and Dirtybird Records, is back in the game and redefining his sound. Crenshaw is embarking on a 13-city tour to complement the release of his second album, Open Channel, which drops this Friday, March 8, via Easier Said.
On his YouTube channel, Crenshaw has been recounting the 80 days he set aside to create Open Channel. During this transformative creative process, he focused on daily practices of beat making, cold showers, and meditation. The album leans into UK hard bass and melodic themes with thoughtful samples mixed in throughout. Staying true to his proclivity for easy-listening albums with low-level commitment, Crenshaw’s album is capped at 10 action-packed tracks.
During his Discord server album preview on Tuesday, March 5, Crenshaw shared a boatload of alpha with his loyal supporters. He spent 10 of his 80 days renting a studio in London to find inspiration for his album. Without much of a plan, Crenshaw reached out to a wide range of UK grime MCs and landed some notable collaborators.
The first track on Open Channel features two of those UK MCs — Flowdan and Stush — on “Do My Ting,” which was produced during this UK trip. The second track, “Stay Together” features another UK MC, TeeZandos. Crenshaw recalled how he invited her to the studio and she made the magic happen. In two hours, she picked the melody, wrote the lyrics, and recorded the vocals.
“King of Monsters,” the third song, was polarizing in the Crenshaw household. His wife hated it, his son loved it, and his daughter helped write some of the melody. Of note, Crenshaw used recorded screams from a Cedar Point roller coaster to add to the devastation of Godzilla! “The Quiet Storm” also used a notable sample from Detroit’s Electrifying Mojo Show in its experimental bass sound design.
Admittedly the most out-of-character track on the new album, “The Juice is Good,” is another family effort, featuring Barclay’s vocals and samples of his daughter Emma and his brother Alex. Be careful — this track “is a little funky earworm hit!” The next track was the first single release from Open Channel, a grimy collab with UK MCs Snowy and Manga Saint Hilare, “Big in the Game.” Detroit’s Anthony Garth produced the official video linked below.
“Dub Life” opens up with a hilarious sample of a fan trying to take a picture with Crenshaw after a show in San Francisco last year. It is refreshing to see the goofiness of Claude VonStroke staying alive on his new bass project as well! “Shyboy” also starts with a poignant sample, using a 12-year-old recording of his then 5-year-old son Jasper! Snowy’s vocals are featured on a second track, “The Rebel,” and Crenshaw masterfully chops them up to get the vibes right.
The final track is a meaningful tribute to one of Manhattan’s finest MCs and a Dirtybird Campout contributor, the late Biz Markie. Crenshaw shared how he used to be an MC back in high school, selling his first rap recording on cassette for a smooth $800 profit. Although he was a bit rusty recording the lyrics for this track, it does feature his vocals as he pays homage to the influential rap MC.
“I dig and dig through countless genres and experiment so that you don’t have to,” Crenshaw shared. “I want to play new music that makes you say, ‘Wow.’ Your algorithmic playlist is just a formula that echoes songs you like until you are completely pigeonholed. Let’s start a community of explorers that connects over great tunes and isn’t controlled by computers.”
The Open Channel Tour is slated to start with the album release party at New York City’s historic venue, Webster Hall. The tour spans 13 dates from March to May, with popups planned for the New York City, Chicago, and Denver shows. Barclay Crenshaw will have tour merch on hand and will be available to sign the goodies. In true Campout style, limited edition Open Channel Tour patches will also be available that are unique to each show location.
To complete the production of the tour, Crenshaw enlisted the help of his decade-long digital artist Gabriel Hall, aka LightBender, to create the visual experience of the Open Channel Tour. Credits also belong to Daniel Martin Diaz, an acclaimed Tucson-based artist responsible for creating the distinctive style that graces Crenshaw’s album covers and mirrors the experimental and eclectic spirit of his music.
Don’t fret if you can’t make it out to one of the tour stops, because Barclay Crenshaw will also be performing at a slew of festivals this spring and summer, with more dates to be announced. You can find him performing at Texas Eclipse Festival in April; SOL Fest, Solshine, and Lightning in a Bottle in May; Electric Forest in June; and Elements in August. Be sure to connect with Crenshaw through his social channels below to get all the latest info and don’t forget he pops into his Discord server every Wednesday at 4:20pm PT to interact with his fans. See you there!
