an in-depth interview with David August & his new project - Vīz

I discovered David August and his music years ago in a friend’s house party, while his Boiler Room Berlin debut live set was played in the background. As the DJ set unfolds, myriad of emotions and sensations build up, culminating into a beat drop before a series of ongoing rave ensues. The set was so brilliant that I became a fan instantly, and have been following his musical trajectory ever since. I was meant to go to his live performance for the first time in Milan’s Triennale in February 2020, but the pandemic outbreak and the show got axed. So, when I was informed that David is preparing for his first post-pandemic live tour after releasing his upcoming album “VĪS”, I knew it is the time for me to organize something — an editorial feature and a conversation with this digital sound artist that all of my close friends know that I fancy. So, here I am. Sitting by Berlin’s Spree River with David August, speaking about his upcoming album and live tour, his music creation, his artistic approach and his thoughts on electronic music scene throughout the years.

Hi David. How are you today?

I’m very good, thank you. We’ve just finished an editorial shooting with photographer Chaemus by the Spree River and now I am sitting on the Humboldt promenade speaking with you.

How did the shooting with Chaemus go?

It went pretty well and I the process was lovely, great team around! I haven’t been standing in front of a camera for a while, so it was fun to combine that with fashion involved. I must admit that fashion is a field that I have little knowledge about, but it is a beautiful form of expression I want to pay more attention to. Maybe once I am less busy with touring and current album campaign.

Glad to hear that! You’ve mentioned that you’ve been quite busy lately. What are you busy doing at these days?

I am at the final stage of rehearsal for my performance tour in October, to which I’m looking forward. I am also going to release my album in early October as well, so now it’s a period that I have to stay very focused and concentrated.

That’s awesome, it’s always good to be productive. So, from what I understand, there are two major things happening — one is the release of your new album “VĪS”, and the eponymous multidisciplinary performance tour, right?

Correct!

Cool! Could you tell us a little bit about both projects? And introduce some of the people involved to us?

Sure! In the end it is one bigger project, involving several aspects. To give you some context, VĪS started with the idea to have collaborators involved. I always follow my profession quite solitarily. When I started to write this album, I felt ready to involve more people in my creative process.

I realized that there are much more possibilities when you join forces with likeminded people, no matter which background are they coming from. So, the whole album has many musical collaborators and also a couple of visual collaborators. Like Hiba Baddou, a Paris-based Moroccan artist who developed an Imaginary Alphabet for VĪS. These 121 symbols mapped to the music, all are hand-drawn and later vectorized for digital use. Then we have the Jordanian design and art direction studio Turbo, run by Saeed Abu-Jaber and Mothanna Hussein, for all the packaging design. I also invited EgoZen collective to design my upcoming interactive website, linking sound with the Imaginary Alphabet by Hiba within a digital space.

The live show is a continuation of this collaborative multidisciplinary approach. We have Berlin-based choreographer Franka Marlene Foth and scenographer/light designer Marcel Weber (known professionally as MFO) behind the scenes, and drummer/percussionist Andrea Belfi on stage with me. I will take care of the electronic parts and some small instruments while Andrea supporting me rhythmically. There will also be two dance performers, who are guided by Franka, on stage; and together, I wish to realize the vision behind “VĪS”- a vision that is not only based on music, but is also based on a multisensory experience and on movement.

Why do you decide to incorporate dance, or the art of movement, into your show?

The reason why I reached out to Franka Marlene Voth was because I envisioned movement from the beginning as part of this project. I always thought about this music as a blueprint for a theatrical performance. The idea of involving movements has been a very strong inspiration for me during the writing process. To involve bodies and movement seemed to be the natural way to create a dialogue within the human experience, and that’s why the movement is a very important part of the show. Light design is also a crucial component of the show. Usually when in a live show or concert, light is there to make the musicians or performers visible. In our case, however, it is more about making the darkness visible. We have been doing lots of test with MFO and we came up with a very holistic approach on the stage design.

From the beginning of the interview, we heard the word “VĪS” a lot. What is the meaning of it? Why do you decide to name your album and live performances “Vis”?

VĪS comes from Latin, it means “energy” and “force” in the traditional sense. In ancient Roman poetry, the word was used in a context to describe the energy that is surrounding us. It’s a title that could sound a bit pretentious, but for me it is like dedicating a musical offering towards energy. I wouldn’t say that I am a religious in a traditional sense, but I am a spiritual person. I believe in something that is beyond describable: something that has no real definition, but might be perceivable.

During the pandemic, we were isolating ourselves. I decided to extend my self-isolation, and amplified the self-isolation by becoming more curious about the mystery of life. It was a time when I was inspired a lot by quantum physics and by Middle Eastern philosophies and mysticism. I tried to connect everything and I realized that religion, science and ancient philosophies speak about similar things that I was focusing on. They just use a different vocabulary and parlance to narrate them. Scientists use a different vocabulary than the Buddhists. But in the end, there’s something that connects the two. What they believe in, or research about, is an intelligence that goes beyond our comprehension, and that is what fascinates me the most. A sense of humility we could develop towards it. The music in “VĪS” is all about this idea. It’s an attempt to have a dialog with this unexplainable energy that surrounds us.

