Tributes to Steve Albini have poured in within the wake of his unexpected death. The musician and engineer suffered a coronary heart assault whereas at work at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, IL.
“On the evening of Might 7, our captain, Steve Albini, died unexpectedly,” learn a message posted on the studio’s website. “We’re struggling to grasp and course of this loss.
“Steve was a hero to all of us, our pal and mentor. He was one of many best dwelling recording engineers, tirelessly devoted to capturing the inventive work of the bands and artists he labored with. He noticed recording nearly as an moral crucial to doc the music of the world round him.
“Steve had a profoundly beneficiant spirit; he was all the time prepared to share his information and experience, and his time and a focus. He gave all of us on the studio a shot in an ever-dwindling trade and have become our fierce advocate, as he did for numerous others in his orbit over time.
“We’re honoured to have frolicked alongside him in his career-long undertaking of constructing and sustaining a recording studio that has come to function a house base for anybody desirous to make music on their very own phrases. We’re grateful to have been given the grace of his information, his loyalty, his kinship, his love.
“Thanks, Steve. We love you.”
In the meantime, lots of those that recorded with the Shellac and former Large Black frontman or had been influenced by his work have paid tribute to his persona and engineering genius.
The Breeders: “The Breeders are mourning the sudden passing of Steve Albini. He constructed worlds.”
Slint: “RIP to our pal Steve Albini. Steve was, in his personal approach, unfailingly magnanimous and type. His humility was a continuing. He was a frontrunner, in some ways, and he was an all-around good man. He shall be deeply missed. We’re infinitely lucky for having recognized him culturally and, amazingly, in particular person. Slint wouldn’t be the identical with out him.”
Bob Mould: “Thanks for constructing the magnificent sound cathedral referred to as Electrical Audio. Thanks for the fixed reminders of learn how to navigate our music enterprise. Thanks for the empanadas and our conversations. My deepest condolences to Heather, the Electrical employees, and the Shellac people.”
Mission Of Burma: “Folks come and go, however there was nobody fairly like Steve Albini. I hold hoping the information is fake. I simply thought he would all the time be there, holding us wised up ‘n pissed off. A fucking big.”
David Gedge (The Weddding Current): “I am deeply saddened to listen to the information of Steve Albini’s passing. Steve was an actual reward to music and helped each The Marriage ceremony Current and Cinerama develop our sound and rework our id. He was additionally a real particular person and a whole pleasure to be round.”
Ginger Wildheart: “I wouldn’t be the particular person I’m now with out Steve Albini. I used to attempt to sing like him, I even tried to undertake his ‘no love songs’ coverage in the beginning. Large Black had been/are big for me. The world will miss his uncompromising stance on artwork and commerce. We misplaced a phenomenal authentic.”
Vernon Reid (Dwelling Color): “Steve Albini was alive on Monday. Let that sink in. We weren’t associates. We by no means met. I revered his work ethic. No compromises No regrets.”
Elijah Wooden: “Ugh man, a heartbreaking lack of a legend. Like to his household and innumerable colleagues. Farewell, Steve Albini.”
Tough Commerce Information: “Musician, studio engineer and the mastermind behind a few of rock’s best albums. A hero to us all. Thanks for setting the usual so excessive. RIP Steve Albini. Deeply missed, ceaselessly beloved.”
Metro Membership, Chicago: “We’re deeply saddened to listen to of Steve Albini’s passing and hold his household in our hearts. Thanks for all that you simply contributed to punk rock in our city and the reverberations of creativity you introduced forth, felt the world over.”
Sleaford Mods: “Relaxation straightforward Steve Albini. A pleasant man, punk rocker and poker face everlasting. Relaxation up geezer. Sleafords.”
David Grubbs: “In shock at Steve Albini’s sudden passing. Such an excellent, infinitely beneficiant particular person, completely one-of-a-kind, and so inspiring to see him change over time and come clean with issues he outgrew. I met Steve after I was a junior in highschool, and never solely did Large Black slay me however I am particularly grateful for all the time spent with him in dialog, and for all I realized recording with him with Bastro, Gastr del Sol, the Crimson Krayola, Palace, Tony Conrad. A lot significant time spent collectively. I am actually perplexed… terrible.”
Jarvis Cocker: “Working with Steve Albini was an training in some ways: the technical facets of recording sound, for positive – but additionally classes in learn how to stay & work at making music with out being destroyed by the Music Enterprise. He was a novel particular person. My ideas are with these near him.”
Mary Anne Hobbs (DJ): “RIP Steve Albini. The world loses a visionary human being.”
Charles Peterson (Photographer): Shocked and saddened to listen to of the sudden demise of Steve Albini right this moment on the age of 61 of a coronary heart assault in his studio. Anybody who is aware of something about music within the eighties and nineties does not have to be instructed what he completed and stood for. R.I.P.”
Chat Pile: “No singular artist’s physique of labor has had an influence on me greater than that of Steve Albini. Extremely grateful that the world had him whereas it did, we’re all higher off due to it. RIP.”
Amanda Palmer: “I’m gutted to listen to concerning the sudden demise of the enduring punk musician and engineer/producer Steve Albini…coronary heart assault, he was solely 61. He was a grasp of sonic financial system and had such unbelievable ethics about holding sound easy and bullshit-free; he knew learn how to get songs into your coronary heart through your ears. We had our squabbles (famously round my Kickstarter) however we’d made our peace. A whole lot of what these squabbles taught me, in the long run, was about how a lot punk is misplaced in semantics. Typically “DIY” completely doesn’t imply “Do It Your self”, it means “Do It With Whoever is Round”, and I typically assume that Steve and I had been only a quarter-turn away from each other.”
