Albini was born in Pasadena, California , and raised in Missoula, Montana. After discovering the Ramones as a teenager, he immersed himself in punk rock and underground culture. He earned a degree in journalism at Northwestern University , Illinois, and wrote for local zines in Chicago. Big Black attracted a considerable following, releasing two albums and four EPs. In he formed the controversially named band Rapeman with David Wm.
Sims and Rey Washam , releasing one album and one EP in After Big Black's dissolution, Albini became a highly sought after recording engineer, rejecting the term " record producer ". He recorded several thousand records during his career, collaborating with notable acts such as the Breeders , the Jesus Lizard , Page and Plant , Godspeed You!
He refused to take royalties on albums he worked on, operating fee-only. He founded the Chicago recording studio Electrical Audio in , dedicated to recording a sharp live sound at a cheap price. Noted for his outspoken and blunt opinions, Albini was critical of local punk scenes and the music industry, which he viewed as exploitative of artists. He was an adherent to analog recording , and praised the increasing independence in music resulted by the internet.
He was also infamous for authoring transgressive art as a reaction to people taking artistic compromises; Albini expressed regret for this past mindset in his final years. He died of a heart attack in Coincidentally, around the same time I also realised that other people's opinions of me had no power over me.
As long as what I was doing was honourable in my own mind, then I could do it comfortably, and if other people didn't get it or didn't agree with it, that was okayβthat didn't have any effect on me. That's carried through to this day, because I still don't give a shit if I get judged.
