Steve Albini

Steve Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer who was a member of the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (1992–2024). He was the founder, owner, and principal engineer of the Chicago recording studio Electrical Audio and recorded thousands of records, for acts including Nirvana, the Pixies, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, the Jesus Lizard and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Albini was born in Pasadena, California, and raised in Missoula, Montana. After discovering the Ramones as a teenager, he played in a number of punk bands. He earned a degree in journalism at Northwestern University, Illinois, and he wrote for local zines before moving to Chicago, where he immersed himself in the punk scene. He formed Big Black in 1981, and released two full-length albums: ''Atomizer'' (1986) and ''Songs About Fucking'' (1987). During this period he continued to write for zines, and was often critical of local punk scenes and the industry as a whole.

Following the dissolution of Big Black, Albini opened Electrical Audio and focused on engineering. In 1992, he formed the band Shellac with bassist Bob Weston and drummer Todd Trainer, with whom he released six albums.

Noted for his outspoken and blunt opinions, Albini was hugely critical of the way the music industry is constructed, which he viewed as exploitative of artists. He refused to take royalties on albums he worked on, operating on a fee-only basis. Provided by Wikipedia