Legendary Music Producer Steve Albini, Known for Recording with Nirvana, Dies at 61

Published: 08 May 2024 at 17:23

Music

Steve Albini, the acclaimed music producer who worked with bands like Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey, and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, has passed away at the age of 61 from a heart attack. Albini, also known for his work as a frontman in Big Black and Shellac, had a storied career marked by his critique of the music industry and his preference for the term 'music engineer' over producer. Despite his success, he was vocal about predatory practices in the industry and refused to take royalties from his recordings.

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Steve Albini (Wikipedia)

Steve Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician, record producer, audio engineer, and music journalist. He was the founder, owner and principal engineer at Electrical Audio, a recording studio complex in Chicago. It has been estimated that he worked on several thousand albums over his career. He worked with acts such as Flogging Molly, Nirvana, Pixies, Bush, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, the Jesus Lizard, and former Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. He also played in various bands, most notably Big Black and Shellac.Albini was critical of the music industry, arguing that it exploited and stylistically homogenized artists. As a part of his opposition he refused to take royalties from artists he worked with, arguing that it was unethical.

Steve Albini discography (Wikipedia)

Steve Albini was an American musician, audio engineer and music journalist, whose many recording projects have exerted an important influence on independent music since the 1980s. Most of his projects from 1997 onwards were recorded at the Electrical Audio studios in Chicago. Albini is occasionally credited as a record producer, though he disliked the term to describe his work, preferring the term "recording engineer" when credited, and refused to take royalties from bands recording in his studio, as he felt it would be unethical to do so.As a musician, Albini fronted the bands Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac on guitar and vocals. He also played on other projects from time to time, notably as a bass guitarist in the touring incarnation of Pete Conway's solo project Flour whose records he also engineered.The list is in chronological order by date of release, but is incomplete.

Shellac (band) (Wikipedia)

Shellac is an American noise rock band from Chicago, Illinois, previously composed of Steve Albini (guitar and vocals), Bob Weston (bass guitar and vocals) and Todd Trainer (drums and vocals) and formed in 1992. Albini died in May 2024.They have been classified as post-hardcore and math rock, but describe themselves as a "minimalist rock trio."

Franco Albini (Wikipedia)

Franco Albini (17 October 1905 – 1 November 1977) was an Italian Neo-Rationalist architect, designer and university instructor in design.

Walter Albini (Wikipedia)

Gualtiero Angelo Albini (3 March 1941 – 31 May 1983), known professionally as Walter Albini was an Italian fashion designer who eventually started his own eponymous fashion house and became known for his gender fluid designs, with his collections featuring both male and female models. In 2023, the rights to his fashion house were bought by Bidayat, an investment company created by Rachid Mohamed Rachid.

Albini (Wikipedia)

Albini or de Albini (of white) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:Abramo Albini (born 1948), Italian Olympic rowerAlessandro Albini (1568–1646), Italian painterAlfred Albini (1896–1978), Croatian architectCarlo Albini (1914–1976), Italian footballerFranco Albini (1905–1977), Italian architect and designerFranz von Albini (1748–1816), German judge and statesmanGiuseppe Albini (1827-1911), Italian physicianSeptimiu Albini (1861-1919), Romanian journalist and activistSrećko Albini (1869–1933), Croatian composer, conductor, and music publisherSteve Albini (1962–2024), American singer-songwriter and recording engineer

Giuseppe Albini (Wikipedia)

Giuseppe Albini was an Italian physiologist and physician, born in Milan on 27 September 1827. He died in Turin on 18 January 1911.

Big Black (Wikipedia)

Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun. In 1985, Pezzati was replaced by Dave Riley, who played on Big Black's two full-length studio albums, Atomizer (1986) and Songs About Fucking (1987).Big Black's aggressive and abrasive music was characterized by distinctively clanky guitars and the use of a drum machine rather than a drum kit, elements that foreshadowed industrial rock. The band's lyrics flouted commonly held taboos and dealt frankly—and often explicitly—with politically and culturally loaded topics including murder, rape, child sexual abuse, arson, racism, and misogyny. Though the band's lyrics contained controversial material, the lyrics were meant to serve as a commentary or a display of distaste for the subject matter. They were staunchly critical of the commercial nature of rock, shunning the mainstream music industry and insisting on complete control over all aspects of their career. At the height of their success, they booked their own tours, paid for their own recordings, refused to sign contracts, and eschewed many of the traditional corporate trappings of rock bands. In doing so, they had a significant impact on the aesthetic and political development of independent and underground rock music.In addition to two studio albums, Big Black released two live albums, two compilation albums, four EPs, and five singles, all through independent record labels. Most of the band's catalog was kept in print through Touch and Go Records for years following their breakup.

Júnior Albini (Wikipedia)

Júnior Albini (born 15 March 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.