Name: David August
Occupation: Producer, DJ, curator and founder at 99CHANTS
Nationality: German-Italian
Recent release: The latest 99CHANTS compilation Imaginary Landscapes is out now. It features contributions by KMRU, Delawhere, Kareem Lotfy, Sara Berts, Hadj Sameer, Aria Rostami as well as August himself.
Recommended resources on the topic of environmentalism and mentality change:
The Green Imperative by Victor Papanek
On the Necessity of Gardening by Laurie Cluitmans
Denken in Farbe by Ludger Schwarte
Do/Improvise by Robert Poynton
The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra

If you enjoyed this interview with David August and would like to find out more about his work, visit him on Soundcloud, and his personal website.



I've always been equally hopeful and sceptical about music's potential to change the world. Intriguingly, your current press release states: “We believe looking within our interior worlds can set hope and action in motion.” Tell me a bit about this perspective, please, and why you're convinced this can indeed be the case - especially with mostly instrumental music.

We live in a responsive system where everything, and each of us, contributes to this dynamic reality. Unfortunately, sometimes we undermine our individual potential as we compare it to the ones "in power". But physically and spiritually, each of us plays a role in this equation, and I firmly believe that when change starts from within, it can spark something in the outer world.
It all needs time, and we forget the timeline of the evolutionary history of life, so we discourage ourselves as we wish things to happen "right now" - and I am with you here.

But art has always been a vehicle to imagine, and imagination can lead to inspiration as a form of movement.

Nevertheless, this is a belief that might differ from others. It is a perspective we propose, maybe a utopian one, but we need utopias. In this case, with primarily instrumental music, the titles and the overall narrative help to sustain the music's intention.

More concretely, the wonderful compilation you've just released, is driven by the question of “what the future can sound like”. What are some of the most interesting answers the artists have come up with?

All pieces tell a unique and mesmerizing story. But I'd like to see this compilation as a whole rather than as a random constellation of individual pieces. And this was the idea from the beginning. The selection of artists was aiming to result in a coherent piece of work, but you never know what can happen.

The most beautiful achievement we could hope for is that all these artists, of different  backgrounds and with different aesthetics, made it sound so natural. I don't know if we got lucky. Maybe there has been some kind of metaphysical intersection inspired by the question we have sent them.

So yes, all musical answers have been equally exciting, and each represents an essential part of the story.

The press release also mentions your interest in the “social impact of sound.” With regards to the goals of this release and the platform as a whole, what does that mean, specifically?

Sound has a profound influence on us. Music has always reflected the human condition and is not only a result of progressing technology and curiosity. What we hear affects and changes us. What we create reflects us. Both create this energetic cycle that impacts society, of course.

All frequencies speak this undefinable language, yet it makes us feel something within our vast interior spectrum – consciously and unconsciously.

How does the way we think about the future reflect in sound – and vice versa? What is your perception of sound in terms of its meaning for humans?

Sound and other arts have, in my opinion, a certain responsibility. And it is about the sensitivity and intentions of the individual artist what to do with it. It presents a possibility of a gateway.

Especially in times of global crisis, this becomes an interesting question. It requires lots of strength and inner balance to propose a way out through imagination as we feel deeply affected by the circumstances surrounding us.

Tell us about the wide range of activities you're currently involved with as part of 99CHANTS, please.

Sure. It depends on the period, but I'm mostly the curator of the platform. Sometimes I help as a co-producer or mixing engineer, trying to musically and visually facilitate the artist's vision.
Usually, this also involves creating possible cooperation connections and seeing what each project needs. I can't help it, but it can be fun doing the organizational stuff if needed. Also, it clears the mind of my personal creative work.

Doing constant research is part of all this, too, of course. We aim to evolve as we move forward, and so does the musical output. However, it should always remain an eclectic outlet for a diverse range of artists and possible formats.  

If you compare the activist work you're doing with your output as a musician, in which way do these interlock and what role does music play in this network of causes and goals? Does your artistic work in any way feed into your activism - and vice versa?

I have been quiet for the last two years and a half. No music besides some mixes. Which say something I guess, but not as much as the music one makes can express. It is more direct.
So, lots has changed, globally and personally. How can the music not be affected?

