David August

Classically trained, multi-instrumentalist David August produces an ever-shifting array of ambitious, exploratory electronic music. Beginning his career with more club-ready singles and the melodic house and electronica of 2013's Times, his craft has evolved to encompass the thought-provoking minimalist ambient work heard on 2018's DCXXXIX A.C. and the progressive, cinematic suite Vīs (2023). Born in Hamburg to a musical family, August's first connection to music was classical in nature before he moved into music production and DJ'ing in his teens. His debut release appeared in 2009 in the form of tech-house single Trumpets Victory, and he continued to release a slew of singles over the next few years on labels such as Diynamic and Stil Vor Talent. August released his debut full-length, Times, in April 2013. Shifting toward a more experimental approach, the album saw his style move from woozy techno to downtempo electronica. A 2014 Boiler Room appearance and the anthemic Epikur brought him to the attention of a wider audience, and after spending more time DJ'ing and producing, he inked a deal with Ninja Tune offshoot Counter. 2016 saw him deliver two singles for the label -- J.B.Y. and The Spell -- as well as expanding his repertoire by playing live with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester. The following year, August retreated to the Italian town of Palestrina, his mother's birthplace, to reassess his musical endeavors. While there he embraced the town's rural location, using it to influence his second album, DCXXXIX A.C., which launched his 99CHANTS label. The 2018 release moved away from the house and melodic electronica of his previous work, instead featuring an hour of experimental, ambient soundscapes. A few months later, August delivered his third album, D'Angelo, which married his more experimental sound with the downtempo, melancholic electronica of his earlier releases. A single comprising remixes by Rafael Anton Irisarri and Ron Trent appeared in 2019, and the progressive, breakbeat-driven IDM track "Reminiscence of a Jewel" was released in 2020. Three years later, August returned with Vīs, a four-chapter neo-classical suite inspired by quantum physics and Middle Eastern mysticism.
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