Dirtybird has been the record label dominating within the house and techno scene, whether it’s from bringing incredible artists into the fold to throwing legendary events from BBQ and Campout. Dirtybird has been a home for those looking to move outside the comfort zone of four-to-the-floor; to dig deep into the world of weird and warm bass that still slaps with that pounding heartbeat that draws everyone into the party. Clearly, we have a big love for this powerhouse label and all that it stands for. Dirtybird has always been seen as the curator of house and techno that makes you want to party, to dance, and to just let loose. We decided to take a look at our favorite releases from 2018 and what those artists have accomplished.
Dirtybird Player of the year: Fisher
While Fisher has only had one release on Dirtybird this year, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t highly anticipated. The man behind the fish, Paul Fisher, has skillfully built his fanbase with only a handful of tracks under his belt. Hit after hit digs into your brain and makes itself at home, and you don’t mind one bit. He brings an explosive energy to every set and is always having a good laugh.
In March of 2018, after teasing this track in his sets for months, he finally dropped “Crowd Control”. With over five million plays from Spotify, fans rejoiced and quickly streamed in rapid numbers to flash back to their favorite memories with the Aussie producer. Fisher has had a very successful year all around, with his latest single, “Losing It”, garnering over 29 million streams and has been played out in damn near everyone’s set in 2018 as well as landing him a Grammy nominee. From killer performances at EDC Las Vegas and Dirtybird Campout, Fisher has made his mark in the tech house world, and we can’t even imagine what he has next up his sleeve for 2019.
Connect with FISHER (Follow The Fish):
https://www.facebook.com/www.followthefishtv.tv
https://twitter.com/followthefishtv
https://www.instagram.com/followthefishtv
Justin Jay: “Cash Money”
Justin Jay had a very successful 2018 with the official debut of his record label Fantastic Voyage as well as introducing live music into his sets. His Dirtybird single, “Cash Money”, is just another beautiful edition to his funky repertoire. Raver Rafting had a chance to catch up with Justin at Origins music festival, check out that interview here.
Connect with Justin Jay:
https://www.facebook.com/justinjayofficial
https://twitter.com/justinjaymusic
https://soundcloud.com/justin-jay
https://www.instagram.com/JustinJaymusic
Will Clarke: “Take a Seat”
Our favorite bearded tech house maestro, Will Clarke, finally released “Take a Seat” on Dirtybird in 2018. Teasing the tracks throughout his sets of the year, fans were foaming at the mouth since Dirtybird Campout East Coast to put it on rotation. Clarke was also featured on Claude VonStroke’s Live From Detroit his “Boss Man” collab with Born Dirty. To finish off the year, he released another highly anticipated track, “8 Bit” on Shiba San’s Record label Basement Leak.
Connect with Will Clarke:
https://www.facebook.com/willclarkedj
https://twitter.com/djwillclarke
https://soundcloud.com/djwillclarke
http://djwillclarke.com
Shiba San: “Don’t Talk”
Our favorite Frenchman of the Dirtybird family, Shiba San, dropped his “Don’t Talk” EP to kick off the fall season. He showed off once again his spectrum techno dexterity, from pulsating purity to floor burning grooves. Shiba has kept himself busy with loads of EP releases, like Downtown, Off to Funk, and his most recent Your Mind. From throwing down epic sets at Dirtybird Campouts, EDC Las Vegas, to Groove Cruise, Shiba San had one hell of a 2018.
Connect with Shiba San:
https://www.facebook.com/shiba.san
https://twitter.com/ShibaSanMusic
https://soundcloud.com/shibasan
https://www.instagram.com/shibasanmusic
https://www.shibasan.com
OMNOM: “Fo Free”
OMNOM has made himself at home on the Dirtybird label with his style of tech house cuisine. We fell in love with his signature “chomp” sample and funky synths and have been on top of his releases ever since. With collaborations with Sage Armstrong on “Wait… (I Think I Lost My Mind)” to his most recent trippy remix of J. Worra’s “4 AM”, OMNOM is destined to have a killer 2019. Check out our interview with OMNOM here to learn more about what’s coming up next.
