Hamburg-born producer, composer and pianist David August has announced his fifth studio album, HYMNS – a deeply personal work centred around piano improvisation, conceived during the stillness of the 2021 pandemic.
Born in Hamburg to an Italian mother and a German father, August’s musical journey began early, studying classical piano from the age of five under the guidance of his father, a professional pianist. His teenage years saw a shift toward electronic music, DJing and producing dancefloor-oriented electronic music. The years since, however, have been defined by continual reinvention.
HYMNS emerges from a markedly different creative space. Developed during the extended stillness of 2021, the album grew out of countless hours of solitary piano improvisations. Recorded on an upright piano inherited from his father’s side of the family, the sessions became both ritual and refuge during a period shaped by reflection, grief and healing.
Describing the project as “an offering to the instrument,” August focused on listening rather than composing in the traditional sense. Ideas were not written but discovered – initially captured on a phone before being carefully shaped through subtle sound design and minimal electronic treatments. Microphones were positioned to preserve not only the notes, but the physical presence of the piano itself: its creaks, resonances and breath.
The instrument was also intentionally prepared, lending the recordings a warm, tactile and percussive character. Across the album, rounded chords dissolve into weightless atmospheres, while objects placed on the strings coax delicate rattles, buzzes and rhythmic instabilities from the piano’s interior.
Pieces such as HYMN III highlight August’s restrained virtuosity, allowing tones to decay into shimmering trails between measured, dextrous runs. Elsewhere, HYMN VI introduces muted, woody pulses that drift beneath skeletal melodic gestures. The works are presented not as isolated compositions, but as a unified body of music – a continuous emotional and sonic narrative.
Despite its title, HYMNS is not framed in religious terms. Instead, the album gestures toward something more universal: intuition, memory and a belief in unseen forces. “There was no need to give them separate titles,” August notes. “They belong together.” – Recommend if you’re into Bibio, David Moore and Bing & Ruth.
On Friday 20 February at 7 PM, David August will present a listening session and Q&A with Inverted Audio founder Tom Durston at Reference Point, London.
HYMNS is scheduled for release 27 February via 99CHANTS. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. HYMN I
2. HYMN II
3. HYMN III
4. HYMN IV
5. HYMN V
6. HYMN VI
7. HYMN VII
8. HYMN VIII
9. HYMN IX