Claude VonStroke Comes Back Strong with ‘I Was the Wolf’ EP

When Claude VonStroke left the house scene behind in 2023 to focus on his bass-heavy alter ego Barclay Crenshaw, it felt like a chapter closing—at least temporarily—for one of the most distinctive voices in underground dance music. Two years later, he’s come back not just to reopen that book but to rewrite its tone entirely.

With the independently released I Was the Wolf, VonStroke doesn’t just announce his return—he redefines it. This two-track EP is less about reclaiming a throne and more about prowling into new territory, drawing on the raw instinct and seasoned finesse of a producer who has spent the last two decades unlearning the rules he helped write.

The opening track, “I Am the Wolf,” is classic Claude with a bite. It carries all the hallmarks of his signature style—chunky, tactile drums and those deliciously detuned synth stabs—but they arrive with a darker presence. There’s a weight to the bassline that feels more stalker than stomper, creeping and deliberate. It’s the sound of a producer who’s not here to bang down doors anymore—he’s here to slide in through the shadows and rearrange the furniture without you noticing.

But the real surprise is “Move with the Pack,” which finds VonStroke in a more introspective headspace. It’s a slow burner built around jazzy flourishes and a smoky, lounge-ready beat that oozes restraint. The track evokes an imagined scene: early morning at a Tokyo bar, incense drifting through cracked windows, and the sense that something quiet but profound is unfolding on the dancefloor. It’s a far cry from the squawking party anthems that built the Dirtybird empire—but it’s also a mature evolution of that ethos. It’s not trying to start the fire. It’s tending to the embers.

Together, these two tracks paint a portrait of an artist who’s not only survived the ever-revolving door of dance music trends but who’s found new creative footing by stepping away. VonStroke’s sabbatical as Barclay Crenshaw clearly wasn’t downtime—it was research. And the result is a sharper, more cinematic sound that acknowledges the past while refusing to be boxed in by it.

Claude VonStroke didn’t need to return as the wolf. But in doing so, he’s proven he still leads the pack.