Steve Albini

Steven Frank Albini ( al-BEE-nee; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989), and Shellac (1992–2024), and engineered acclaimed albums such as the Pixies' Surfer Rosa (1988), PJ Harvey's Rid of Me, Nirvana's In Utero (both 1993), and Manic Street Preachers' Journal for Plague Lovers (2009).

Albini was born in Pasadena, California, and raised in Missoula, Montana. After discovering the Ramones as a teenager, he immersed himself in punk rock and underground culture. He earned a degree in journalism at Northwestern University, Illinois, and wrote for local zines in Chicago. He formed Big Black in 1981 and recruited Santiago Durango and Dave Riley. Big Black attracted a following, releasing two albums and four EPs. In 1987 he formed Rapeman with David Wm. Sims and Rey Washam, releasing one album and one EP in 1988. He formed Shellac with Bob Weston and Todd Trainer in 1992, with whom he released several albums, including At Action Park (1994) and 1000 Hurts (2000); To All Trains was released ten days after his death.

After Big Black's dissolution, Albini became a sought-after recording engineer, rejecting the term "record producer". He advocated analog recording, seeking a natural sound and preserving dynamics. He preferred to record live takes without overdubs, and used few effects and little compression. Albini recorded thousands of records, for acts such as the Breeders, the Jesus Lizard, Page and Plant, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Joanna Newsom, Cheap Trick and Slint. He refused royalties, operating fee-only. He founded the Chicago recording studio Electrical Audio in 1997, dedicated to recording a live sound at a cheap price.

Noted for his outspoken and blunt opinions, Albini was critical of local punk scenes and the music industry, which he viewed as exploitative of artists. He was a strict adherent of analog recording, and praised the independence in music created by the Internet. He was also infamous for authoring transgressive art as a reaction to artistic compromise, which he expressed some regret for in his final years. He died of a heart attack in 2024.