Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the music landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61 years old.
Brian Fox, an engineer at Albini’s studio, Electrical Audio Recording, said Wednesday that Albini died after a heart attack Tuesday night.
In addition to his work on canonized rock albums like Nirvana’s “In Utero,” the Pixies’ “Surfer Rosa” and PJ Harvey’s “Rid of Me,” Albini was the frontman for underground bands Big Black and Shellac.
He discarded the term “producer,” refused to collect royalties for the albums he worked on, and requested that he be credited “Recorded by Steve Albini,” a legendary label for the albums he worked on.
At the time of his death, Albini’s band Shellac was preparing to tour their first new album in a decade, “To All Trains,” which will be released next week.
Other acts whose music was shaped by Albini include Joanna Newsom’s indie-folk opus, “Ys,” and releases by bands such as Breeders, Jesus Lizard, Hum, Superchunk, Low and Mogwai.
Albini was born in California, grew up in Montana, and fell in love with the homemade punk music scene in Chicago while studying journalism at Northwestern University.
As a teenager, he played in punk bands and, in college, wrote about music for the prescient independent magazine “Forced Exposure.” While attending Northwestern in the early ’80s, he founded the abrasive, rowdy post-punk band Big Black, known for their biting riffs, violent and taboo lyrics, and a drum machine in place of a live drummer. It was a controversial innovation at the time, coming from a man whose career would be defined by risky decisions. The band’s best-known song, the ugly, explosive six-minute “Kerosene” from their cult-favorite album, 1986’s “Atomizer,” is ideal evidence, and not for the faint of heart.
Then came the short-lived band Rapeman, one of two groups Albini fronted with indefensibly offensive names and vulgar song titles. In the early ’90s, he formed Shellac, the fierce, distorted noise rock band, an evolution of Big Black, but still marked by punchy guitar tones and aggressive vocals.
In 1997, Albini opened his famous studio, Electrical Audio, in Chicago.
“The recording part is the part that matters to me: I’m making a document that records a part of our culture, the life work of the musicians who hire me,” Albini told The Guardian last year, when asked asked about some of the well-known and beloved albums he has recorded. “I take that part very seriously. I want the music to outlive us all.”
Albini was an extraordinary character on the independent rock music scene, known for his forward-thinking productions, his unapologetic irreverence, his biting sense of humor, and his criticism of the exploitative practices of the music industry, as detailed in his landmark 1993 essay “The Problem.” with Music” – as much as his talents.
Later in his life, he became a prominent poker player and apologized for his past indiscretions.
“Ugh man, heartbreaking loss of a legend. With love to his family and his countless colleagues,” wrote actor Elijah Woodon X. “Goodbye, Steve Albini.”
Author Michael Azerrad, who included a chapter on Big Black in his comprehensive history, “Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991,” also posted on X. “I don’t know what to say about the passing of Steve Albini,” Azerrad wrote. “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.”
Albini is survived by his wife, Heather Whinna, a filmmaker.