VĪS, by David August

VĪS

by David August

supported by

Wesley Ramirez David August continues to outdo himself in his approach to structure, design, and narrative-- displaying his incredible evolution as an artist.
This album is an absolute joy to experience. The mastery of sound-- from the organic to the digital-- is showcased in full.

The listener is taken on a journey through epochs and their imagination is left to run wild as they traverse the creative landscapes crafted by the musical narrative.

I was left speechless-- simply splendid. Favorite track: NADIR.

more...

	/

Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Includes unlimited streaming of VĪS via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 4 days

Purchasable with gift card

€38 EUR or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Shipping end of October

Includes unlimited streaming of VĪS via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 3 days

Purchasable with gift card

€14 EUR or more
Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

€11 EUR or more
VĪS (limited SIGNED transparent 2LP in debossed heavyweight gatefold sleeve with silver metallic print and screen printed PE sleeve)
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Transparent 2LP in debossed heavyweight gatefold sleeve with silver metallic print and screen printed PE sleeve // limited to 100 units

Includes unlimited streaming of VĪS via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Sold Out

1.	ÆRA 04:20	info	buy track
2.	VAHA 03:24	info	buy track
3.	RAI 03:08	info	buy track
4.	CYLO 00:53	info	buy track
5.	FLORA 04:01	info	buy track
6.	Y'SAR 03:30	info	buy track
7.	ANTRO 05:11	info	buy track
8.	ELAH 02:56	info	buy track
9.	ARCO 04:55	info	buy track
10.	NADIR 02:54	info	buy track
11.	ARIA 04:27	info	buy track
12.	DANZA 02:52	info	buy track
13.	LIBRA 03:40	info	buy track

about

All music written, recorded and produced by David August
Mixing by David August and Francesco Donadello
Additional mixing by Anne Taegert
Mastering and lacquer cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering
Imaginary Alphabet created and drawn by Hiba Baddou
Design and packaging by Saeed Abu-Jaber and Mothanna Hussein at Turbo
Creative direction by David August
Manufactured and distributed by !K7
℗ + © 99CHANTS – in association with !K7

A lavish four chapter chronicle that imagines an alternative evolution of mankind through sound, VĪS (Latin for energy or force) is the result of a lengthy process of self-discovery, collaboration and research for Italian-German composer David August. The son of a classical pianist, August slipped from the academic music world into an early career as a dance music producer and DJ before he felt his artistic outlook shifting considerably. He established the adventurous 99CHANTS label in 2018, and has since used it as an output for his most progressive notions, collaborating most recently with jazz-noise vocalist Cansu Tanrikulu and Carnatic singer Sushma Soma on last year's acclaimed 'Imaginary Landscapes' compilation. VĪS then is a chance for August to reconcile his personal narrative, leveling it with concepts that touch on history, transformation and metaphysics.

He wrote the album's 13 pieces to play like a linear storyline, tracking the development of culture from its illusory beginnings in Plato's cave into the wider world and observing its progression and adaptation. August represents these themes with levitational orchestral drones, choirs and bells that slowly bend to long-forgotten ancestral rhythms, inevitably colliding with the digitized chaos of the information age. But VĪS is more than music, it's an ambitious multi-disciplinary project that arrives five years after his last album. August linked up with Moroccan artist Hiba Baddou to develop an imaginary alphabet that visually represents the concept, working with choreographer Franka Marlene Foth and visual artist Marcel Weber (aka MFO) to translate the ideas into a kinetic audiovisual live experience. He tapped Egozen collective to puzzle out a special interactive website, while Turbo Studio's Abu Jaber and Mothanna Hussein assembled an art-book, using Baddou's layouts and photography from Daniel Feistenauer with choreographies by Philipe Kratz.

VĪS sprung to life after a two year period when the composer took time out in and around Rome to write music and process ideas compulsively, using the pauses to inhale books about language, quantum physics, movement and Middle Eastern mysticism. As his understanding of these concepts deepened, his technique blossomed and the first breaths of VĪS began to turn into full words. He began to see the record as a way for him to propose an objective musical statement, a place to release his ego and separate the personal from the impersonal, letting an honest version of himself speak through the noise. "As much as this sounds like a rational process," he admits, "it was based on intuition and channeling a feeling." Simultaneously, August fed Baddou his ideas and musical sketches to help generate a new form of language, making an alphabet of 121 symbols derived from VĪS' main symbol (present on the album's cover), and divided into 13 groups. Unspeakable and untranslatable but still perceivable, it's an attempt to free us from the trappings of established concepts, its 13 main characters mapped to the album's tracks.

Motion guides everything, whether it's shadows on a wall projected by dancing flames, or dramatic, overlayed rhythms that vibrate the air and excite the feet. VĪS is a dynamic attempt to show the movement of time on a macro scale, looking backwards in order to move forwards. It charts mankind's journey from its cosmic beginnings through the awe-inspiring world of flora and fauna, grounding the experience in rhythmic expression and dance before we're returned to the stars in transcended form. Crucially, it's a hopeful articulation of ideas and concepts that continue to echo throughout history, inviting us to imagine greater and cherish the teeming landscape that surrounds us.

credits

released October 6, 2023

license

about

David August Rome, Italy

The Italian-German composer, DJ, label-owner and multi-instrumentalist has been releasing music since 2010, but it took self- evaluation and a re-examination of his priorities for August to lean towards the future and follow his most experimental inclinations.
In 2023, his output is harder than ever to define, stretching across genres and disciplines to chafe the heart of the human experience. ... more

shows

May 10

Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)

London, UK
May 11

Kampnagel

Hamburg, Germany
May 20

Δημοτικό Θέατρο Λυκαβηττού

Athens, Greece
May 21

Municipal Theatre of Piraeus

Piraeus, Greece
Jun 5

VDU teatras

Kaunas, Lithuania
Jun 13

Théâtre Fairmount

Montreal, QC
Jun 16

The Opera House at the Emmaus Center

Brooklyn, NY
Jun 19

Aratani Japan America Theatre

Los Angeles (LA), CA
Aug 1

Ortigia Sound

Syracuse, Italy

contact / help

Contact David August

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like David August, you may also like:

Promises
by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra

supported by 17 fans who also own “VĪS”

hypnotic and incredibly moving marsplutomusic
go to album
Autumn Bells
by Gidge

supported by 8 fans who also own “VĪS”

One of the greatest modern ambient techno albums. Love it. Jevgeni Malyshev
go to album
Spirit Exit
by caterina barbieri

supported by 7 fans who also own “VĪS”

I discovered Caterina in a friend's car when we were driving home from a weekend, and I was out of my mind listening to this album. It touched me and still touches me in a very special way. Bahka
go to album
Unreleased Territory vol. 5: Low Voltage
by VA

Explore ambient music from across the globe in drifting and soothing songs on the new compilation from Electric Shapes. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 24, 2024
go to album
Pepe. - Balance LP
by U Know Me Records

featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 23, 2024
go to album
Dulcitone 1804
by Nightports w/ Matthew Bourne

featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 23, 2024
go to album
New Light
by Gidge

supported by 6 fans who also own “VĪS”

Percussion like the creaking of the forest, momentum like the flow of rivers, voices and strings echoing across mountain ranges - everything here coheres wonderfully into a sonic representation of wild landscapes. Perimeter is straight up euphoric. josh epps
go to album