David August

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David August

As some begin the wardrobe dig for the shortest shorts and loose fitting singlets, David August is getting excited for his first trip down under. Harbourlife 2013 is just around the corner and this year, David will be playing along side Carl Craig and Art Department. But first! Guess how old he is? 20. (yep) If you hadn’t read it before you probably wouldn’t believe it. Just chilling in the kitchen of his Berlin apartment (a place of inspiration for many) it soon transpires that David is more than just your average young adult. If the maturity in his music doesn’t give that away, just have a chat with him and you’ll find he’s thoughtful, intelligent and just a downright cool guy. (And not afraid to rip on shitty DJ’s)

A: Is there anyone you’re looking forward to meeting?
D: Just met Carl Craig for the birthday of the club ‘Ego’. He’s a really nice person, great DJ, legend. Looking forward to meeting him again.

A: There’s a lot of diversity in your music. For those who may be unfamiliar with your work, what genre would you say you fall under?
D: Nowadays, all these kinds of electronic music are just being categorised by genres. Like on Beatport, “Beat port genres” are basically the new genres and I hate them, I hate categorising music into genres. ‘Deep house’, ‘new indie rock’ whatever that shit is called, I don’t know, I don’t care about that. Music is being made and called ‘deep house’ when it’s not deep house and so on. So on Beatport they need to categorise it to sell it, I get that. But this word ‘deep house’, for example, is just everywhere and I hate it. Just because it’s deep house on Beatport, doesn’t mean it’s ‘deep house’ in real life. All these people are calling their music ‘deep house’ when they don’t know what ‘deep house’ actually is.

A: It seems like there’s a new genre every week! So screw it. Put it this way, what kind of music would you like to explore?
D: I’m doing electronic music, with a house background. House is the base of my songs. It’s getting to be ‘house’ or ‘house techno’ when you use this 4/4 kick, which I use often. I can’t really narrow it down.

A: What do you think of the Australian dance scene?
D: Unfortunately I don’t know anything. It’ll be good to get an idea when I come over.

A: Well let’s return to the familiar! What do you think are the best characteristics of the German scene?
D: It’s very tolerant. Like, the people who enjoy the music here. The fact that we have no real closing time, in Germany the club keeps going until the last man standing. Sometimes there are parties until 1pm, it’s crazy! This is a good strength and characteristic here but it’s also pretty dangerous… When there’s 8 hours of non-stop partying or more. Other countries just compensate with the illegal stuff, like the after parities. Just because the club closes at 5am, the people are still thirsty for more so you’ll get something else too. There are a lot of artists who come from here, and this is something that makes Berlin this institution. It really helps polarise this area, to make it this home-base.

A: Seeing as you’re pretty well travelled, which scene is doing it the best?
D: It’s just different. You’ve got the Netherlands, which is going crazy. There are so many festivals and parties happening all the time and there are enough people going there to be able to have four festivals in one weekend. They’re doing great.

A: Any predictions for the next up and coming sound?
D: I think it’s getting more into techno. It’s getting harder. I think techno is coming back, but fresher, not in the minimalistic and cold way that we’ve seen already.

A: You can’t have a party without Music and it’s undeniable that drugs lurk, somewhat prominently, in the background. What’s your stance on this?
D: I don’t think about drugs that much, I don’t do them. I think drugs are such a big part of the scene because the repetitive structure of the music fits perfectly with the reaction you get with these drugs. It’s like a perfect match. If people need to do that, then go ahead. But I think if you really get into the music or go to the right places, you can get the same trips and have your own experiences without taking anything.

A: Artist fee’s seem to going through the roof at the moment, especially when you consider the pay checks passing through Vegas. What are your thoughts on this?
D: Yeah it’s getting crazy. I mean, DJ’s are not underground anymore, DJ’s are the new rockstars. David Guetta and Avicii and all these different DJ’s are getting played on the radio and people don’t care as much about RnB and Pop. Now it’s not just Beyonce and Rihanna anymore, these guys are getting pop-star positions so they’re getting a lot more money. And people forget that they have been DJ’s playing for a lot less. This new status and popularity changes the way they are seen. Maybe they deserve it, I don’t know. But the thing that’s sad for me is that they’re getting lazy. They just put in one CD, press play and fake it. I mean, you earn so much money, don’t you have any shame? It just makes me angry. The times have changed. You don’t have to play the guitar anymore on stage, you just play your computer and make a big show. And it’s fine you know, but just do it for real.

A: Why did you choose electronic music?
D: It just affected me. After I went to my first party it was just amazing to to see what you could do to people with this kind of music, like create this kind of ecstasy. Not talking about the drug ecstasy, you know, just the ecstasy [laughs]. It creates this kind of atmosphere and it was incredibly fascinating for me. I just got stuck into it.

A: Given that you’ve grown up with music, with a background in classical Piano. What’s your view on the battle between electronic vs. acoustic?
D: I think it’s very interesting. I think nowadays a lot of things sound very cold and electronic. The combination of acoustic and electronic parts is interesting and exciting in a way. This was a sound aesthetic for me, especially in creating my album.

A: Are there any new releases or collaborations that we should be hanging out for from you?
D: I will be releasing an EP on Innervisions label. Not sure when at the moment.

A: Where would you like to take your career from here?
D: Would love to keep going with what I’m doing. I plan to do something maybe even with a band. I would love to play music on stage with other people.

David August will play Harbourlife 2013 alongside Carl Craig, Art Department, Jacques Lu Cont, Finnebassen and more. Check the full lineup and ticket information here.

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