Release Date: December 12th, 2025

The Live at Clouds Hill series is all about capturing the unrepeatable energy of a live performance. An artist performs in one of the legendary Hamburg studios, in front of an invited audience, with everything recorded directly to tape under the best conditions. Pressed on vinyl, it allows the moment to live on as part of the acclaimed Live at Clouds Hill series — a catalog that already includes releases from artists such as Faust, Omar Rodríguez-López, Le Butcherettes, Bela B., Deantoni Parks and more. Each album in the series preserves the intimacy, fragility, and brilliance of a single performance, turning it into a timeless document.

Now, drummer, composer, and Hamburg Jazz Prize winner Silvan Strauss adds his name to this legacy. Known for his distinctive blend of rhythm, improvisation, and groove, Strauss has become one of Germany’s most exciting jazz talents, praised both on international stages like Montreux Jazz Festival and online, where even icons such as Pete Rock and Queen Latifah have acknowledged his unique style. His contribution to the series reflects the approach he has honed in recent years: light, collaborative, and rooted in the magic of real-time interplay.

His second album FLUKIN’ (2025), released on Kabul Fire Records, marked the beginning of this new chapter for Strauss. The record captured his shift from loop-based beats toward spontaneous interplay, featuring collaborations with international musicians and highlighting the joy of creating in the moment. It celebrated the “flukes” — those unexpected, lucky coincidences that arise in improvised music — and established Strauss as an artist who thrives on openness and collaboration. His Live at Clouds Hill album continues this trajectory, distilling the same spirit into a pure live setting.

This special release not only features recordings from the Clouds Hill live sessions but also includes two tracks from Silvan’s Shower Session — a unique Clouds Hill live format in which artists perform in one of the studio’s bathrooms, making use of the resonant, unconventional acoustics. The result is a first-class live album that perfectly captures Strauss’ exceptional sound and presence, documented with the unmistakable sonic quality that has made the Live at Clouds Hill series so renowned.

Format: LP
Color: Orange
Release Date: December 12th, 2025
Catalogue #: CH430