DAVID AUGUST
David August paints with sound. He reminds us that music can be equal parts self-reflection and an insatiable urge to sweat out your anxieties if only for a brief moment in time.
German-based David August arrived in San Francisco last month at the appropriately named August Hall for the penultimate stop on his most recent tour titled: David August Presents: The Life of Merisi. Having just released his latest single, Reminiscence of a Jewel (which we wrote about here!), following 2018's D'ANGELO (which we consider to be one of the best albums of the last decade), we knew that he was prepared to deliver a monumental performance. One that I certainly won't forget about for years to come.
We waded in a pool of fellow audience members. While they slowly sipped on their beverages and stealthily hit their e-cigarettes, they floated about discussing everything and nothing. There was a wide-eyed naiveté emanating from them. They were eager for the show to start and equally unaware of what to expect.
The lights dimmed. Deep red lights engulfed the stage. Surrounding the solitary console (containing keyboards, drum machines, and synthesizers galore) as if cradling it in inside of a womb. Then there were signs of life. Like the faintest of heartbeats. You press your ear against it. You feel life inside. And as sounds began to pour out of the speakers, we were surrounded by a torrential downpour of life in sonic form. We all witnessed a birth on that stage.
He stepped into his cockpit. David August got onto the controls and opened the floodgates of the inner machinations of his psyche. The lush synth tones and palpitating bass notes belting out of the speakers were conveyor belts heading straight into his cerebellum. Inside, we found a hall lined with abstract paintings filled with shadows and uncertainty. An auditory homage to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.
The performance evolved. From the splendid walls of textural soundscapes emerged episodes of gothic, bass driven dance hall music. We were treated to several unreleased tracks spanning from ambient IDM to house. And naturally, he played some more of his more iconic tracks such as a live version of 33 CHANTS, and THE LIFE OF MERISI. It was hypnotizing. Time didn't exist. Just the music, and a primal need to hurl my body back and forth. It was sublime.
While no longer on tour, we'll be keeping a close eye on David August's inevitable next releases and keep you posted as well.
In the meantime, you can check out his music on his bandcamp page here.
Also, check out his Boiler Room Set below. And this post from his Facebook page explains why it’s so brilliant:
Regarding the Boiler Room tracklist:
There isn't actually a proper tracklist. What the set contains is mostly spare material/edits of my studio work which I used sometimes in live sets and never released.
But as it felt sad to leave this music in the darkness I decided to use the opportunity to play it.
Nearly all tracks will remain unreleased as I think that this is the only way the set will stand for itself in the future.
Thank you for all the nice messages and your great feedback. It's your appreciation that keeps artists alive and what gives us the irreplaceable energy and motivation to carry on.
David
