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Steve Albini‘s bands Shellac and Big Black now have their catalogues available for listening on Spotify.
Albini passed away aged 61 earlier this month due to a heart attack. He was well known for being the producer of major albums such as Nirvana’s ‘In Utero‘, Pixies’ ‘Surfer Rosa’, PJ Harvey’s ‘Rid of Me’, Manic Street Preachers‘ ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’ and more.
Back in 2022, the late producer took his music off the streaming platform. He had previously criticised the company for platforming anti-vaxxers such as Joe Rogan, and tweeted later that they were a “terrible company”, adding: “I don’t want to be part of their business”.
He later told Attack Magazine that Spotify was “one of the few places outside of record stores where recorded music can earn anything at all, and for bands [with] more generous, honest relationships with independent labels not part of the ownership trust, then the payments from Spotify, though meager per-play, can add up to a viable income stream. Nobody’s getting rich, but it could pay for the groceries.”
Now, it appears that Albini’s work with his bands Shellac and Big Black are now available to stream on Spotify. This include’s Shellac’s final album ‘To All Trains’, which was announced shortly before Albini’s death and was released last Friday (May 17).
Tributes have poured in for the legendary producer since the announcement of his death. Our NME obituary hailed him as “a lone voice of anti-industry punk scene ethics, even as he worked with major labels on some of the biggest names in alternative rock.”
Meanwhile, Foo Fighters dedicated a rendition of ‘My Hero’ to the late producer in Charlotte, North Carolina last week.
“Tonight I’d like to dedicate this song to a friend that we lost the other day, who I’ve known a long, long time,” Foos frontman Dave Grohl told the crowd. “He left us much too soon. He’s touched all of your lives, I’m sure. I’m talking about Steve Albini. For those of you who know, you know. For those of you who don’t know, just remember that name: Steve Albini. Let’s sing this one for him.”
PJ Harvey also said he “changed the course of my life” during sessions for her 1993 LP ‘Rid Of Me’., and Joanna Newsom dedicated a version of her song ‘Cosmia’ to him, who engineered her 2006 album ‘Ys’. See further tributes here.
Elsewhere, Yourcodenameis:milo spoke to NME about how the 20th anniversary of their LP ‘All Roads To Fault’ was made all the more profound by the passing of Albini, who engineered the album.
Remembering their time with the punk and production legend, Lockey said: “We paid attention, saw everything he did, asked questions that he would gladly spend ages answering”.
“He once stopped the session and proceeded to give us a lecture on how the peanut built America. He schooled us in billiards, then showed us his favourite cooking shows that he’d recorded. It was all so natural and encouraging, we could do what the fuck we wanted and he’d capture it. That’s the deal, and we fucking loved it.”
Central Cee is a massive star. The UK rapper has been recording since 2014, but he blew up off the strength of his 2022 single "Doja." It's been one success after another for the rapper, who scored a number one UK single with "Sprinter" in 2023. It seems apparent that Central Cee is here to stay, and DJ Akademiks is one internet personality who is absolutely convinced. Akademiks not only praised Central Cee during a recent stream, but claimed Cee was one of the most relevant rappers in the world.
The bold proclamation was made on June 25. DJ Akademiks was trying to work out who the biggest rappers were in terms of success. Central Cee, in Ak's not-so-humble opinion, trumps most of the U.S. names at the moment. The cultural implications were not lost on the streamer. "Is this the first time," Ak asked his viewers. "That a UK rapper could arguably be in the top 5 of rap?" He asserted that if Cee was not already, then he will be very soon. "I think Central Cee might be knocking on that door," he asserted. "Top 5 relevant, right now."
Viewers were quick to shoot down Ak's ruling. That being said, Central Cee does have a lot going for him at the moment. He received a prestigious co-sign from Travis Scott in 2023, when the Texas rapper was seen dancing and rapping along to one of his tracks. Cee was the first UK rapper ever to land on the XXL Freshman List. He was also the first UK rapper to earn a billion streams in a single year on Spotify. These are not fluke achievements. The "Sprinter" hitmaker is doing, in many ways, what Bad Bunny did for the reggaeton genre during the first half of the decade.
Central Cee is keenly aware of American hip-hop. He told The Guardian that he listened to the greats when he was growing up, and attempting to bring a similar level of authenticity. “J Cole, Kendrick Lamar," he recalled. "I had to go and listen to these people for the first time. Even Jay-Z. So that was a fun time, because everything was clicking. I just remember lightbulbs." The rapper is adamant that he plans to stay true to his unique style, however. "When I rap, I’m in a neutral mood," he said. "I can relate to everything, every emotion that I’ve ever felt." Let's see if DJ Akademiks' claim proves true.