You talked about this album being inspired by the Midden Eastern Mysticism; how does this inspiration reflect on your music this time?

I didn’t grow up in a Middle Eastern culture, but I’ve been interested in reading and learning from these profound knowledges — especially in the field of spiritual knowledge — that we get to know very little about in the Western society. In Europe, our perceptions about the knowledge from the East is pretty limited, but there’s a huge amount of wisdom that lies underneath those very old traditions and practices. They had a profound impact on me. I didn’t manage to travel much in that region, so to explore and experience them firsthand was something I was craving to.

My cousin told me, after listening to the album, that he could hear Middle Eastern influences. But there was really never an intention to mimic anything or culturally appropriate myself of something that does not belong to me. But apparently it is unavoidable that something that has influenced you personally, also comes to surface in your creativity.

Is that why you collaborate with talents of Middle Eastern or North African heritage for this project?

It is an interesting coincidence, but the collaboration with them actually all came very naturally. For example, with Hiba Baddou, she sent me a video she created for fun from an old track of mine in late 2021. I had a look at her website and I found out that she was doing calligraphic works, and that’s how I got interested in collaborating with her. And for Saeed Abu-Jaber and Mothanna Hussein, I was in touch with Saeed since a while as we curated a 99CHANTS residency at Radio Alhara in 2021. He is one of the founders. So, I knew about their design activities and their style really fit the whole project.

You’ve mentioned about isolating yourself additionally even after the pandemic slowed down. How long was your extended self-isolation? And how did it go?

I was traveling to Italy in 2020. It was meant to be a three-weeks stay, but has prolonged to seven months. My mother is Italian, and we have a family house close to Rome. When I was there, I realized that there was actually nothing going on in Berlin at that time, but I could embrace the nature of central Italy like I had never done before. Hence, I ended up extending my sojourn.

During the isolation, I met a couple of friends, but most of the time I was in solitude. It’s a very small town, so I could concentrate on my creative process there. I enjoyed it as well as the surroundings, until I felt the need to move forward. After those seven month I came back to Berlin, stayed here for another two before I went back to Italy for another eight to nine months stay. Basically, I stayed in Italy for a year and half in the past three years.

The isolation I’ve been through was not necessarily physical, well no longer after the restriction was loosen, but more mental. I was not in a boundless desert or a secluded abbey, I was in a countryside house in an idyllic small town. But the isolation — an internal seclusion from the outside world, allowed me to question many things and to unfurl an intimate dialog with myself and with what I perceived as an observer to the natural world surrounding us. It was a metaphorically mental isolation I superimposed to the original physical isolation, and somehow it seemed to be an important process at that time.

Oh! So, you are in fact partially of Italian origin? Do you feel attached to your Italian heritage, and do you think it reflects in your artistic creation and in your philosophy?

Yes, it definitely does. I made two albums that came out 2018 and they were the first works that had a dialog with my Italian provenance. I realized that the emotional excitement I usually experienced when I was producing music also came when I feel connected to Italy. Be it the country, the culture and even the language is fascinating. The moment I switch my language to Italian, I feel like a different person. I have a romantic side of me, and through the tonality of this beautiful language, I sense my body and my true self resonating.

Coming back to your profession, music. I want to know a little bit more about your musical background. You got into classical music at a very young age, what inspired you to transit from classical music to a more contemporary electronic music practice?

I got into classical music at a very young age because of my father, who is a classical pianist. And because of a passionate mother who believed in my talent. Classical music has a pretty academic environment. To be able to perform classical music, you need to go through a time of formation, in which improvisation is usually not part of. Somewhen and somehow, I think I was a bit tired of these boundaries and rules that the traditional musical environment imposed on me. At that time, the electronic music gave me this access to represent a more open-minded and freeform approach on music making. I started to be impressed by electronic music, club music in particular, when I was 16. The energetic release that this music form exudes is very physical, and it is something that lacks in classical music. Classical music is more implosive, whereas electronic music is maybe more explosive. They can be equally beautiful, you can have an incredible amount of joy while performing classical music, but the aura remains contained. So, the physical release that electronic music provides was inspiriting, and I tried to produce it myself.

Electronic music then became an escape for me, as everything seemed to be possible! You can shape sounds in whatever way you like. But in classical music, take piano as an example, when you press a key on the piano, the corresponding sound chimes. The art and beauty lie within orchestrating the purity of these instruments. But the freedom of exploring various approaches and the possibility to shape each millisecond in electronic music is simply incredible. At that age when a lot of teenagers and I wanted to break out from our norms, these tools became a getaway. So, combining and shifting these two worlds came in naturally.

Do you think your classical music training influenced your music creation?

Absolutely. My classical music training influenced me in a good and sometimes also less constructive way. The knowledge that I gained from my classical music education has been a massive help to my career. Sometimes, your education and experience can be an impediment when you try to explore unchartered territories, and this is what I try to avoid in the last six years of five years — to detox myself from the academic point of view in music. There can be musicians who don’t have any musical knowledge but make much more interesting pieces than those who studied in music for decades. Creation should be more about having a fearless approach on expressing yourself. I am thankful for my education, but for me it is important to change perspective and move from my comfort zone.

