CHICAGO (CelebrityAccess) — Steve Albini, the vocalist, guitarist and studio guru who helped to produce albums by Nirvana, Pixies, Robert Plant, and PJ Harvey, has died. He was 61.
Pitchfork reported that Albini died after suffering a heart attack at his Chicago-based recording studi Electrical Audio.
Albini was an esteemed figure in the alternative and indie music scene and developed a reputation for his DIY ethic at Electrical Audio, the recording studio he established in Chicago in 1995.
A native of California, Albini learned to play the bass while he was still in high school, drawing inspiration from bands such as The Ramones, Pere Ubu, and Devo.
After relocating to Chicago to attend journalism school, Albini became involved in the local music scene, writing for zines such as Forced Exposure, and co-managing the Effigies punk label, Ruthless Records.
Along with his work behind the scenes, Albini continued to pursue a career as a musician, founding the punk group Big Black and signing with Homestead Records. The group disbanded in 1987 after releasing their second studio album.
He also formed the group Shellac, which successfully released a string of albums and EPs with their latest album To All Trains slated for release later this month on Touch and Go Records.
Alongside his work as a recording artist, Albini was best known for his studio work, with his spare, presice technique helping to shape the distinctive sounds of seminal albums such as the Pixies ‘Surfer Rosa’ and Nirvana’s genre-defining In Utero.
He launched Electrical Audio in 1995 and the studio produced thousands of albums, including releases by artists such as Chevelle, The Breeders, Fleshtones, Bush, Jarvis Cocker, The Stooges, Manic Street Preachers, Joanna Newsome and PJ Harvey among others.
