UPDATE:

In early 2021, Bayt Clarke, an LP of new solo material will be released on Stafford Glover's Hypostatic Union Label.

This is my first solo release since the days of The Flowers of Evil, 10 years ago. Multiple projects and collaborations have seen me busy and productive away from my solo efforts since then, but after the Kaddal Merrill - Rain Over Nubia release (Antigen Records) in 2019, it felt time to take a break from touring and live projects and focus on compostion and studio production, to revitalise my thinking, process, and confidence. The arrival of Covid 19, and the ensuing isolation, meant I had much more time to spend on this than expected.

 

Bayt Clarke was not concieved as an LP, or album. The original idea was to experiment and create new pieces as a means to developing my production style, whilst playing around with a few musical themes I had been contemplating. This invovled a reengagement with sampling and synthesis that I had dissengaged with almost 15 years ago, as Dead Rat Orchestra moved into a long period of more acoustic work. Whilst my eduring love of the violin and strings remain at the centre of the work, the 7 pieces  also embody aspects of my experience of being in Egypt the past 4 years, of playing the Tar, Tabla and Oud, and of exploring music of Nubia and the south of Egypt.

 

Having not concieved this as an album, the turning point was the enthusiam with which this was recieved from Stafford Glover, Nathaniel Mann, and Fayrouz Kaddal, who all offered perspectives and feedback on the work as it developed, and great levels of encouragement; since the days of Flowers of Evil, I had lost confidence in my abilities outside of collaborations. The art work is being created by Liz Medina, whose

 

Further updates to come, but following Instagram, where I give more frequent updates.