Steve Albini, an indie rock icon, has passed away at the age of 61.

My Twitter feed right now is exploding with obituaries, condolences, but most importantly, anecdotes of the impact Steve left on the music industry. He was a legend for engineering and producing countless iconic albums, including Nirvana’s In Utero and PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, but my personal favourite work of his is his collaboration on several albums with folk singer/harpist Joanna Newsom. This, of course, includes her magnum opus, Ys.

You can read many memorials about Steve Albini right now, but I stumbled upon this amazing essay he wrote for Record Store Day. In 2009, Steve Albini was asked to write an essay about record stores, which was eventually published as an advertisement in the Chicago Reader.

In the essay, Steve Albini described the whimsical experience of stepping foot inside a record store, comparing its selections to a farmers’ market, and highlighting how the heart of record stores lies in its people.

You can read the essay below. All credit goes to Reckless Records and Chicago Reader:

Photo of Steve Albini is credited to: Jim Bennett/WireImage