Steve Albini, rock producer for Nirvana, The Pixies and PJ Harvey, has died at the age of 61.

An American indie rock icon, Steve Albini produced more than 200 recordings during his forty-year career, including many classics. He died of a heart attack on Tuesday, May 7.

American rock producer Steve Albini died on Tuesday evening, May 7, following a heart attack at the age of 61, according to what the website announced on Wednesday. pitchforkCiting his studio team. Little known to the general public, Steve Albini was an indie rock icon. He has produced dozens of landmark albums, including In the womb of serenity, Rosa server fairies, pod Educator and Get rid of me By PJ Harvey.

Founder of the group Big Black, he was also the guitarist and vocalist of the group Shellac, which was founded in 1992. This group, which is still active, was scheduled to release a new album next week, For all trains, the first in ten years. A tour was planned immediately.

Born in 1962 in Pasadena (California) and raised in Montana, he discovered the punk music of the Ramones as a teenager before learning to play the guitar on his own after breaking his leg. Then he studied journalism.

Known for his stubbornness, Steve Albini kept the punk ethic embedded in his body throughout his life. Studio legend, considered the master of “noise” production, Steve Albini preferred this term“Sound Engineer” instead of “project”He refused to influence the artistic content of the groups in which he worked. He favored abrasive sounds, disdained any artistic notion with a commercial purpose, and excelled at capturing the raw sound of musicians, giving the impression that they were playing live in front of you.

Provocative, king of rooms, can insult without remorse – for example calling the Smashing Pumpkins a groupie.Completely trivial“or urge exaggeration of”Hot dogs in costumes play at a students’ rock concert“.

In rock magazine forced exposure, In 1991 he wrote about the Pixies, for whom he produced one of their most emblematic albums, Rosa serverthree years ago: “I have never seen four cows more anxious about being led by their nose ringsHowever, it is thanks to this resounding album by the Pixies that it became “The sound of the nineties“, which became in demand everywhere. In addition to Nirvana and PJ Harvey, he then produced Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Jesus Lizard, The Wedding Present and Superchunk.

He has also produced French rock albums such as He hits serial killers, Western in the snow dionysus, stopper From Salwa W Chateauvallon (((Capoeira))) and science From venison.