a two-dimensional accompaniment to the process of making a sculpture

Brave New World (live at St. Mary's)

[amateur footage from the launch concert for 'TERRitORies of disSENT' which occured on 14th september 2009 at st mary's church, brighton, england, during which the entire record was performed in sequence by nick hudson and a small chamber orchestra, unamplified and candle-lit; the evening left an indelibly resonant impression on the hundred-ish guests who attended, many remarking that they'd just witnessed one of the greatest concerts they'd ever seen - a very humbling and touching sentiment indeed for myself and those who participated. further concerts will be taking place throughout 2010 in churches, amphitheatres and other venues of acoustically-rich architecture. any impending performances will be listed both here and at www.myspace.com/nickjackhudson. this particular track, 'Brave New World' boasts one of the more minimal arrangements of the record featuring nick hudson on piano/vocals and his sister, wolf deraze on duet vocals; our dear wolf's own blog is very much worth investigating - http://emmawolf.blogspot.com]

Wish You Would Hear

Monorail (For Joe)

[my compositional inclinations recently geared towards the realm of the sex hymn - a non-demoninational paen to a state of (near-?)religious transcendence that can be attained through activities such as loving sexual interaction... where the ever-ascendant modulations and sustained pedal notes of the hymnal marry with the guts, genitalia, essences of skin and saliva and all the perfumes of the conjoined bodies of LOVERS. 'Monorail (For Joe)' is the first of such sex hymns...future live explorations of this marriage will incorporate live electronics and ritualistic mutant disco percussion backgrounding choral clusters {in ecstasis} in a cumulative matrix of frequencies and harmonic modulations designed to drive the audience to orgiastic frenzy, writhing in their pews as the musicians onstage strive to replicate through sound, a sustained and invocatory ear and/or/gasm, popularly referred to as 'getting one's freak on'.]

...to listen to 'Monorail (For Joe)' - please cast an ear o'er: www.myspace.com/nickjackhudson

your pulse in synch with mine
is my favourite song

naked at the balcony
yelling at the flashing tempest

i crave you i want you
i want you i have you

i lie here letting peace convene
halo'd by your image

about your body
i'm at my most eloquent

i crave you i want you
i want you i have you

[for a flattering review of the song from which these lyrics are lifted, please have a proper gander at http://conglamorart.blogspot.com/2009/10/monorail-for-joe.html - and take time to browse the consistently excellent further writing of its author]

TERRitORies of disSENT - praise for

[the following review was written and provided with exceptional grace and generosity by Michael Kemp. This gentleman was the first to purchase a copy of the record, and we at Altar Clef are perennially grateful to him for his support and encouragement.]

to contact the man -

http://www.myspace.com/michaelkemp738

From the sheer cliff-face of the bleak monolithic high-rise, opaque on the front cover, to the two wanton angels led astray with dark eyeliner and album title smeared upon chests (I hope that’s eyeliner too, boys) on the disc itself - Nick Hudson’s “TERRitORies of disSENT” album falls into our waiting hands as soft as herring gull feathers, as sharp as a child’s blade.

An introductory La Monte Young-type drone of strings sets the stage, before glissading off into an exotic Persian garden sequence - Ali Baba searching for his thieves on the far side of town with Patrick McHugh’s cor-anglais charming snakes from their ancient baskets way along the Medina.

Nick Hudson’s dark fluttering romantic voice leads us into “Nocturne” - the grand gesture - somewhere in the European tradition of wine and inspired depravity - Rimbaud & Verlaine leaving the church and heading for the brothel, Wilde and Lord Alfred in the gutter but, yes, looking at the stars - all given shape and ornate architecture by McHugh’s dexterous and exquisite oboe embellishments.

Rumbling bass patterns and renaissance organ flourishes colour “Baedecker”, while gentler folksy guitar shapes and falsetto spirals decorate “No Matter” - a whiff of the Catholic Church, with a hint of existential Gallic accordion thrown in for good measure.

Rain on city streets ushers in “Cale”, an extended narrative piece that builds with intensity along the ridges of its sonic course, assisted ably and harmoniously by the good people of the Kemptown Colliery Band Chorus.

Other saturnine delights abound. Chloe Morgan impresses with her femme fatale sans merci vocals on the dance-y “Coming Up/Dimensional Slide” - given a baptism of fire during Edinburgh Festival this year - at a real dance club no less - ecstasy flashbacks and “Day In The Life”-type crescendos upping the ante considerably and transporting the entranced clubbers to god knows where...

The smoky incense and hanging baskets of “Interloper” - solemn ritualistic keyboards, ghost shadows recalling John Cale & Terry Riley’s “Church of Anthrax”; and a series of dazzling Philip Glass-type arpeggios serve as baroque backdrop for Hudson’s languid “Brave New World” - haunting duet vocals by Wolf Deraze, summoning up the spirit of William Blake, angels descending over the West Pier.

Whereas the sensory landscape of “June Resolution no 1” - with medieval harp plucked decorously by Erika Blaxland-deLange - transports us back through the mists to green Sherwood Forest somewhere in the 12th century - Nick Hudson as wandering minstrel - Alan O’Dale on crystal meth - with an extended repetitive coda to infuriate the Sheriff of Nottingham...

Final track “How to Recycle a Dream” - a hesitant acoustic guitar figure builds up tension, released initially by Debbie Garret’s deft French horn, and subsequently the entire ensemble returning to resolve this nocturnal shadow play, this encoded collage, this ambitious and stunning song cycle - as the man says: give it some space to love...

This Card Means Business

Have A Proper Gander...