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Chicago indie label Touch and Go Records has announced a social media campaign to celebrate the legacy of Steve Albini on what would have been the late producer’s birthday on Monday, July 22.
“Though we tragically lost Steve Albini on May 7, 2024, his indelible influence on music remains. Let’s turn his birthday, July 22nd, into a worldwide celebration to honor his life and legacy,” the label wrote on social media.
Using the hashtag #ThankYouSteveAlbini, Touch and Go asked fans to “flood stories and photos that capture the essence of Steve’s impact. Share pictures of his albums that shaped you, concert memories, or even handwritten notes that resonated deeply. If you were lucky enough to meet him, let’s see those photos!”
Albini — who produced many classic albums, including Nirvana’s In Utero, Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, and PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me — also worked on many albums for the Touch and Go label, including LPs by the Jesus Lizard, Urge Overkill, and Albini’s own noise-rock trio Big Black.
The campaign “will create a digital archive of our collective gratitude, ensuring Steve’s influence remains vibrantly visible,” Touch and Go wrote, adding that Albini “dedicated his life to preserving music’s raw integrity. His legacy continues inspiring artists and fans alike. This is our chance to demonstrate the immense impact of his life’s work.”
“If all Steve Albini ever did with music was complain about it, he still would have reigned as one of its most brilliant provocateurs,” Rob Sheffield wrote in atributefollowing Albini’s death at age 61. “But Albini came to make noise — as a punk guitarist, as a producer, as a writer —with rock’s most notoriously savage sense of humor.”
