Written, performed & produced by Nick Carlisle

Taken from the forthcoming album "Häxan - A Soundtrack", which comprises highlights from a Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast-commissioned score for the 1922 silent film directed by Benjamin Christensen 📽

Nick will perform the new score live at a screening of Häxan at Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast 24th November 2022, as part of the UK-wide BFI "In Dreams Are Monsters" season of horror films.
Book tickets: https://www.queensfilmtheatre.com/Whats-On/Haxan 🎟

The album “Häxan - A Soundtrack” will be available exclusively from Bandcamp at midnight on 25 November 2022 🎵

Nick Carlisle: Pro-One, ARP Pro Soloist, Mellotron, software, flute, drum, percussion, programming

Cover photograph: Aubrey Simpson

Hexenwahn

Written & performed by Nick Carlisle & Sarah Rosamond. 
Produced by Nick Carlisle.

Taken from the forthcoming album "Häxan - A Soundtrack", which comprises highlights from a Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast-commissioned score for the 1922 silent film directed by Benjamin Christensen 📽

Nick will perform the new score live at a screening of Häxan at Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast 24th November 2022, as part of the UK-wide BFI "In Dreams Are Monsters" season of horror films.
Book tickets: www.queensfilmtheatre.com/Whats-On/Haxan 🎟

The album “Häxan - A Soundtrack” will be available exclusively from Bandcamp at midnight on 25 November 2022 🎵

Nick Carlisle: Prophet 5, Mellotron, soft harpsichord
Sarah Rosamond: Vocals, harp

Cover photograph: Aubrey Simpson

Häxan - A Soundtrack

The Scourge

Nick Carlisle has played an integral role as writer & producer in a handful of projects on the UK DIY music scene over the last 15 years, from Peepholes (Upset The Rhythm Records) 2006-2014, through Bamboo (Upset The Rhythm) 2014-2020, Katy and Nick (Gob Nation) (2017-2022), and Lean Logic (O Genesis Recordings) (2020-present). Originally from rural Northern Ireland and now residing in Brighton, England, Nick’s music blends vintage analogue electronics & acoustic instruments with more contemporary digital sounds and samples to paint a world that’s instantly recognisable but simultaneously unfamiliar & often unsettling. Whilst this is Nick’s debut solo album of songs, in 2022 he released a largely instrumental album Häxan - A Soundtrack having been commissioned by QFT to compose and perform a new soundtrack for the 1922 horror film of the same name, as part of the BFI In Dreams Are Monsters season. Nick will be performing the soundtrack live at the Barbican, London on the 28th January 2024, as well as another showing at Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast, and the Ulster Folk Museum Picture House, Northern Ireland later this year.

Bloody Saturnalia takes its title from the book “Defying Hitler” (Sebastian Haffner), where Haffner describes the atmosphere as Germany slid towards Fascism in the 1920s when “all standards lost their value” following the hyper-inflation crisis. The phrase hangs over the album in a few different contexts- there’s the obvious parallel with populism in the US and UK, but also the looming cloud of climate change, feared by many and ignored by others in equal measure (see album opener “Life In A Major Key” and anxious portent “2039”). And finally in a more personal context, in the title track, set in a hospital ward where outside the window the distant carnival atmosphere of New Year’s Eve interrupts the silence with exploding fireworks.

The single “End Of Terrain” was written following the passing of Nick’s Dad: “I took myself off to Iceland for a few days to try and see the Northern Lights, maybe because it seemed like the sort of thing Dad and I might have done - maybe a step up from getting up at 2am to watch lightning storms as we used to do when I was a child. Anyway, I didn’t see a bloody thing, just a faint green tinge only visible in long exposure photos. But! With a little poetic licence, in End Of Terrain the lights are there, dancing in the sky; the souls of recently departed loved ones if you believe the Inuit legend.”

Nick produced the album and handles all the lead vocals, as well as adding his signature keyboards along with occasional guitar, bass and percussion. He’s also joined by past and current collaborators: Rachel Horwood from Bamboo (also Trash Kit and Bas Jan) adds a backing vocal to “A Tear In The Fold”, & Rose Keeler-Schäffeler from Lean Logic (also Keel Her) does the same for “2039”, a version of which which was released as a single and part of the Earth/Percent x Earth Day ’23 Compilation album in April as part of Brian Eno’s Earth/Percent charity initiative. Other players on the album include Foz Foster (The Monochrome Set / David Devant And His Spirit Wife) who adds a selection of guitars and hand bells, not to mention musical saw in “2039”, Marcus Hamblett (Bears Den) who adds bass guitar & brass on several tracks, Aubrey Simpson (Pale Blue Eyes) who plays bass guitar on "Chloe's Brain" as well as providing the photography, and Simon Adams, who plays the drums and percussion throughout.

Bloody Saturnalia

End Of Terrain

Alex Ball Remix of the song "End Of Terrain" by Nick Carlisle. The original version of "End Of Terrain" is taken from the album "Bloody Saturnalia", released 24th November 2023 on The Colour Inverted Records.

End Of Terrain (Alex Ball Remix)

"Chloe's Brain", out 10th November on all download/streaming platforms, is taken from the forthcoming Nick Carlisle album "Bloody Saturnalia", released 24th November 2023 on The Colour Inverted Records (digital/gatefold 180 gram vinyl LP formats).

