Marc Urselli

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  • Pankow remix by Marc Urselli to come out Nov 30 on Remix EP “Hogre”

    Pankow is one of the most influential electro-industrial bands to come out of Italy. Their new Remix EP “Hogre” comes out tomorrow and I am excited to announce that I did one of the five remixes it features.

    Check out the trailer here: http://youtu.be/qzdfFYxcZFQ

  • Lou Reed Summer 2012 tour “From VU to Lulu”

    I’ve just returned from the second and last leg of the Summer 2012 tour of Lou Reed and his band. The tour was called “From VU to Lulu” because they played all sorts of material from the Velvet Underground days to the latest Lou Reed & Metallica record “Lulu”. As always I have mixed the FOH sound and enjoyed doing so and working along one of the best crews I ever worked with (thank you Stewart, Matt, Joey, Gary, Jesse, John, Jacob, Bungie, Peter, Rod, Des, Liam, Stuart!!!).

    The whole tour was a blast and we made sure to make the best of every minute, whether it’d be a concert on a hot sunny day, a load in or load out in the middle of pouring rain (we had a lot of those) or a day off in some beautiful European city where I’d venture out on some exploratory tour!

    There are a million videos of these concerts on YouTube but I want to post one that is special to me. “Junior Dad” is one of my favorite songs of the set and one of my favorite songs from “Lulu” (if not from Lou’s entire discography!). On this particular day in Dresden, Germany, this song got particularly intense because without our knowledge somewhere across town fireworks started in the sky in the middle of the intro to the song and continued for the entire duration of the song. Lou, the band, the techs and probably the crowd were all confused at first but Lou quickly showed the genius he is and started ad libbing and incorporating these fireworks in his lyrics effectively changing the lyrics to match the environment and showing true artistry and creativity to thousands present.

    My own approach was to actually make the whole concert way louder (by at least 10dB!!!) because initially the fireworks were so close and loud that they were ruining the intimacy of the intro to the song. By making everything louder at the mixing desk the concert was still louder than the fireworks and when the drums kick in the whole concert is really loud and grandiose, which is just fine considering it’s the last song of the set too!

    The audio of this YouTube clip is not great and at times distorted too because it’s from some unauthorized camera in the crowd recording with the on board mic, but in spite of all of that, it’s one of those cases where the beauty and uniqueness of this moment is more important than the actual quality of the audio or the video.

    Enjoy!

     

    Hopefully see you in November/December in the far east…

  • Leading Japanese pro audio magazine PROSOUND interviews Marc Urselli about the making of Hikashu’s last album

    Japanese mastering engineer and writer Seigen Ono has interviewed me a month ago or so for the leading Japanese pro-audio magazine PROSOUND.

    The interview is mostly about the making of the latest album by Hikashu (the famous avantgarde prog rock band from Tokyo fronted by the great Makigami Koichi), which I recorded and mixed.
    Unfortunately I can’t read Japanese but the interview looks great and has a lot of pictures of myself in EastSide Sound, my studio in NY where I recorded and mixed Hikashu’s album.
    Enjoy!

  • Kerry Muzzey piece featuring Jenny Choi on violin selected for TV show

    I’ve worked with composer Kerry Muzzey on several occasions, most memorably we recorded this piece “Architect of the Mind” at EastSide Sound featuring Jenny Choi on violin.

    The piece apparently got selected as background music for some dance competition. I don’t watch TV and have never heard of it but here’s the telecast with the song in question.

    Enjoy!

  • Hikashu Appreciation Society: An interview with Marc Urselli – the engineer of Hikashus “Uragoe”

    I’ve recently had the pleasure to record and mix the (I believe) 20th or 21st studio album by the popular Japanese avantgarde-rock band Hikashu, fronted by the great and eclectic Makigami “Maki” Koichi (vocals, theremin, jew’s harp, cornet), whom I had met while working on the latest DVD album by Ikue Mori (on Tzadik).