The label is the currently active vehicle I can express myself through (to a limited extent, of course). In 2023 my personal work will follow, which can hopefully align with the rest.
What I am interested the most is not the cognitive aspect though. We need to realign with one of of our greatest quality, which is the ability to feel.

As you've mentioned, creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from coming up with ideas to save the planet? If this difference is smaller than some might assume – what does this say about the role of artists in the challenges of the future?

There certainly is a difference. But we have to constantly improvise while navigating through this world. This issue is serious, as are many others, so we felt responsible within our possibilities. Suppose we want to be productive and contribute to this already oversaturated and highly creative world, there is something we must return while being well aware of the tiny fraction we can do compared to what is needed.

John Cage imagined a world with no art, which is radical, but an interesting point of view that underlined his intentions. It sounds very rational to me.

In ancient times, music was a vehicle to express worship and played an important role in rituals. There is a sense of beauty in this archaic tradition. It is undeniable that this form of expression is spiritually connected to us. It remains this universal mystical language we are made of and should cherish.

AI is another important interest of yours. Tell me about the potentials, rather than the risks of AI in the arts?

Yeah, it's been a topic I have been observing with a critical eye, as many others probably have.
When used wisely, it can be a revolutionary tool to organize and propose a point of view we could not have thought of. When making music, for example, the "happy little accidents" are what excite and inspire me the most. AI can, for example, help to facilitate these processes at a much faster speed and open new perspectives to stimulate creativity – best case.

With a collective, we are currently using Machine Learning to organize sound files through algorithms and make them communicate with each other. It all comes down to the same idea, I guess, using AI/ML as a tool to see what "happy little accidents" can happen to open up the scope.

Thinking further –  and very optimistically – it can even represent a form of healing with human intentions not being at the centre of attention.

What have been some of the most important successes you've had so far with 99Chants?

Really, I am just glad we are still able to run this while having a small but appreciative audience. Sometimes we receive beautiful messages from people touched by the general storytelling. We are grateful if all the invisible efforts find someone to inspire.

In terms of releases, some of course have been perceived with more excitement than others, as always. The Bunita Marcus record for example took years to realize. It's been an important release for sure, but at the same time, you are over it the moment it is out there. You look forward and see it just as part of a larger picture.

It's not something that you address specifically, but I'm curious about how you view the role of social media in this process towards change. It would seem to me that these platforms, designed for mass messages and commercial purposes, are polarly opposed to the way a network like 99Chants operates. Can you see the end of these media and the emergence of new networks? How can artists and readers further this movement towards alternatives?

We have been very selective with how to present ourselves on these platforms. They can be informative and build communities, but they are sometimes tiring and misleading. This digital world has silently become integral to how we operate and communicate. If you are in the tube in cities like London or Berlin, you are faster counting the people who are not starring at their phone. We define and observe the world through what we see on our screen; it is like a window.

It is very complex. We have gone so far with this, the created interconnectivity seems impossible to rewind at this point. We all know it is not necessarily making us happier; we feel dependent on it as if we have a responsibility to participate. Because if you don't, people think you basically do not exist. And yet, seeing things like the Metaverse failing proves there is a remaining part in us that craves to reconnect to the physical world.

If I see the end of these media coming, I don't know, but it seems we have reached – at least temporarily – a ceiling of what we can take. We must focus on physical encounters that don't isolate us but let us experience together while appreciating the benefits digital networks can give us.

At the same time, we should stay creative within this digital realm. And by that I mean you can avoid schemes that are responsible for making this environment so half-hearted. If you speak to large labels, they'd say to invest most of the marketing budget for sponsored advertising. It is exactly this lack of creativity and scheme-based approach that makes it such a flat experience. This is why I am really into personal websites and it seems there is a trend back towards it.

99Chants will terminate after 99 releases. Why does the project have an end?

It made sense the most this way. Nothing goes on forever, so why not determine an end from the onset. It is also linked to personal numerology. 100 for example seemed to represent a certain totality, perfection. But perfection doesn't exist. 99 reflected a state of progress with its incompleteness, which might sound like a paradox given the project ends with it.