Claude VonStroke is celebrating 20 years of his groundbreaking debut album, Beware of the Bird, with a special anniversary edition.
Released on Friday, October 23, through his own imprint, Wrong Number Records, Beware of the Bird (Deluxe Edition) revisits the 2006 album that helped introduce VonStroke’s eccentric, bass-heavy approach to house music and laid the foundation for his influential career.
“I knew something good was happening when I put all the singles together into an album a year later and an LA record exec tried to sign it on a napkin at a bar. Of course, I refused, and to this day I own all of my masters and publishing. But that album was called Beware of the Bird, and it contained all of my earliest original music,” VonStroke shared.
Featuring early classics like Who’s Afraid of Detroit?, The Whistler, and Deep Throat, the expanded edition includes fresh remixes from Justin Martin, DJ Sneak, Kevin Saunderson, Mary Droppinz, and more, alongside the album’s first-ever complete vinyl pressing.
“At one point around 2006, my tracks were getting played by an incredibly wide spectrum of DJs from Ricardo Villalobos to Erol Alkan. But even though there were multiple hits, the full album Beware of the Bird was never put out on vinyl.”
The anniversary arrives during a new chapter for VonStroke, who returned to house music after a brief two-year stint in bass music under Barclay Crenshaw with his acclaimed 2026 album Wrong Number. The project marked a return to his roots, embracing a stripped-back approach to house music driven by minimal grooves, unconventional production, and the underground culture that first inspired his sound.
Now, two decades after his debut, the release brings his career full circle, celebrating the records that helped shape his legacy while reaffirming the creative independence that has defined his journey.
“That was 20 years ago. And as I said, I kept all my masters. So this year I’m finally pressing up the whole thing and it’s coming out on my new label, Wrong Number Records,” VonStroke added. “Special thanks to Shauna Regan (R.I.P.), who took all my early press photos and the most amazing photos for the album cover way, way back in 2005. She was so gifted, and we miss her.”