Music & lyrics by Nick Carlisle. Produced by Nick Carlisle.
Digital master by Nick Carlisle, vinyl master by Julian Tardo at Church Road Studios, East Sussex.
Vocals, keyboards & guitar: Nick Carlisle
Bass guitar: Aubrey Simpson (of Pale Blue Eyes)
Drums: Simon Adams

“With 'Chloe's Brain', I was trying to base a song on those horrible fever dreams I would occasionally get as a child. The sort of dream where you wake up screaming as the wall seems to recede into the distance; where you're kept awake by half-dreamt sped up and slowed down voices and disturbingly hard corners and sickly smooth objects press on your imagination. The song also loosely refers to Alice In Wonderland Syndrome as experienced by the artist Käthe Kollwitz. The mind can sometimes be the most frightening place to inhabit.” - Nick

Nick Carlisle has played an integral role as writer & producer in a handful of projects on the UK DIY music scene over the last 15 years, from Peepholes (Upset The Rhythm Records) 2006-2014, through Bamboo (Upset The Rhythm) 2014-2020, Katy and Nick (Gob Nation) (2017-2022), and Lean Logic (O Genesis Recordings) (2020-present). Originally from rural Northern Ireland and now residing in Brighton, England, Nick’s music blends vintage analogue electronics & acoustic instruments with more contemporary digital sounds and samples to paint a world that’s instantly recognisable but simultaneously unfamiliar & often unsettling. Whilst this is Nick’s debut solo album of songs, in 2022 he released a largely instrumental album Häxan - A Soundtrack having been commissioned by QFT to compose and perform a new soundtrack for the 1922 horror film of the same name, as part of the BFI In Dreams Are Monsters season that year. Nick performed the soundtrack live again at Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast, and to a sold out Ulster Folk Museum Picture House, Northern Ireland in October/November this year, and brings the live score to the Barbican Centre in London on 28th January 2024.

Chloe's Brain

Chloe's Brain (Radio Edit)

"A Tear In The Fold (Single Edit)", taken from the E.P. "A Tear In The Present" (and the original version taken from the album "Bloody Saturnalia"), out 26th January on all download/streaming platforms.  "Bloody Saturnalia", released 24th November 2023 on The Colour Inverted Records is available on digital/gatefold 180 gram vinyl LP formats.

Music & lyrics by Nick Carlisle. Produced by Nick Carlisle.
Digital master by Nick Carlisle, vinyl master by Julian Tardo at Church Road Studios, East Sussex.
Vocals & keyboards: Nick Carlisle
12 string & Portuguese guitars: Foz Foster
Backing vocals: Rachel Horwood
Drums: Simon Adams

The lead song from the “A Tear In The Present” E.P., “A Tear In The Fold” was written in the wake of the passing of Nick’s Dad. Lyrically it takes comfort from the idea that time isn’t linear, and that those precious moments with loved ones are forever as present as they once were. Nick contributes vocals, piano, synthesizer and mellotron, and is joined by former Bamboo bandmate and Bas Jan drummer Rachel Horwood on backing vocals, and Foz Foster (The Monochrome Set / David Devant & His Spirit Wife) on 12 string and Portuguese guitars. The E.P. is released to coincide with two sold out performances of “Häxan With Live Score By Nick Carlisle” at the Barbican, London on the 28th January. The two extra tracks on the E.P., “Present Times” & “The Sleepwalker”, were recorded on a piano that once belonged to Keith Emerson no less, & are taken from the score Nick composed for the film (neither track appears on the “Häxan - A Soundtrack” album of highlights).

Nick Carlisle has played an integral role as writer & producer in a handful of projects on the UK DIY music scene over the last 15 years, from Peepholes (Upset The Rhythm Records) 2006-2014, through Bamboo (Upset The Rhythm) 2014-2020, Katy and Nick (Gob Nation) 2017-2022, and Lean Logic (O Genesis Recordings) 2020-present. Originally from rural Northern Ireland and now residing in Brighton, England, Nick’s music blends vintage analogue electronics & acoustic instruments with more contemporary digital sounds and samples to paint a world that’s instantly recognisable but simultaneously unfamiliar & often unsettling. Whilst this is Nick’s debut solo album of songs, in 2022 he released a largely instrumental album Häxan - A Soundtrack having been commissioned by QFT to compose and perform a new soundtrack for the 1922 horror film of the same name, as part of the BFI In Dreams Are Monsters season. Nick performed the soundtrack live at Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast, and the Ulster Folk Museum Picture House, Northern Ireland again earlier this year, and on 28th January 2024 takes the live score to the Barbican in London for two sold out performances.

A Tear In The Present E.P.

A Tear In The Fold

A Tear In The Fold (Single Edit)

Improvising Trio

Saxophone - Verity Susman
Modular Synthesiser - Matthew Simms
Drums - Lucy Jamieson

Gig photo: Sylvain Deleu

Live at Wysing Festival 5th Sept 2015

Improvising Trio

Saxophone - Verity Susman
Modular Synthesiser - Matthew Simms
Drums - Lucy Jamieson

Live at Wysing Festival 5th Sept 2015

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