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Past the Mark
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Past the Mark
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The Garland Cult: With
their third album MONSTER,
The Garland Cult say
Poll
goodbye to their audience
Do You Like the New
with ten new tracks which
Chain D.L.K. website
span from their distinctive
Design?
dance style to acoustic
ballads passing through
Yes
covers of Scott Walker's
So and So
"30th Century man" and
No
Holly Johnson's "Feel good".
There's a light melancholy
Vote
that permeate...
View Results
Past The Mark is a transatlantic collaboration between Vince Pastano (guitar player, singer, composer
producer and arranger based in Italy) and Marc Urselli (New York-based 3-time Grammy award winning
producer/engineer/composer). The project started as long-distance collaborative-composing experiment
Readership
back in 2003, but unfortunately due to their insanely busy schedules, it took a little over 7 years for them
to write enough material for a full album. However, in the meantime, Pastano released at least 5 other
records of his own and Urselli recorded and/or mixed around 100 records in that timeframe. As you
Kill Me Tomorrow / Tender
probably know, Marc Urselli is also the co-founder of Chain D.L.K., along with Maurizio Pustianaz.
Buttons: Tender Buttons
and Kill Me Tomorrow are
Musically, Past The Mark is a mixture of the composers’ backgrounds in electronic music and rock. The
two of themany projects of
production is entirely electronic-based and mixes drum ‘n bass, ambient, world music and downtempo into
San Diego
a unique blend of sampled acoustic and electronic sounds. All the melodies, riffs and counterparts are
musician/multimediaartists
played by the electric guitar, which is turn is treated, effected, sliced and diced digitally. The
Zack Wentz and K8 Wince
compositional process always started with an idea of either one of the musicians, who then would send it to
(they are joined byDan
the other to continue writing on and around the original idea. The result is an eclectic mix of influences,
Wise in Kill Me Tomorrow.)
styles and moods with deep roots in the rock traditions and the evolutions of electronic music. Particularly
Some of their otherprojects
noteworthy is the fact that in spite of all those influences and the fact that they’ve been writing together
include painting, writing
for 7 years, the songs on the album sound quite homogeneous. For more information visit their websites-
(they have a novelcoming
www.pastthemark.com, www.marcurselli.com, and you can purchase the album directly from their website
out soon), and a clothing
as well as through CD Baby at www.cdbaby.com/cd/pastanourselli
line (...
I was given the opportunity to review their CD,
Ex-Rental: EX-RENTAL is an
titled ‘Hakhel Tribulation’ here at Chain D.L.K.
English band. They're
(posted May 16, 2011). Marc Urselli has graciously
fashionable, catchy and
consented to take a little time out of his busy
they know what they want
schedule to further elaborate on the project in
(maybe for this reason they
this interview.
call themselves "Last of the
great pop groups"). They
have released few demos
Chain D.L.K.: Let’s start with a little background
but soon their album will
on how the ‘Past The Mark’ project came into
be out to entertain...
being. Although you are both of Italian descent
(Marc
born
Vincenzo
in
Switzerland,
native
Italian),
raised
your
in Italy,
geographical
Endif: It’s rather seldom,
locations – (U. S. for Marc, Italy for Vince) would
that a release musically
seem
based in the wide
a
major
roadblock
to
a
musical
collaboration without spending a lot of time
andintricate field of
together. How did you two become acquainted, and was the driving force that kept this project alive over
rhythmically
the seven years that it took to complete?
Powernoise/Industrial can
reach applausefrom all
Marc Urselli: Vince and I go waaaaaaay back in the way back machine
The story goes that I was about
related as well as different
10-11 years old, a cocky, crazy on my bike, new in the neighborhood… I ran into him on the street, and he
electronic music genres.
and his friends had just built some kind of street cart with wheels and I dared them to race me in it. Later
Theofficial full-length
we went to school together for 3 years and then we started playing in bands together. We then lost track
debut of the US one man
of each other for a year of two and finally reconnected for good. We are basically brothers from another
act Endif...
mother. As for the collaboration, It started as an idea: can we write one song together in spite of the
distance, record it separately, work on each other’s tracks until we have a finished song? It was an
experiment… these things today are the norm, but keep in mind, this was 8 years ago now… We were so
excited by the result that we decided to do an EP, which then turned into a full album. Unfortunately (or
fortunately) we are both very busy with our music careers, so it took us 7 years to have enough songs for
an album, but we are glad it is finished and very happy with the result! To answer your question the
geographical location wasn’t a roadblock, but rather the very reason we decided to do this! It might have
taken a bit less time if we were in the same city, but we really wanted to see how long-distance
collaboration would work out.
