Silvan Strauss

After the beat-tape jazz focus of his debut album FACING, the Hamburg drummer undertook a lot of soul-searching in order to free himself from the weight of overdubs and overproduction. He has re-focussed on the rhythms and roots of playing with a core acoustic jazz setup whilst employing various guests pairing UK hip hop, electronica, neo-soul and Moroccan gnawa with all kinds of home-spun jazz expression on this, his sophomore album, set to tour in early 2025.

A highly inventive and expressive drummer, Silvan calls upon a stellar roster of collaborators to realise his vision on FLUKIN'. Joining him are Ezra Collective’s keys wizard Joe-Armon Jones, TOYTOY band mate Alex Eckert, long-term collaborator and vocalist SALOMEA, British rapper Oscar#Worldpeace, Gnawa musician Mehdi Qamoum, German guitarist Bertram Burkert and Kabul Fire Records very own founder and beatmaker Farhot.

Silvan won the Hamburg Jazz Prize in 2021 and performed at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival the following year as viral clips of his innovative percussive beats landed him fame on TikTok and Instagram that saw Pete Rock and Queen Latifah praise his unique bounce. One of his videos, ‘Barista Vol4’, has reached over 2.2m views on TikTok alone as Strauss has had fun using gimmicks such as milk jugs, ping pong balls, turntables, whisks, fans, rulers, screws and even just his hands to create unusual percussive sounds. He thanks his drum teacher for telling his parents not to buy him an electric drum kit when he was a child because he got so many sounds out of the acoustic kit it would be a waste.

“The viral thing, it's super addictive but it feels dangerous because you start looking at your phone way more and think you have to do another thing. It's weird because if you start only producing music for that hype, then you start to compromise on musicality.”

This attitude led to Strauss searching for his next concept for two years, often going back and forth with label head Farhot as he felt pressure in finding the right sound to move forward from the tight loops of FACING. He landed on the idea of returning to the approach of the acoustic jazz setup that Strauss enjoyed so much in his younger years sessioning in Hamburg.

Far from sounding like acoustic jazz, FLUKIN’ brings together soul, dub, funk and electronica fx to make light and uncomplicated music, recorded at Hamburg’s Clouds Hill Studios. And Strauss has found a greater balance in his music on the new album by trusting other musicians’ contributions more so he can focus on drumming and not do everything himself. It links to the concept of FLUKIN’, something Strauss hears in basketball commentary of something surprising or lucky happening – a fluke – and delegating his musical approach has been the best environment for him to recognise when the best flukes happen in jams.

“It’s not so much me being on the laptop producing, it’s more interplay, more improvising. My drumming felt more free. I search for those moments of interaction, not always the real flashy moments, but the ones where the flukes become really lucid and strong”

Strauss notes key influences for the album are drummers Questlove, Tony Allen, Mel Lewis and Billy Higgins who play sparsely within their own sound. But he also appreciates how dub music suits this style, and playing with Joe Armon-Jones has brought this out more on their track SKY which oozes a liquidy, echoed-out melody to a soulful, bouncy rhythm.

“Linking up with him (Joe) was crazy because in the studio, we hardly spoke a word. We just played for two hours straight, and then we talked, but in Germany it’s the opposite where you drink coffee, talk, then play. It was really eye opening to just let the music speak.”

After an Instagram exchange with Oscar #Worldpeace, the pair collaborated on the dark hip-hop of OFF KEY and the lo-fi soul of ROSE which allows the rappers’ poetic but direct flow to come through. On the latter, longtime friend Bertram Burkert plays emotionally driven guitar inspired by heartbreak, and this feeds SALOMEA’s sad lyricism before Oscar#Worldpeace’s honest and appreciative lines. Another soulful track SUDAN sees Gnawa musician Mehdi Qamoum play the Guembri on top of a low-slung, dusty-funk beat as Anna Lena Schnabel adds a beautiful layer of flute adding to the track’s spiritual aura.

It’s clear in these tracks how the beat-tape element of Strauss’ music has moved aside, allowing a more considered approach to melody. It continues with the leading flute of CHULAS as Strauss purrs his drums to match it alongside folkish guitar and Farhot’s earthy bass and drum programming. DIVING sees Strauss noodle his way around the kit in a light but faster-paced track, with the bass prodding along to the melancholia that journeys from the calm to the adventurous. Strauss utilises alternative percussive sounds by modulating the brushed hi-hats with his free hand on the spacey, analogue interpretation of David Bowie’s sound on BOWIE, composed by bassist Giorgi Kiknadze.

Having already established himself as a prolific drummer and producer, FLUKIN’ has sharpened Silvan Strauss’ abilities to proactively make flukes happen through trusted collaboration and focus on intentional, melody driven writing. Silvan perfectly surmises…

“I just needed really good songs and one word that helped me find that was ‘beauty’. If I felt I could find that in the music, it took the pressure off all the other perceived requirements of music like virtuosity, flash, and complexity.”