    Hikashu’s new album is called “Uragoe” and the cover art work is by Tabaimo.

    I recorded it at EastSide Sound Studios in NYC after their performance at Japan Society in NY last year. I just recently finished mixing it (also at EastSide Sound) and the famous mastering engineer Seigen Ono mastered it for CD and Super Audio CD at Saidera Mastering.

    The album can be purchased online from HMV Japan.

    I’ve been interviewed by their official blog’s curator Nori and you can read the interview at the following link: Hikashu Appreciation Society: An interview with Marc Urselli – the engineer of Hikashus “Uragoe”.

  • Akino Kodoh film exhibition in Tokyo

    For those of you in Tokyo, NY-based Japanese artist Akino’s first solo exhibit “KiyaKiya” is being held at Mizuma Art Gallery in Tokyo from Oct 11 to Nov 12.

    Her beautiful drawings can be seen in a new animation movie with music by John Zorn and I actually worked on the music and the sound design for this film with Zorn.

    The present exhibition includes Kondoh’s new animation work “KiyaKiya” as
    well as drawings, oil paintings and sketches. The term “KiyaKiya” comes from
    the old Japanese expression “mune ga kiyakiya suru.” Kondoh first
    encountered it in Shibusawa Tatsuhiko’s “Introduction to the collection of
    girls”in the chapter written about “childhood experiences.” This expression,
    which describes “an enigmatic, nostalgic, disturbing feeling,” or an
    impression of “deja-vu”, is at the origin of the “KiyaKiya” series.

    In the animation, a girl is performing “kamishibai” (a traditional Japanese
    picture-story show). When the artist noticed the time gap between the front
    and the back of the illustration cards (the episode of the story the
    audience is listening to is written on the back of the previous card; that
    is to say there is a 1 page difference between the front and the back of the
    “kamishibai” cards) she says she felt the possibility of a different
    dimension hidden right behind the everyday life.

    Three worlds simultaneously develop in the work. The same girl, who exists
    in the three of them, lives all three different times. These tracks curve
    slowly, eventually colliding and switching directions and she continuously
    circle these orbits in an endless repetition.

    In the present exhibition, you will experience a uneasy and nostalgic
    feeling, as if you had long forgotten an important something and were about
    to remember it. Some memory locked down in your heart might very well
    resurface.

    At the exhibition, her first catalog “KiyaKiya” will be presold at the
    gallery.

    Title:Akino Kondoh Sketch Collection “KiyaKiya”
    Book design:Bunpei Yorifuji
    Release Date:2011/10/25
    ISBN:978-4-904292-16-7
    Product Dimensions:deformed A5/paper back/single-side/4 color/rounded
    corners
    Page:402page
    Price:2,300JPY(no tax included)

    It’s the first catalog by KONDOH Akino
    with 200 sketches for new animation “KiyaKiya”.
    Book designed by very popular designer Bunpei Yorifuji.
    recreated original drawings with 4 color on a sheer paper
    is beautifully overlapped as one book.

    Exhibition information
    KONDOH Akino “KiyaKiya”
    October 11 (tue) – November 12 (sat), 2011 (closed on Sun., Mon. & Holidays)
    Opening Reception: October 11 (tue): 18:00-20:00

    Mizuma Art Gallery
    2F Kagura Bldg., 3-13 Ichigayatamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0843 JAPAN
    tel: +81.3.3268.2500/fax: +81.3.3268.8844
    http://mizuma-art.co.jp

    http://mizuma-art.co.jp/gallery_info/index_e.html

    KiyaKiya
    2010-2011
    single channel animation video
    6 min. 39 sec.
    Courtesy the artist and Mizuma Art Gallery

  • Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane South American tour and video