Monstrum Sepsis: Chain
D.L.K.: So tell us about the
name and inception of
Chain D.L.K.: Both of you have a dual interest in commercial, closer to mainstream music, and the fringe,
Monstrum Sepsis, for those
darker area music from the numerous people high-profile you have worked with in sessions, to some of your
new to the scene and the
own releases (Marc’s ME.M.O.R.Y. LAB industrial project, Vince’s “Compro Verita” dark-wave solo CD). In
group. Monstrum Sepsis:
what way do you think that ‘Hakhel Tribulation’ reconciles these two divergent directions?
Those are questions that
can’t be answered too
Marc Urselli: We both make a living with music so invariably we work in, with and across multiple genres
briefly. It all started with
of music. We both grew up on massive doses of rock and metal.
my early obsession with
Later Vince had several periods of
infatuation with ’70s rock ‘n’ roll and of course guitar-driven music, while I got into electronic/industrial
tracking music using fast...
music. Now it is coming full circle. Vince is getting into dark things and opening up to more experimental
things he wouldn’t listen to years ago and I’m getting back to basics, while keeping a firm foot in the
experimental / avant-garde / electronic/world that I do so much with and like. “Hakhel Tribulation”
represents a cross section of what we have listened to in the last 7 years. It’s got a bit of everythingelectronica, rock, ambient, world etc.
Chain D.L.K.: Who do you believe Past The Mark’s core audience is, and what is your marketing strategy
to reach that audience?
Marc Urselli: I think this CD would potentially appeal to open-minded electronic music fans as well as rock
lovers and music in general. There’s a certain nu-jazz angle to it too, so our label is trying to reach out to
all these audiences to make sure the CD is heard because we really believe that there is something for
almost every one in there. As long as you like music you’ll find something on the album to enjoy… heck
even my mom liked a song or two!
Chain D.L.K.: Was it a conscious decision to cover such a variety of material on the album, or did it just
turn out that way? Also, how did the music evolve over a seven year span and still come off as fresh, when
musical taste and popular musical expression and studio techniques are constantly changing?
Marc Urselli: It wasn’t a conscious decision at all, it’s just what we’ve been listening to throughout these
years… Our influences spilled over into our writing, naturally, and if you knew when each song was written
you might even be able to trace our listening habits. We consciously decided not to add composition dates
in the liner notes because we didn’t want that to influence people. We believe that in spite of the fact the
compositions go as far back as 7 years ago, the songs from back then stand the test of time and don’t
sound old when compared to the latest ones. We were surprised how current the older songs were
sounding.
Chain D.L.K.: hear a lot of different influences on the album, especially in Vince’s guitar playing. (Allan
Holdsworth in particular, on some of the heavier tracks.) Can you cite some of the artists you may have
been inspired by for this collaboration?
Marc Urselli: One of Vince’s favorite guitar players is Jeff Beck but great players such as Marc Ribot, Jimi
Hendrix, David Torn, David Gilmour, Mike Stern, Stef Burns and so many others are all on his playlist. As for
me, I am all over the map really. I listen to a lot of things he does, because we always send and
recommend music to each other. I grew up listening to rock, then I got into metal (all different types of
metal), later I got into industrial/electronic music. Now I listen to all of the above but I also cultivate a
vast interest in world music, experimental music, new music, avant-garde and darker stuff that Vince is
less interested in. I recently discovered Ben Frost and love his stuff, I also enjoy my doses of slow
sludge/doom-metal stuff like Sunn O))), Boris, Sleep etc., but I am also very much into the New York
downtown music scene (all the stuff around John Zorn -whom I work with-, his Tzadik label, his Stone
venue) and I still listen to electronic music, industrial etc. When all or more of the above genres are
mixed, that’s when I really feel at home!
Chain D.L.K.: Let’s talk a bit of tech. This was a transatlantic collaboration without either of you having
been together in the same studio. What platforms, software and equipment did you use to achieve that?
Also, for the guitar enthusiasts out there, what axes did Vincezo use on the album, and processing gear?