Connect with OMNOM:
https://www.facebook.com/imOMNOM
https://www.twitter.com/imOMNOM
https://soundcloud.com/omnom
https://www.instagram.com/imOMNOM
https://open.spotify.com/imomnom/secretmenu
Claude VonStroke: Live in Detroit & “Grenade”
Claude VonStroke is our lord and savior in the Dirtybird clan so of course he gets two (well… maybe three). Bringing fans back to Detroit roots in the house and techno world, VonStroke gifted us his first live mix album chocked full of secret edits, unreleased originals, and all around just a killer mix, made special just for Movement Music Festival.
We also got see father Claude’s intensely dark love affair of techno with his collab with EPROM on “Grenade”. With an unrelenting bass and smacking high hats, you find yourself dropping in like the bomb yourself until it finally lets up at the end of seven minutes. Another honorary mention is his Walay (My Bae) EP, with the title track making it’s rounds in the festival circuits across all house sets.
Connect with Claude VonStroke:
https://www.facebook.com/Claude.VonStroke
https://twitter.com/vonstroke
https://www.soundcloud.com/claudevonstroke
http://www.claudevonstroke.com
Steve Darko: “Fried or Fertilized”
Steve Darko found himself brought into the flock in March 2018 with his Fried or Fertilized EP, which quickly grabbed Dirtybird fam’s attention with his precarious treatment of the synths and popping house rhythms. Just before the year was up, Darko came back with his Firecracker EP, with “Whistlework”’s addictively dark vocal sample that is sure to make the rounds in 2019.
Connect with Steve Darko:
https://www.facebook.com/stevedarkomusic
https://twitter.com/stevedarkomusic
https://soundcloud.com/stevedarkomusic
Chambray: “Where You At?”
With seven releases in 2018, Chambray definitely put in the work to grow his sound. From being featured on Claude VonStroke’s Live in Detroit with “Evenue” to his very own Dirtybird EP release, Where You At?, Chambray shows no signs of slowing down from building his discography of grooving house hits. We can’t wait to see what the Berlin native has in store for the new year.
Connect with Chambray:
https://m.facebook.com/iamchambray
https://mobile.twitter.com/iamchambray
https://soundcloud.com/iamchambray
https://instagram.com/iamchambray
ZDS: “Sweat”
Early in the year of 2018, we got introduced to someone that really delves into the realm of weird to match the name, Zombie Disco Squad, at East Coast Campout. With his first Dirtybird release, Phase 1, dropping quickly after, he already had a flurry of streams come through. His set was infectious and his top track, “Sweat”, had us all over that dance floor, spinning up shuffle clouds everywhere. With Claude’s support, ZDS quickly joined housewerk playlists, with the potential only going up from here for 2019.
Connect with ZDS:
https://www.facebook.com/zombiedisco
https://twitter.com/ZDS_official
https://soundcloud.com/zombiediscosquad
https://www.instagram.com/zds_offical
https://www.thezds.com
Tom Flynn: “The Future”
Tom Flynn helped Dirtybird closeout 2018 with his The Future EP, featuring a remix from the label’s father himself. We’ve already heard this track play out at festivals like Decadence Arizona and we’re sure to hear it quite a bit more on the currently sailing Holy Ship!. Flynn gives us a different taste of house, with gentle piano juxtaposed against a roboticized AMP Fiddler vocals asking, “to see ourselves in the future”. This is a perfect end to our top 10 list of Dirtybird players of the year, with 2019 ahead of us.
Connect with Tom Flynn:
https://www.facebook.com/Tom.Flynn.Music.Page
https://twitter.com/tomflynnmusic
We hope you enjoyed taking a trip down Dirtybird memory lane with us, as 2018 was one for the books. We can’t wait to make more memories with our DB fam in the new year and dance our little hearts out once again. Keep up to date with the label through their socials below as well as their Birdfeed subscription for those that need these addictive tracks ASAP.
If you loved this list, check out our top techno tracks of 2018. See you in 2019.
Connect with Dirtybird Records:
https://www.facebook.com/dirtybirdrecords
https://twitter.com/dirtybird
https://soundcloud.com/dirtybirdrecords
https://www.instagram.com/dirtybirdrecords
http://www.dirtybird.com
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