    I’ve just returned from a 2 week long tour in South America doing FOH sound for Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane project. It was a great experience made even better by the amazing musicians and amazing people that made up the band and the crew. The musicians were just incredible, as you’d expect, half of them from Italy and the other half from the US. Enrico Gabrielli on wind instruments (sax, flute, clarinet, harmonica, whistle, recorder and even glockenspiel), Alessandro “Asso” Stefana on electric, acoustic and nylon guitars, Trevor Dunn on electric and upright bass, Scott Amendola on drums, Willy Wynant on percussions (congas, bongos, woodblocks, timbales, timpano, orchestral bass drum, glockenspiel and toys), Matt Rhode on samplers, Vincenzo Vasi on theremin, samplers and vocals, Enrico “Senza” Zavalloni, Valeria Vasta, Roberta Lizzo and Claudia Puglisi on background vocals and Cheche Alara conducting the 12 string orchestra that we hired locally in the different countries we played in.

    We also had an amazing but small crew made up of Niccolo’ “number one” Antonietti on monitors, Jim Stewart stage manager and Tim Mooooooooooooooossss tour managing us.

    Patton was the greatest!!! I have so much respect and admiration for him. He simply sings perfectly in tune for hours at a time and he always gives 100%, even during the long rehearsals we did before every show. Plus his interpretations of these great italian classics from the ’50es and ’60es are just incredible. Authentic, tasteful and sophisticated! What a unique show!

    Although I was familiar with the record, I had never seen this show before and so mixing it for the first time was definitely a handful but very exciting. There is nothing better than mixing a show you like! I had to have two mixing boards to fit all the channels because with 24 musicians on stage there weren’t enough channels on a regular mixing board (the total track count was around 72). This got even more complicated in Brazil where we played with the Heliopolis favela orchestra, which was made up of 25 people instead of 12 (track count 85).

    This was an exceptional show and I wish everyone could have seen it so I am very happy to be able to share this video with you because it was professionally shot by the Chilean TV station Via X. Sadly they just took a board feed from me so the audio never got re-mixed properly for this video and is simply the same audio everyone in the theater heard from the PA.

    Mondo Cane will be in Australia in January and hopefully many other countries in the future so people will get to see this amazing show!

    Mike Patton rules.

    Here’s the full show:

     

  • Piece that I recorded for art installation opens at ArtPrize exhibition center in Gran Rapids, NY

    A while ago I recorded a piece written by singer Ayelet Rose (part of Zorn’s Mycale all female accappella four piece group) at EastSide Sound. This piece was to be used for a art installation by NY-based artist Michelle Jaffe called “Wappen Field”. The piece consisted of 7 female voices interacting and the installation consists in helmet masks hanging form the ceiling. When you stick your head inside you hear the individual voices that make the vocal orchestration.

    A small feature appeared  on Mlive.com and you can read it here: ArtPrize exhibition center review: UICA entries on display have intelligence, diversity | MLive.com

  • …and we’re back on SonicScoop’s Session Buzz

    Last week the Dublin based band I am producing (www.preachersson.com) came to New York City and we recorded three new songs for their great upcoming album. We hired drummer/percussionist extraordinaire Kenny Wollesen for some overdubs and the stuff came out great!

    Sonic Scoop reported on it:

    Session Buzz: Who’s Recording In & Around NYC — A Monthly Report : SonicScoop – Creative, Technical & Business Connections For NYC’s Music & Sound Community.

  • Brooklyn’s last standing slot car tracks in NYC! Wanna race?

    Discovered this by pure coincidence walking in my neighborhood this morning.

    This place has been open for 46 years in the same location and represents, I’m told, the last remaining track in NYC! The only game in town!

    I never got into this because it wasn’t big in Europe and maybe I’m too young for it, EastSide Sound founder Lou Holtzman claims he’s a pro and used to race professionally and even holds records! He even keeps telling me that he owns a track and will set it up at the studio some day, but hat has yet to happen, even though EastSide is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary and I’ve worked there the last 12 of those years!

    It sure looks like a lot of fun!!! So I finally have a chance to try it out!

    Sept 29th there’s a competition! Let’s race!!!