Legendary Musician & Producer Steve Albini Passes Away

Legendary grunge producer Steve Albini has passed away after suffering a heart attack at his studio in Chicago. He was just 61 years of age.

In his career, Albini played in numerous bands, most notably Big Black and Shellac. He founded Big Black in 1981, and the band released two studio albums before their eventual disbandment in August 1987: Atomizer, released in 1986, and Songs About Fucking, in 1987.

Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad said about the band’s music, “Big Black distilled years of post-punk and hardcore down to a sound resembling a singing saw blade mercilessly tearing through sheet metal. No one had made records that sounded so harsh.”

Albini (on guitar and vocals") and drummer Todd Trainer founded Shellac in 1991 and became a renowned “minimalist rock trio” alongside bassist and vocalist Bob Weston. Albini passed away just days before Shellac will release their first album in a decade, To All Trains. The album arrives on Friday, 17 May, via Touch & Go Records.

Albini was an underground rock hero, sitting behind the desk for some of indie rock’s biggest records, including Nirvana’s In Utero, Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, PJ Harvey’s Rid Of Me, and many more. He was renowned for his hatred of parasitic music industry practices, refusing to take points on albums and simply charging for his time. He railed against large music festivals, blaming them for the corporatisation of alternative music, expressed loathing of dance music, rallied against poor music journalism and said, “Pop music is for children and idiots”.

Albini's approach to recording emphasised problem-solving and capturing the raw essence of musicians' performances. He believed that putting producers in charge could compromise the integrity of the music, advocating for the engineer's role in facilitating the artists' vision, preferring to call himself a ‘recording engineer’. His methodology prioritised high fidelity and natural performance, eschewing post-production tricks for authentic, raw sounds. In 2008, he estimated his impact to have been on ‘several thousand’ albums.

One of Albini's most notable projects was Nirvana's third album, In Utero. Despite initial reservations about the band, Albini accepted the job due to his admiration for their early work. The recording process, completed in six days at Pachyderm Studios, was notably smooth, despite concerns from the band and their label about the album's sound.

Albini was, however, unhappy with the final product after disagreements about the mix, with the label re-mixing and remastering the final product. The album's eventual success cemented Albini's reputation, although he conceded the album "doesn't sound all that much like the record that was made".

In a recent article in The Guardian, Albini was asked how his career would be regarded if he ever retired, answering: “I don’t give a shit. I’m doing it, and that’s what matters to me—the fact that I get to keep doing it. That’s the whole basis of it. I was doing it yesterday, and I’m gonna do it tomorrow, and I’m gonna carry on doing it.”

Musicians have taken to social media to mourn the loss of Albini. Michael Azerrad said, “He had a brilliant mind, was a great artist and underwent the most remarkable and inspiring personal transformation.”

Superchunk and Mountain Goats drummer Jon Wurster said, “Steve was such a good, caring, and funny guy. I will always treasure the night in ‘99 when he took me to Second City to see a show. I walked into the Electrical kitchen at the agreed upon departure time and he looked at my head, smiled and said, ‘Your hair is peak Mellencamp.’”

Primavera Festival, where Albini’s bands Shellac and Big Black played regularly, Tweeted, “We have lost a legend, a friend, a member of our family. What are we going to do without you, Steve? After having welcomed them at 15 editions of the festival, it is impossible for us to imagine a Primavera Sound without him, because no band explains us better than Shellac.”

I don't know what to say about Steve Albini's passing. He had a brilliant mind, was a great artist and underwent the most remarkable and inspiring personal transformation. I can't believe he's gone.

— Michael Azerrad (@michaelazerrad) May 8, 2024

Steve was such a good, caring, and funny guy. I will always treasure the night in ‘99 when he took me to Second City to see a show. I walked into the Electrical kitchen at the agreed upon departure time and he looked at my head, smiled and said, “Your hair is peak Mellencamp.” ❤️

— Jon Wurster (@jonwurster) May 8, 2024

Estamos sin palabras. Nos ha dejado Steve Albini a los 61 años. Hemos perdido a una leyenda de la música, pero sobre todo a un amigo. A un miembro de nuestra familia. ¿Y ahora qué vamos a hacer sin ti, Steve?

Después de actuar en 15 ediciones del festival, se nos hace muy… pic.twitter.com/brT0Cwv3sH

— Primavera Sound (@Primavera_Sound) May 8, 2024