Steve Albini, underground rock legend, has died at the age of 61

Steve Albini, a prominent figure in underground rock who recorded some of the genre's highest-profile albums and led the band Big Black, has died at the age of 61. On May 8, employees at his recording studio told Pitchfork that Albini had suffered a heart attack. His death came just as his band Shellac was preparing to release its first album in a decade, To All Trains, on May 17. Albini began his career as the frontman of Illinois post-punk band Big Black, which he formed at Northwestern University. The band became influential in the burgeoning rock underground of the 1980s, especially because of Albini's use of the drum machine, a precursor to industrial rock, in his music. The band released two albums, 1986's " Atomizer " and 1987's " Songs About Fucking", before disbanding in 1987. Albini then formed the short-lived band Rapeman (a name he said he later regretted). In 1992, he formed the trio Shellac, which released albums steadily throughout the '90s. Shellac last released the album Dude Incredible in 2014, and the band recorded the upcoming album To All Trains sporadically from 2017 to 2022.

Albini is even better known for his work in the studio, where he was alternative rock's most influential producer and engineer. (A critic of power structures in the music industry, Albini was known to dislike the term "producer" and avoided mentioning the albums he worked on, even refusing royalties.) Albini recorded several albums that strengthened alternative rock in the 1980s and '90s: In Utero by Nirvana, Surfer Rosa by the Pixies, Rid of Me by P.J. Harvey, Pod by the Breeders, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy by Jawbreaker, No Pocky for Kitty by Superchunk, and numerous albums by Jesus Lizard. In later years, he recorded albums for Joanna Newsom, Ty Segall, Cloud Nothings, Sun O))))), Laura Jane Grace, and Code Orange. In 1995, Albini opened the Chicago studio Electrical Audio, where he recorded until his death. In his spare time, he was a successful poker player, winning two World Series of Poker bracelets.