DAVID AUGUST PRESENTS VĪS @ Volksbühne

David August
Yara Asmar

Classically trained musician David August has had an early career as an electronic music producer and DJ. In 2018, he founded the 99CHANTS label, known for non-conformist releases, which has since featured his own progressive, experimental projects, among others. Most recently, he collaborated with jazz-noise singer Cansu Tanrikulu and Carnatic singer Sushma Soma on the Imaginary Landscapes compilation. His new album VĪS, which David August presents at the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz on 18 October, is a multidisciplinary project: August teamed up with Moroccan artist Hiba Baddou to develop an imaginary alphabet, the layouts were made into an art book by Abu Jaber and Mothanna Hussein with photographs by Daniel Feistenauer. Based on this, an audiovisual live show with choreographer Franka Marlene Foth and visual artist Marcel Weber (aka MFO) is created, which can be seen for the first time in Berlin. Joining David August on stage is percussionist Andrea Belfi.
On the album, personal stories are balanced with transformation and metaphysics. August presents these themes with floating orchestral drones, choirs and bells that slowly bend to forgotten but familiar rhythms and inevitably clash with the digitalised chaos of the information age.

Yara Asmar is playing an opening concert. She is a musician and puppeteer based in Beirut, Lebanon. She incorporates accordion and metallophone in her work.