That’s a very interesting insight. Back to club music, it is actually how I, and I believe a lot people, discovered you. You had a successful Boiler Room debut, an electronic performance in collaboration with the famous orchestra Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and several well-received live sets and festival appearances. Are you still performing in clubs, or are you focusing on a more artistic musical practice now?

Well, club culture can be artistic as well of course! But the environment you navigate always reflects your current inner state and we all go through transformative periods in life. A couple years ago, I realized that the club environment I was stepping in, was not working anymore with the music I was doing. I felt pressure to deliver, and less a freedom to express myself authentically. I might come up with a beat after a long intro, but maybe I didn’t even want to drop a beat.

So gradually, I shifted my creative process towards an auditorial experience, far from any clear definition of genre I would say. The intention is to listen to a story, and within the story I make use of any vocabulary that comes handy to express it to my best capabilities. This kind of creativity is what I feel more comfortable with.

Right now, I think there’s actually a very exciting and interesting new wave of club music. Everything seems so intertwined, both culturally and musically. Nevertheless, the last three years and the writing of VĪS looked for a different musical language and a multidisciplinary approach.

I would probably call myself a digital composer. The term DJ nowadays refers to people who make electronic music, but technically it’s not correct. A DJ is someone who plays others’ music behind a booth. Today, we compose music on the computer and with several software. I might look like a DJ, but technically I am performing my own music using computer as an instrument, which takes time to practice like any other instrument, too. In my case, my creative process involves a hybrid between abstract electronic and the more tangible acoustic sounds. The live performances “VĪS” will also be a hybrid of both.

Sometimes it’s difficult for audience to follow an artist’s musical transitions, because they are emotionally connected to their past experience. I still receive messages referring to older releases of mine, but it is nearly possible to not change as an artist (and person) in thirteen years!

I’m very grateful for my audience’s support and for all the success that some of my music had achieved. But after all what happened and is happening, it is a different chapter, and I think this album plays a very important role for me in this new chapter.

And from an ex-club DJ’s perspective, what do you think about the current club scene in Berlin? Do you still go clubbing from time to time?

I don’t see myself as a regular clubgoer. I go sometimes per year, and I am there usually for someone that I would love to listen and dance to. Clubs in Berlin have become too crowded, especially after the pandemic. I understand that there’s an urge to dance and move freely again, but pandemic has finished for a while but the queues outside the Berlin clubs are getting longer by every week. I can only assume that electronic music continues to rise to its popularity.

Today, club music has become more and more visible in pop culture rather than a patent to the underground community. My experience is that there are more interconnectivities between the two. As I said before, I think the club music has been getting more and more interesting. There are many incredible artists coming from different backgrounds. This community is no longer predominately presided by cis-male musicians or DJs, and it has definitely grown into a more inclusive, diverse and welcoming environment.

Out from all of the tracks that you’ve composed, what is your favorite track?

It is an interesting question because I usually don’t listen to my music after it is published. The moment I release the music, it is not mine anymore. It becomes my audience’s. But I like Elysian Fields on the album D’Angelo, it’s a cute piece.

I’ve noticed that you like to add clips of speech and voice-over to your musical tracks, is there a reason why you do so and why are these lyrical moments are important?

Yes, I used to do it a lot in mixes. I think electronic music can be a quite abstract form of music. We usually only have the title of the music, but no voice or lyrics to understand what the artist actually wants to speak about. In the end, we listened to the same music, but could have very different associations and interpretations to it. That’s the beauty of music, it is a universal language that does not need words to be understood. But sometimes there is a desire to make a very clear statement, to set the tone and tell a more figurative story.

With lyrical music, we usually have a clear guidance by the author on what they want to express. It is also the element that connects us on a human basis, it is the most relatable instrument, the voice. I think the lack of lyrical information in electronic music is the trait that often leads me to incorporate speeches and spoken words.

That’s a point that I have never think of before! Thank you so much for the insight and your time today, David. Before we wrap up this talk, would you like to share with us your plans after the launch of album “VĪS” and the live tour?

There’s quite some music I would like to release that I didn’t make it to this album or that is just parts of other projects. Many of them are still musical sketches on my hard drive. I hope to find opportunities to use them sooner or later. There are also some piano music pieces that I recorded in 2021, which I would love to release soon. Some projects might not really be able to speak about yet, but collaborations are becoming more important to me.

Also, I have a huge interest in scoring for motion pictures. There are always people asking me the reasons why I haven’t composed anything for films yet. I think it could be really fun to provide soundtracks for movies, because I often have a visual story in front of my inner eye during the writing process. I feel like it would be a natural progression if I could visualize a visual story someone else told with my music.

Photography Chaemus Leonard Macmillan @chaemus
Fashion Xuan Chen @ssxuanie
Production and Words Yves Tsou @hyvaapaivaayva
Photography Assistant Harry Miller @leftgoesright
Fashion Assistant David Herrera he_rrera