Audio engineer and musician Steve Albini's résumé reads like the index of L'Histoire de le Rock Indépendante—it's littered with notable names. It might have something to do with the fact that his rates are downright affordable, but then again, he also offers clients something unique—his discerning ears, decades of experience behind the board, and an ascetic (if not oppressive) recording philosophy.Basically, if you want your record to reflect the sound of your band playing live in a room, Steve Albini is your man.
And when he's not recording other bands, he's fronting his own; starting with Big Black ('82-87), Rapeman ('87-88), and more recently, Shellac ('92-Present). These bands are the embodiment of his aesthetic—abrasive, angular, and cranky.
Albini is also a Journalism major from Northwestern University, so his ideology is present through many of his writings for zines such as Matter and Forced Exposure, his 1994 manifesto "The Problem With Music" (still relevant, in many ways), or even the occasional scathing/hilarious editorial, such as this one.
But perhaps the best tribute to the man's work is the music itself. So, I've put together a playlist of some of his best, most notable work (with a few exceptions—I was limited to my own music library and to Lala's 50 song playlist maximum).
So here it is, if you have four hours to spare, enjoy. It's quite a ride:
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