Today I listened to the new record by Andrew Mason. As you can see from this article, Andrew worked for Steve Albini at Electrical Audio. Albini is a badass. Andrew knows the inside of a sound studio. Here’s a snip:
Makes sense, given that he was inspired to start a business by working as an engineer at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio recording studios on Belmont Avenue, where the aesthetic is decidedly nonmaterialistic. “Watching people pour themselves into their work, and the results—that’s the way to achieve something special,” Mason says. “Seeing people at the top of their craft is incredibly inspiring. I learned my work ethic there. I don’t think I’d be doing what I do now if not for my time there.”
And what does Albini, the session wizard and Shellac member who could claim the mantle of Groupon’s spiritual godfather, say to his protégé these days? “He always asks, ‘Are you a Republican yet? Are you a Republican yet?’” Mason says. “I like to see him every few months so I can make sure I’m still the same person.”
Even the notoriously acerbic Albini praises Mason effusively. “He’s not a dreamer. He’s a guy that actually pulls stuff off,” Albini tells my colleague Jake Malooley. “When Groupon started to take off, it was obvious—and in the face of all the knockoff competition, still is obvious—that it’s the cock of the walk. Andrew is the reason why it can’t be emulated successfully elsewhere: Nobody else has Andrew.”