Iain Sinclair, a Welsh writer and filmmaker, has been fixated on the imaginary 25-year journey of a whalebone box for years. In this spoken word performance, Dark Before Dark becomes a meta-narrative telling the story of the story, and venturing to vivid, surreal landscapes where “place becomes time.” This is the sequel to Living With Buildings: And Walking With Ghosts (2018), published by Tangerine Press as the next chapter in his limited-edition volume. In 2019, Sinclair joined the London Experimental Ensemble to perform this work with extended dialogue and details written specifically for the performance. Recorded live in front of an audience, the piece is a gripping spoken word project, Sinclair’s spellbinding delivery accompanied by screeching strings, haunting piano, brass abstractions and disorienting electronic manipulation. The hour-long piece embodies what the Time Literary Supplement describes as Sinclair’s unique ability to suspend disbelief, “breath[ing] wondrous life into monstrous, mane-made landscapes.” Dark Before Dark will be available in digital and CD editions on April 30th 2021.

Iain Sinclair
and London Experimental Ensemble

Dark Before Dark

John Eyles (saxophone), Tony Hardie-Bick (piano, electronics), Ken Ikeda (synthesiser), Daniel Kordik (synthesiser), Edward Lucas (trombone), Elo Masing (violin), Keisuke Matsui (electric guitar), N.O. Moore (guitarism), Jordan Muscatello (double bass), Ed Pettersen (8 string dobro), Emmanuelle Waeckerle (voice, amplified wooden flute), Mirei Yazawa (trumpet), Yifeat Ziv (voice), Iain Sinclair (narration)

Recorded in London
Release April 2021
Total CD time 70 mins
Catalogue number 5863

Cover photo by Anonymous Bosch
Graphic design by Sergio Vezzali

TRACKS
1- Dark Before Dark - Part 1   32:44
2- Dark Before Dark - Part 2   37:22

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