Hamburg-based drummer and producer Silvan Strauss is set to release his third album, SPRINTING, on 4 September 2026 via Kabul Fire Records. Following his debut FACING and second album FLUKIN’, the new record finds Strauss continuing to blur the boundaries between jazz, live instrumentation and electronic music, with a particular focus on rhythm, movement and improvisation.
Ahead of the album’s release, we premiere “PINK TAPE”, a track that captures Strauss’s instinct for turning rhythmic ideas into something physical and immediate. Built around his live drumming, the track reflects the restless energy running through SPRINTING, while showing how Strauss approaches electronic rhythms from the perspective of a drummer rather than a producer working solely with programmed sounds.
Strauss’s fascination with Chicago footwork began more than a decade ago through Traxman’s Da Mind of Traxman. After spending months translating its frenetic patterns onto his drum kit, he later returned to the genre with a deeper interest in its history, production techniques and connection to dance. Rather than creating a traditional footwork record, SPRINTING uses these ideas as a starting point, exploring what happens when programmed rhythms are reinterpreted through live instrumentation.
The album was developed through a deliberately minimal process, often beginning with a single sample and exploring its possibilities through different variations. Strauss’s online improvisations also became part of the creative process, with ideas from his viral drum performances eventually developing into finished tracks. This combination of spontaneous playing and focused production gives SPRINTING its distinct sense of movement.
Dance remains another important element of the project. Inspired by the role dancers have played in footwork culture, Strauss connected with dancers from around the world, inviting them to create videos for the album’s tracks. Alongside collaborators including Maria Joao, FARHOT, Reuben James, Petter Eldh, Anna-Lena Schnabel and Alex Eckert, these exchanges expand SPRINTING beyond a single genre, bringing together live playing, sampling, electronic rhythms and improvisation.
