Marc Urselli, Chief Engineer at Eastside Sound
Photo by Bob Krasner
It’s easy to walk right past the nondescript door on Forsyth Street that leads to Eastside Sound, the oldest running recording studio in downtown Manhattan. Founded by Lou Holtzman in 1972, the place mixes analog equipment with modern technology under the guidance of Chief Engineer Marc Urselli, who got his start in the business as an intern “pouring coffee and scrubbing toilets.”
Born in Switzerland, raised in Italy and living in the states since 1999, the Grammy-winning Urselli has a resume that almost sounds like he made it up. At 17, he had his own studio in southern Italy where he concentrated on the punk/hardcore scene but at 21 wanted to expand his horizons.
“My intention was to do three months here and then go back,” he recounts. “But New York blew my mind!”
His years since have seen him working with the late renowned producer Hal Willner (a 10-year run) and musicians ranging from Elton John to John Zorn (who recorded over 120 LPs at Eastside). The list of clients on his website, marcurselli.com, is too long to list here, but we will mention that the notoriously persnickety Lou Reed was quoted as saying, “Nobody has ever made me sound so good.”
Urselli’s talents are personal as well as technical. While he knows his way around the equipment, he also knows that the human element makes a difference.
“It’s important to make the musicians comfortable so that they can give their best performance,” he notes.
The notable jazz guitarist Bill Frisell has recorded dozens of sessions there with Urselli and is effusive in his praise.
“Marc is a musician with extraordinary instincts,” says Frisell. “He listens, full attention. He is there in the moment. Often it seems as if he’s actually there before the moment. I can concentrate on just playing — there’s never any waiting around wondering if the tape is rolling. The process of recording…
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