Tonight we interview Claude Von Stroke about the new projest and album from Barclay Crenshaw that dropped January 27th
Channeling a love affair with classic '90s hip-hop, an affinity for otherworldly themes and an ear for raw funk, Barclay Crenshaw uses his given birth name to bare his soul and deliver a slowed-down, emotive collection of collaborations and instrumentals.
This self-titled debut album is a left-field departure from his better-known alias, Claude VonStroke, but the quality is undeniably the same. The themes of ancient alien abductions and exploration of time and space are discovered and brought to life through across various tracks. Through his clever use of vocoder in ‘I’m Up Here’ and ‘U Are My System feat. The Cool Kids’ balanced with metaphorical lyrical content about other galaxies and alternate realities, Crenshaw explores these themes with skillful subtlety.
More obvious, but by no means garish in approach, is his commitment to sonic experimentation throughout the album. ‘The Gene Sequence’ stands out with its eerie vocal samples and plucked arppegiated synths providing extra layers of stellar texture. The penultimate track ‘Fatal Error’’s use of metallic and computer generated sound effects to bookend the track remind you of the audio journey you’re being taken on.
10 tracks that sound like a mixture of gold rope chains and new age enlightenment, this debut LP represents a mixture of modern organic beats blended gorgeous melodic moments ‘Hidden Harmonics feat. Aviella) and underlying grittiness create an experience that is eclectic, expressive and expansive (The Real X-Files feat. Lady Chann).
Coded art and epic visuals depicting ancient alien abductions and explorations of time and space furthers the sense of mystery and the unknown, harking back to the past while gazing into the future.
Guests include a wide array of artists from bass maestro Mr. Carmack to the U.K.’s inspired Lady Chann, Flatbush emcees The Underachievers, and even a Cool Kids reunion from Chuck Inglish & Sir Michael Rocks.
- KBOO