Marc Urselli: The file exchange was via Pro Tools. I have huge sound libraries, but the software libraries I
use the most are IK Multimedia’s and Reason’s. I also use other soft synths, but those are my main ones.
Vince uses a lot of guitars but he’s mostly a Fender guy (strat, tele, jaguar) and of course he has a lot of
stomp boxes but often I altered his sounds or used his DI signal through an amp simulation plugin like IK
Multimedia’s AmpliTube. Other than processing his guitar with that plugin, I used a lot of other plugins in
Pro Tools for reverbs, flangers, EQing, compression and other crazy effects. Vince is very analog in his
signal chain and I added the digital element. I also often cut up his performances or did other processing in
creative or new ways, which was part of the type of collaboration we had in mind.
Chain D.L.K.: Yes, there is quite a bit of sonic manipulation on the album, often making the guitar sound
like anything but a guitar! In the actual music creation process, would you say the Vince was more the
‘melody man’ and Marc the ‘arranger guy’ or was it a more complex writing situation?
Marc Urselli: We both did a little bit of both but
I’d say more often than not Vince was the melody
guy and I’d build everything else around his melody
lines. Sometimes I’d send him a riff and we’d write
something to it, other times he’d send me an idea
for A and B parts, and I’d turn those into a song. In
general I’d say he’s definitely more of a song writer
in the “conventional” sense while I am more of a
“producer”.
Chain D.L.K.:
What about the rhythm/percussion tracks- were they all programmed, or were any played
live (even if resampled into loops)?
Marc Urselli: Everything was programmed on my end. There are some beats that were played by someone
live, but I didn’t record them, I just used loop libraries and altered the loops to my liking.
Chain D.L.K.:
There has to be a story behind the telephone answering machine message that opens the
album on the first track, “Oz on the Moon”. Can you elaborate on that a bit?
Marc Urselli: There is a story but if I told you I’d have to kill you…
Let’s just say that story sums up an old relationship from its beginning to its end. It’s an old story, an old
relationship and one of the first songs we wrote.
Chain D.L.K.:
How have the critical reviews been so far for the album? (Aside from mine here at Chain
D.L.K.)
Marc Urselli: The reviews are rolling in following the promotional effort of our record label Nu Jazz records
in Glasgow. So far they all have been very positive and we hope that continues! Thanks for your support
too!
Chain D.L.K.: Is there any possibility that Past The Mark might consider live performance or a tour, or is
this strictly a studio project?
Marc Urselli: There absolutely is, in fact we are actively trying to organize a tour. The problem with this
project is that one person is in the US and one is in Europe so wherever we play there is an international
airfare to cover and it’s getting harder and harder to get gigs around the world. But if you want us to play
in your city go to your local concert promoters or venues and ask them to call us up. We’ll come play!
Chain D.L.K.:
You’re right; the logistics of playing live require substantial financial support for such a
venture to keep an artist, band or project from going broke, let alone make any money on it, but what
about a video? YouTube seems to be the next best thing to “being there”. Any possibility of Past The Mark
doing a video version of any of the album tracks?
Marc Urselli: Yeah we are thinking about that but we don’t really know any video artists personally, so if
whoever is reading this interview does video and would like to collaborate please get in touch with us!
Chain D.L.K.:
I actually saw Vince’s promo video for “Invisibili Distanze”; scary good in the most primal
sort of way. Is that him singing? The noise and doom metal records you’re working on- what name will it
be under, and is it strictly solo, or who would you be working with?
Marc Urselli: Yes Vince is amazing, didn’t I say that? It’s him singing, his new thing.
I don’t have a name for my new records yet, I will surprise you all
Chain D.L.K.: What are the chances for a follow-up album, and if so, what direction might it take? Would
you consider adding guest artists? Maybe vocalists?
Marc Urselli: Vince and I will most certainly work together again, whether it is under the moniker Past The
Mark or not we don’t know. I’d like to do another record at some point, but for now we are both working
on new projects. Vince just released his new solo record “Invisibili Distanze” which is like an alternativedark-rock record with great sounds and some vocals. I am working on a noise record and a doom metal
record, as well as other side projects and ideas that we are developing.
Chain D.L.K.: Looking forward to it. Thanks so much for your time, and I wish you both all success with
the project and album.
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