Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio Recording Studio Looks To Future After Iconic Owner’s Death
Michael C. Harris
Employees of the legendary studio, open since 1997, are exploring new options in the space, including hosting a sold-out concert there Sunday.
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AVONDALE — Almost three months after Steve Albini’s untimely passing, his studio, Electrical Audio, is bustling with the same creative energy and musical exploration that has defined it since opening in 1997.

The Avondale studio was imagined, created and inhabited by Albini, who died May 7 of a heart attack.

“We want to honor Steve’s legacy and keep his vision alive,” said Taylor Hales, Electrical Audio studio manager. “Steve and Electrical cast a big shadow, and I know that this place means so much to so many people that have made records here. All of us just love working here at this studio that Steve made, and we want to continue on this journey.”

The loss is undeniable for the facility and the people who worked with Albini, as well as the countless artists who recorded there and those who hoped to record there with such a renowned and influential engineer.

But Electrical Audio was built to document music, and that is what it is continuing to do, employees said.

“We’re looking very strong,” Hales said. “We’re basically booked solid close to the end of the year. If we’re not filled in three months out, I start getting a little concerned, and we’re way more than three months out.”

In the aftermath of Albini’s passing, the Electrical Audio staff was determined to move forward. But like any business, they have to be able to meet their expenses to stay afloat. Understandably, when the studio’s biggest draw is no longer present, the staff might need to get creative to keep the facility open.

Thus a unique idea was born: hosting an intimate live show at the studio: Jason Narducy and Alison Chesley — familiarly known as Jason & Alison — will play two shows Sunday at Electrical Audio. The event sold out almost immediately.

“This is kind of a test case for us,” Hales described. “Even if we’re fully booked, there’s still going to be kind of a shortfall between what income we can generate. [Plus] in the aftermath of Steve’s death, there’s been so much interest and people coming into the studio, just kind of experiencing this place that he designed and built and spent the bulk of his life in for the last almost 30 years. We thought this would be an opportunity that we can offer to people to see the studio and see a really cool live show.”

Narducy and Chesley have spent time at Electrical Audio recording with Albini and with other engineers. When Narducy learned of Albini’s death, he reached out to Hales, who he’d known for years in Evanston, where they grew up.

“I was on tour with Sunny Day Real Estate when Steve passed away,” Narducy said. “So as soon as I got home, I went straight over to Electrical, and we kind of talk through the personal stuff. [Taylor] said that they were very committed to maintaining the work that they love doing and doing their best to maintain Steve’s legacy. I threw out a bunch of ideas about ways to be creative moving forward.”

With a nod to Narducy’s Living Room Tours in the pre- and pandemic days — in which he played intimate shows in homes of fans across the country — he and Hales decided to host an intimate show in the studio. The inclusion of Alison Chesley was a no-brainer, Narducy said.

“Alison and I had just played in May at Space” in Evanston, Narducy said. “She toured with [Albini’s band] Shellac in Europe and in the U.S. She’s spent a lot of time with Steve, so it means a lot to her as well. It was kind of a perfect match. [And] the first show sold out so quickly that we added a second one on the same day.”

Hales and the folks at Electrical Audio admit the “response was definitely more than we expected. Part of the learning experience for us is figuring out how many people we can get into the space and how comfortable we are having a certain number of people given that there’s nearly priceless studio assets within arm’s reach.”

Staff engineer Lauren “Mac” MacDonald is coordinating the in-studio show, including handling the sound mix — a particular challenge in a studio that was designed by Albini for feedback.

“I think this is definitely going to be a big learning experiment,” MacDonald said. “I’m really hoping it goes well because this would be really cool and fun to have a little bit of a series — something to do a couple of times a year.”

It seems appropriate that a section of West Belmont Avenue where Albini built his recording-culture touchstone may be renamed by the city as “Steve Albini Way.” Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) has proposed an ordinance to rename the 2600-2700 block of Belmont after the engineer.

“The recording part is the part that matters to me — that I’m making a document that records a piece of our culture,” Albini told The Guardian during an August 2023 interview. “I take that part very seriously. I want the music to outlive all of us.”