American musician and producer Steve Albini (61), the mastermind behind legendary rock records from the 1990s, has passed away

Steve Albini (61) became known as the frontman of rock band Big Black in the 1980s. As a producer, he contributed to several legendary rock albums in the 1980s and 1990s, from Nirvana (‘In Utero’), PJ Harvey (‘Rid of me’), and Pixies (‘Surfer Rosa’).

Albini himself described his role behind the scenes as ‘engineer’ rather than as producer. Albini has always been extremely critical of the state of affairs in the music industry. He owns two studios in Chicago and has always encouraged a small-scale ‘do it yourself’ approach among artists. In his spare time he was a gifted poker player.

Several Belgian artists have called upon Albini during their careers. Rock groups Dead Man Ray and Raketkanon and Mauro Pawlowski, among others, have collaborated with him. According to Albini himself, ‘thousands’ of bands have called on him as a producer over the years, especially artists in the alternative and more experimental rock scene. Capturing the raw rock sound as best as possible on record, that was his trademark.

Since the early 1990s, Albini has played as a frontman with the group Shellac. He recently recorded a new album with that band. The release was scheduled for next week. It is not yet clear whether this will actually work out.