Drummer Silvan Strauss is clever about the ground he covers on sophomore release Flukin‘. The rhythms he lays down are smooth and straightforward, nothing terribly dense. On the contrary, his beats float, drift, and pulse through the ether. Everything is steady. Even so, this is no one-note album. It moves between fresh air and outer space, between electronic signals and acoustic strings and flutes, everything blended in barely tangible combinations. As an arranger and a collaborator, Strauss is remarkably versatile. For all its tonal consistency–all ten tracks radiate the same gentle aura–Flukin’ has intriguing details and a definite range.
Nominally a jazz musician, Strauss takes a broad and layered approach to style here. Every track grows from a base of downtempo chill-hop, too clean and precise to be “lo-fi”, exactly, but in much the same vibrational vein. From there, Strauss is happy to meander alone or with fellow artists. There’s some recognizable jazz to be had, as on “Chulas”, which features Kabul Fire label founder and producer Farhot sliding thrums of double bass beneath Anna Lena Schnabel’s quick flute melodies and ripples of Alex Eckert’s acoustic guitar and much later on “Jörgi, My Dear”, a slow and sensuous looping of keys, bass, and simmering percussion.
Some parts of Flukin’ move further from this foundation than others, and when guests arrive, the differences become especially clear. Ezra Collective‘s Joe Armon-Jones brings filmy Mellotron lines to the pastel opening track “Sky”. Salomea’s smoky vocal lines and rapper Oscar #Worldpeace sculpt “Rose” into a deconstructed piece of old-school R&B. On the centerpiece “Sudan”, Gnawa musician Mehdi Qamoum’s voice and guembri glow with a warmth of their own, complementary to but very distinct from Strauss’ standard palette. Oscar #Worldpiece appears again for “Off Key”, a stylishly gloomy hip-hop track.
Shifts between styles are more subtle when Silvan Strauss employs only his core ensemble, but they’re still significant enough to make each piece distinct. “Bowie”, a tribute to the titular legend, is a dreamy, vaguely extraterrestrial pop piece led by Yannis Anft’s harmonies on Wurlitzer and Moog and buoyed by Giorgi Kiknadze’s double bass.
Their expedition continues with cosmic “Diving”, which features some of Strauss’s tightest percussion, playful strings from Eckert, and Bertram Burkert’s aquatic guitar work. On languid “Free”, Strauss, Kiknadze, and Anft are joined by Adrian Hanack on sleek clarinet. The album ends with Strauss, Kiknadze, and Schnabel, the latter of whom picks up the sax for “Girl”, a piece that verges on sprightly.
Flukin’ makes perfect sense for Kabul Fire, as it aligns with the cool production of Farhot’s solo work. The sheen of jazz technique and emphasis on an acoustic core sets Strauss apart from the broader lo-fi pool. Meanwhile, the familiarity of contemporary looping and other electropop staples makes it easy to listen to and enjoy each bite-sized track without working unreasonably hard. You don’t have to wrench your audiences’ proverbial guts to make them feel, Silvan Strauss seems to be saying. Sitting back and soaking in the vibes, it’s hard to want to argue.