Influential Rock Producer, Musician Steve Albini Dies at 61

Musician Steve Albini of Shellac performs onstage during FYF Fest 2016 in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2016. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for FYF

Underground rock musician, audio engineer, and producer Steve Albini passed away at 61 this week.

Brian Fox of Mr. Albini’s recording studio, Electrical Audio, confirmed the news of his death with The Epoch Times, saying he died on May 7 from a heart attack.

Mr. Albini wore many hats and left his mark on music and in the studio as a record producer and audio engineer. He was also the founder and owner of Electrical Audio, which, in a newly released company statement, said the studio is struggling to process the loss.

“​​Steve was a hero to all of us, our friend and mentor. He was one of the greatest living recording engineers, tirelessly dedicated to capturing the creative work of the bands and artists he worked with. He saw recording almost as an ethical imperative to document the music of the world around him.”

The studio reflected on Mr. Albini’s expertise and knowledge, thanking him for giving the company a chance in a cut-throat, dwindling industry and advocating for others in this realm.

“We are honored to have spent time alongside him in his career-long project of building and sustaining a recording studio that has come to serve as a home base for anyone wanting to make music on their own terms. We are grateful to have been given the grace of his knowledge, his loyalty, his kinship, his love,” the statement said.

Mr. Albini fronted for indie bands Big Black and Shellac, and despite not favoring being called a “producer,” he notably recorded for Nirvana, Pixies, and PJ Harvey, among many others.

Up until his final days, Mr. Albini remained active in the music scene, becoming an outspoken critic of exploitative industry practices.

Additionally, he was gearing up to tour with Shellac later this year in honor of their sixth full-length studio album.

The album “To All Trains,” their first in a decade, is set to be released on May 17.

Leading Light of Indie Rock

Born on July 22, 1962, in Pasadena, California, Mr. Albini first discovered his passion after coming across the “Ramones” as a teenager. He went on to study journalism in Illinois, where he became involved in Chicago’s vibrant punk-rock scene.

Mr. Albini first rose to acclaim in the early 1980s, fronting for Big Black, channeling aggressive guitar-based rock whose sound was backed only by a drum machine. This drew attention at the time as using that method rather than a live drummer was a rarity.

He faced some controversy throughout his career, however, as he strove to achieve unique sounds, all while creating provocative and shocking songs or band names.

Instead of the common title of “producer,” he insisted on his credits being “Recorded by Steve Albini” and declined any royalties from the recordings he worked on.

In 1988, Mr. Albini worked with the Pixies on their landmark album “Surfer Rosa,” which influenced the alt-rock sound going into the ‘90s. This caught the eye of the late Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, who insisted the band work with him on its second major album “In Utero.”

Around this time, Mr. Albini founded and fronted Shellac, where the band recorded and toured extensively into the 2000s.

Mr. Albini championed for all musicians who worked with him to remain true to themselves, and ultimately, his love for the indie rock genre led the way to success.

Some popular bands under Mr. Albini’s resume include the Breeders, the Jesus Lizard, Mclusky, and former Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant on their 1998 album.

In his later years, Mr. Albini settled into his engineering career, working with almost any artist that came his way. Further, he found a love in the game of poker and became an established player, winning the World Series of Poker gold bracelet in 2018.