Steve Albini
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
| Revision as of 08:43, 18 March 2022 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 09:23, 10 May 2024 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | '''Steve Albini''' (born July 22, 1961) is an [[American musician]], record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of [[Big Black]], [[Rapeman]] and [[Flour (band)|Flour]], and is a member of [[Shellac (band)|Shellac]]. He is the founder, owner and principal engineer of [[Electrical Audio]], a [[recording studio]] complex in [[Chicago]]. In 2018, Albini estimated that he had worked on several thousand albums over his career. He has worked with acts such as [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], [[the Breeders]], [[PJ Harvey]], and former Led Zeppelin members [[Page and Plant|Jimmy Page and Robert Plant]]. | + | '''Steve Albini''' (July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and [[audio engineer]] best known as the frontman for the influential [[post-hardcore]] and [[noise rock]] bands [[Big Black]] (1981–1987), [[Rapeman]] (1987-1989) and [[Shellac (band)|Shellac]] (1992–2024). He was the founder, owner, and principal engineer at [[Electrical Audio]], a recording studio complex in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. There he oversaw the recording for several thousand singles, EPs and albums for numerous bands; notably [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], [[the Breeders]], [[PJ Harvey]], [[the Jesus Lizard]] and [[Page and Plant|Jimmy Page and Robert Plant]]. |
| - | Albini is also known for his outspoken views on the [[music industry]], having stated repeatedly that it financially exploits artists and homogenizes their sound. Nearly alone among well-known producers and musicians, Albini refuses to take ongoing [[royalties]] from album sales, feeling that a producer's job is to record the music to the band's desires, and that paying producers as if they had contributed artistically to an album is unethical. | + | 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 rock|punk]] bands. He earned a degree in journalism at [[Northwestern University]], Illinois, and he wrote for local [[zine]]s before moving to Chicago where he immersed himself in the city's vibrant punk scene. He formed Big Black in 1981, and released two full-length albums: ''[[Atomizer (album)|Atomizer]]'' (1986) and ''[[Songs About Fucking]]'' (1987), the former of which contains perhaps his best known song "Kerosene." During this period he continued to write for zines, where he was often critical of both nearby punk scenes and the industry as a whole. Following the band's dissolution, he changed focus from leading bands to sound engineering, opening Electrical Audio studios. He returned to playing music in 1992 with the critically acclaimed noise rock band Shellac, along 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. As a matter of principle he would not take royalties on albums he had worked on, operating on a fee-only basis. | |
| - | ==Punditry== | + | |
| - | Additionally, he is famous (or notorious) in the indie world as an opinionated [[pundit (politics)|pundit]] on the music industry and on trends in indie music, beginning with his earliest writing for [[zine]]s such as [[Matter zine|Matter]] and [[Forced Exposure]], to his commentary on the poor ethics of big record labels, and how their practices filter through to the independent labels. He has been a strong supporter of labels who have tried to break the mold, especially [[Touch and Go Records]], with whom all of his bands have released recordings. He is a supporter of [[analog recording]] over [[digital recording|digital]], as can be evidenced by a 1987 quote on the back cover of [[Big Black]]'s ''[[Songs About Fucking]]'': "The future belongs to the analog loyalists. Fuck digital." | + | |
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 09:23, 10 May 2024
|
Kill him already, kill him. "Prayer to God" (2000) by Shellac "Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end, holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed."--"The problem with music" (1993) by Steve Albini |
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Steve Albini (July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer best known as the frontman for 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 at Electrical Audio, a recording studio complex in Chicago, Illinois. There he oversaw the recording for several thousand singles, EPs and albums for numerous bands; notably Nirvana, 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 city's vibrant punk scene. He formed Big Black in 1981, and released two full-length albums: Atomizer (1986) and Songs About Fucking (1987), the former of which contains perhaps his best known song "Kerosene." During this period he continued to write for zines, where he was often critical of both nearby punk scenes and the industry as a whole. Following the band's dissolution, he changed focus from leading bands to sound engineering, opening Electrical Audio studios. He returned to playing music in 1992 with the critically acclaimed noise rock band Shellac, along 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. As a matter of principle he would not take royalties on albums he had worked on, operating on a fee-only basis.
See also
- The problem with music[1]
- Steve Albini: Don't Call Me Producer (c. 2007) by Mythos Warrior: KUTTER VON KANE
