Sixteen years after “Mr. Spock,” the Dirtybird lifer talks Flock Tapes Vol. 1, Campout world-building, and what to play on the drive home.
Written by Eric B. Thornton
Long before Dirtybird was a globally recognized brand with theme-camp festivals and Coachella slots, it was a handful of San Francisco kids trading mixtapes and setting up decks at a backyard BBQ. Ardalan was one of the kids who showed up.
He’d already logged serious hours by then, soaking up house and techno from Solar and Galen at the Bay Area’s legendary Sunset Sound System day parties, chasing a high he’d first found in his father’s jazz records and mixtapes of gangsta rap and Italo disco traded on childhood trips between Tehran and California. “Probably would say most of what I produce always has that influence,” he tells me, of that cross-continental upbringing. “A lot of my roots are engrained in my sound. I’ll be showcasing more of my Iranian roots in future releases.”
The Dirtybird crew took to him immediately. Then came the accident that wasn’t really an accident: in 2010, at nineteen, Ardalan handed Justin Martin a rough studio demo. Martin heard something in it, trimmed and rearranged it into “Mr. Spock” — and the record became an Essential Mix cut, a Beatport No. 1, and one of the tracks that put Dirtybird on the map. “It was a dream come true, thanks to Justin Martin, who believed in that record and supported me,” Ardalan says. “I remember hearing him play it at a Sunset Sound System day party on the roof of a cinema complex, and I was screaming with joy.”
Sixteen years later, he’s still one of the label’s most trusted hands, the guy who can make an eclectic set feel like a single thought at Coachella, CRSSD, and Dirtybird’s own festivals. What Claude VonStroke and the crew saw early wasn’t polish, he says.
“They believed in my tunes and saw how much I loved DB. That was a very amazing support system to have, and also gave me the freedom to be myself.”
— Ardalan
He credits those early Golden Gate Park parties with teaching him the actual job: “How to have fun and be fun … I’m so glad I got to experience those early park parties and transfer those memories into future generations.” Ardalan spent this past July at Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights. “It’s actually super fun and festive, very interactive with the fans, and I get to be a character sometimes,” he says of Campout’s world-building.
Nearly two decades into a career that started with a BBQ and a demo tape, he’s still figuring out how to hold onto the human part.
Ask him what to play on the drive home after one of his sets, though, and he doesn’t pick one of his own. It’s Nicolas Jaar’s “A Time for Us,” he says — something to “unlock the stillness and sweetness of the present. No past or future reflections. Just you, the road, and a partner.” Good advice, coming from a guy who’s spent sixteen years proving the best records are the ones that outlast the party.
Ardalan — “Spiraling” & “I Am” out now on Flock Tapes Vol. 1
Stream via Dirtybird · Follow on Instagram · SoundCloud · Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights
The Full Interview: Ardalan x FRANK151
Let’s start with the Frank151 tradition: you’re the curator of your own three-day dream festival, and you get to hand-pick one headliner to close out each night — dead or alive. Who’s playing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and why those three?
Friday is the first night. We are going big. I would have a live hardware Daft Punk pre robot mask circa 1996-1997. Saturday is going to be Basement Jaxx. Sunday, sunrise set by Boards of Canada and then followed by a 12-hour set from Ricardo Villalobos and Andrew Weatherall.
You were born in Tehran and grew up shuttling between Iran and the Bay Area, with a saxophonist father in the mix. How much of that cross-continental upbringing do you still hear in your music today?
Probably would say most of what I produce always has that influence. In terms of making different genres, a lot of my roots are engrained in my sound. I will be showcasing more of my Iranian roots in future releases.
“Mr. Spock” landed on Dirtybird back in 2010 when you were nineteen — it became an Essential Mix cut and hit No. 1 on Beatport, and it’s now talked about as one of the tracks that made the label famous. What do you remember about that moment, and what would you tell that nineteen-year-old now?
Oh man, it was a dream come true, thanks to Justin Martin who believed in that record and supported me. I remember hearing him play it at a Sunset Soundsystem day party on the roof of a cinema complex, and I was screaming with joy.
You went from being a Dirtybird fan to a core member of the roster. What did the Dirtybird crew see in you early on, and what did the label teach you about making music that actually moves a floor?
They believed in my tunes and saw how much I loved DB. That was a very amazing support system to have, and also gave me the freedom to be myself while being a part of such a great family. They also taught me a lot about the dancefloor and how to have fun and be fun. Honestly, nothing comes close to those early park parties in Golden Gate Park. I’m so glad I got to experience those and transfer those memories into future generations.
You contributed both “Spiraling” and “I Am” to the Flock Tapes Vol. 1 compilation. What drew you to that project, and what do those two tracks reveal about where your sound is at right now?
We made those tunes at the DB Empire writer camp, and it just put me in an environment where I got to contribute and work with producers and singers I had never worked with or even met. It was a very fun collaborative experience. I love being creative and working with different workflows. For me, learning and being curious is the biggest motivation to finishing a song or feeling fulfilled.
Dirtybird Campout is a world of its own — color wars, camp counselors, the whole summer-camp-for-adults thing. What does that environment pull out of you as a DJ that a normal club or festival stage doesn’t?
It’s actually super fun and festive, very interactive with the fans, and I get to be a character sometimes, which is pretty cool. There’s a lot of cool things you can do and check out. The renegades are just incredible, and Dirtybird Campout is famous for the renegade community.
The underground has changed a lot since you started — algorithms, socials, the whole content machine. Where do you land on all that, and how do you keep the weird, human side of this music alive in 2026?
It’s been a mind****, honestly, but I try and ground myself and keep the music at its core. I think it’s crucial to have a tool that helps you directly with your fans, except the algorithm favors someone that is always active, and it’s tough sometimes — a post feels as hard as writing a song sometimes. I’m still getting used to it 🙂
Last one: if we ran into you at 3 a.m. after your Campout set, still buzzing, what’s the one track — yours or someone else’s — you’d want us to hear on the drive home, and what’s it going to unlock for us?
Nicolas Jaar — “A Time for Us.” It will unlock the stillness and sweetness of the present. No past or future reflections. Just you, the road, and a partner (significant or alien friend).