Gavin Rossdale: “I’m sat right here in complete shock on the passing of my glorious pal Steve Albini. I can’t wrap my head round this big loss. I like Steve. I like Heather, his equally sensible spouse. Shellac has all the time been my favorite band. One I’d select to see over anybody. I’ve seen them as many instances as potential however maybe flying to Belfast to see them in Northern Eire sooner or later was a spotlight.”
Edwyn Collins: “Steve Albini, horrible information. He was the identical as me about analogue, tape, recorded sound, – passionate. So sorry to his household.”
Wax Trax Information: “We’re devastated to study of the passing of underground legend Steve Albini. He’s survived by over 2000 data that he labored on in a roundabout way or one other. We love Steve’s personal music simply as we love so lots of the data he recorded and produced.”
J.G. Thirwell: “Gutted to listen to concerning the demise of the sensible engineer / musician Steve Albini (1962-2024). The man behind Large Black, Rapeman and Shellac. The man behind the board on Nirvana’s In Utero, Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, Soiled Three’s Ocean Songs, Jesus Lizard and plenty of many extra. Relaxation in Energy, Albini.”
Michael Azerrad (Writer): I do not know what to say about Steve Albini’s passing. He had an excellent thoughts, was an ideal artist and underwent essentially the most outstanding and provoking private transformation. I can not consider he is gone.”
Fred Armisen: “I like Steve a lot. We stated it extra typically to one another in recent times. I’m so glad I obtained to inform him. He was so humorous, on a regular basis… I all the time beloved listening to him say ‘I don’t care.’ He was such pal to me, endlessly. I admired his work ethic and his heat. And his opinions on nationwide flags. On every part.”
Fucked Up: “You hated our band and made enjoyable of us whereas we had been recording at your studio, however you stood for one thing trustworthy and honest in music and tried to make it a greater place in every part you probably did and there’ll by no means be one other one such as you.”
Mute Information: “We’re shocked and saddened to listen to of the demise of Steve Albini, a beautiful man with revolutionary concepts on how music ought to sound, each as a musician and a producer.”
Aiden Moffat (Arab Strap): “Together with his personal singular bands and numerous engineering credit, there’s no identify that seems all through my document assortment greater than Steve Albini; his affect nonetheless informs how I make and launch music right this moment. 61 isn’t any fucking age in any respect. RIP certainly.”
Advantages: “An immense inspiration as a musician, artist and producer who one way or the other turned a supply of encouragement and assist to us. A genius. Relaxation straightforward Steve Albini.”
Luke Haines: “I am in complete shock about Steve Albini. Steve was my pal and one of the best recording engineer ever. He was, a candy man. The obits will use phrases like ‘ornery…’ Lots of the obits shall be written by cowards and ‘lackeys.’ He’d like me saying that.”
Byron Coley: “Holy shit. Steve Albini is gone. Was simply emailing him yesterday. One of many nice minds of his technology. What a fucking loss.”
Riot Fest: “RIP Steve Albini. This fucking sucks.”
Robin Rimbaud (Scanner): “Really surprising. Bidding farewell to Steve Albini (1962-2024), the fiercely unbiased and inspirational music producer, provocateur and poker champion. What a loss!”
The Cribs: “The best to ever do it. We all know that, and have all the time felt deeply proud and grateful to have labored with him. I’m positive Steve can be cringing studying this. But it surely’s all true. Only a nice, nice man.”
KEN Mode: “I don’t know if I can totally put into phrases what Steve Albini meant to us, as an artist, producer, and an individual. I’ve by no means had a “well-known” musician die that additionally slept for 2 weeks at my mother and father’ home. This one has a particular sting to it. It was a dream come true attending to make a document with you. RIP to an absolute legend.”
The Pretty Eggs: “Have simply no concept what to say right here. Utterly shocked on the passing of Steve Albini. A real DIY genuine spirit who took no crap. An inspiring engineer who was by no means sucked in by the bullshit of the music trade. Our ideas are along with his household, associates and band.”
HEALTH: “A novel and caustic voice marooned in a sea of generic shit. Excellent elements Irritable and worsening. There gained’t be one other. RIP Steve Albini.”
The Toadies: “We’re devastated on the information of Steve Albini’s passing. We simply recorded with him at Electrical Audio lower than a month in the past (a lifelong dream come true). Nonetheless in shock. RIP Steve.”
Erol Alkan: “Steve Albini will all the time be one in all my favorite engineers / document makers. Not simply within the sound he produced but additionally his method and ethos was all the time inspiring and deeply rooted in what I like about different tradition. I grew up loving a few of these Large Black singles as I immersed myself in unbiased music.
“Like many people, I used to be obsessive about the sound of these Pixies data and In Utero and later Journal For Plague Lovers by Manic Avenue Preachers. Listening to about his success as a poker participant and successful one million was additionally mind-blowing. I by no means met him however watched numerous YouTube movies of him speaking about making data, and his method delivered along with his wit caught to me like glue.
“My sincerest condolences to his household and associates. 61 isn’t any age to go.”
Concern Manufacturing facility: “R.I.P. Steve Albini. The legendary producer, songwriter and musician has handed away. His band Large Black was a giant affect on us within the early levels of our careers.”
Violent Femmes: “Dangerous day for recording. ET Thorngren and Steve Albini in at some point. Two very influential and revolutionary engineers. I didn’t know Steve however he was a provocateur and made some nice recordings. His concepts are additionally price investigating.”
Hugh Cornwall: “Steve Albini was a stunning man, extremely gifted within the recording studio, and a serious loss to our music world. It was a privilege to work with him on Totem & Taboo.”