When the coronavirus pandemic quarantined all of us to our homes, it signaled to multi-hyphenated sonic mastermind Mike Dean that it was the perfect time in his nearly four-decades-long career to finally put his own ambitions first.
The classically trained musician, engineer, producer, songwriter and mixer that got his start accompanying late Tejano singer Selena and fine-tuning Southern rap classics for Scarface, Geto Boys, UGK and Devin The Dude dropped his imaginative debut solo album 4:20, on his own imprint M.W.A., this past smoker’s holiday.
4:20 is Dean’s long overdue, 90-minute opus comprised of 28 instrumentals. Each song—featuring elements of prog rock, ambient sounds, orchestral arrangements, and electronica—was adapted from 14 different Instagram Live sessions chiseled to five days’ worth of material. Each song expands on the bite size guitar solos, synth riffs and piano arpeggios the five-time GRAMMY-winning fly on the wall and herb connoisseur has contributed to massively successful albums and tours by superstars Kanye West, Travis Scott and Madonna.
Dean’s momentum and keen ear further allowed him to rack up additional credits on albums by Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Frank Ocean, Jay Z, Teyana Taylor, E-40, The Weeknd, 2 Chainz, Nas, Christina Aguilera, Migos, Gorillaz, Selena Gomez, Big Sean, Vic Mensa, Lorde, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, John Legend, A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg.
These days, Dean, 55, is already gearing up to start working on another album of instrumentals and a follow-up project full of guest appearances. I recently chatted with the intuitive, croaky-voiced Houston native recently about his creative process, collaborating with some of music’s biggest acts, his focus both inside and outside of the recording studio, and how he’s holding up during the pandemic.
How’s life being sheltered-in-place?
I started quarantine a long time ago: very, very early. I saw [coverage on coronavirus] on BBC News as I was traveling back in December. I was buying masks then, and everyone thought I was crazy [chuckles]. In January and February, I was in England and Paris. At the end of February [or something like that] when I came home, that’s when I started locking down.
What crossed your mind during those Instagram Live sessions that eventually became 4:20?
Nothing really. Just the quarantine. Keyboards—like the Moog Matriarch and Grandmother—inspire me to do different shit with different sounds and vibes. Each track was a reflection of how I was feeling that day. When it gets to [“The Ninth Day Part 6”], it sounds like helicopters. We had military helicopters flying all over the place that day, so I made good music out of it [laughs].
What’s been the dopest weed-related recording session you’ve ever had?
That’s a good question. All of them [laughs]. The memorable stuff is maybe me and 2 Chainz, Travis or Snoop. When we get together, we really smoke out.
What you smoking on now?
Cap Hill OG and some herb from Bloom Farms.
Do you always arrange your instruments a certain way before you create?
About 70% of what’s in my studio stays; the remaining 30% cycles around. I have a B Room, which is a holding room for keyboards.
Did you have a curated playlist or a set of albums that inspired you to make 4:20?
It’s stuff that’s just embedded in my musical persona, I guess. I don’t listen to records. I just remember vibes from when I was little and listen to music.
How did it feel having input in a number one pop record [“The Scotts”] as your debut solo project was coming out?
It’s great that they’re complementing each other. Notice I made the end of “The Scotts” match my album on purpose. I wanted to expose people to that sound. Travis and [Kid] Cudi cut it over at Travis’s studio; they brought it to me to mix. I made it very synthy and used the same things I used on my album. I appreciate everyone giving me a chance to be an artist and listening to my music.
One of my favorite rap albums of all-time is Scarface’s The Untouchable.
That was tough. I wasn’t as accomplished of a producer as I am now. It came a lot harder than the new stuff does. We would always experiment and try new shit: mostly me, Scarface, N.O. Joe, and Tone Capone. It was a great process, and that album did really well.
What about Devin The Dude’s Just Tryin’ Ta Live?
I mostly mixed that one, and I love that album. It’s a great [smoke] album. Devin and I are really good friends; I work with his group, Odd Squad. They are amazing. I’d quit smoking weed four years before I met Devin and the Odd Squad. It was during the process of making their first album that I started smoking weed again [laughs].
What’s been the most rewarding part about actively participating in Kanye's massive success?
I appreciate playing all of the shows with him. I’ve played every show since 2010 up to Sunday Service. I’d love to see the G.O.O.D. Friday releases on streaming services. All you can see now is shitty YouTube rips of them. That was fun; it taught me and Kanye a lot about production and letting go of the song. When the song is done, try not to hold on to it for a year or so. Just let it go.
What does someone as seasoned as you learn about music from working with younger acts like Travis Scott?
He’s a great producer on his own. He’s really good at mixing. If I can’t get something sometimes, he’ll sit in the seat and turn the knob. He’s really good at doing his own vocal effects and shit like that. It’s not just me making the sounds; it’s me and him together. A lot of the artists I work with are producers. Travis can just sit down with Ableton and FL Studio. He knows the DAWs.
How about pop acts like Madonna?
She taught me a lot about pop music and arranging. She’s a really good arranger. She knows when to switch a song to keep it from being boring.
You found time to also score Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. How did that come about?
The music is more high energy than I’m used to. It’s a lot more industrial. I worked with Sarah Schachner, who is an amazing string player and keyboardist. I did more of the hard edge stuff; she put the melodies and stuff on top of it. We were just hired to do a new video game, so that will be out in a year or two.
Would you ever score film and TV projects?
I’d love to. I’m just waiting for the right thing to come along. I hear they’re doing Tron 3. I’d love to work on it.
You also co-own a hair salon. Talk a little bit about it.
It’s where my girlfriend [Louise Donegan] got her hair done: Sunset Plaza Salon [in West Hollywood]. The owner of the salon wanted to get out of the business. Louise used to work with [co-owner and creative director] Shay Dempsey on photoshoots together. The head stylist and I invested in it. It’s a cool investment: a good place to get out, hang out a little bit, and get my haircut. It’s a really nice spot.
How has the pandemic affected business?
It’s messed up. All of our staff are not on commission. They’re independent contractors, so they rent space from us. They’re all struggling right now. But we’re about to open up a shop online selling organic hair care products that don’t burn all of your hair off. We’re offering to go do people’s hair in their backyard once that gets to phase two.
Your online merch store has masks with a portion of the proceeds going to MusiCares. Your eco-friendly apparel contributes a portion of its proceeds to various nonprofits towards homelessness.
I saw the GRAMMYs were doing COVID-19 relief efforts to help out-of-work musicians, and I wanted to help. A friend of mine left that shirt with that picture of me and Kanye from around 2002 or 2003 at my house. I saw it a week after he left and thought we should put that up and give it to charity. He has a Ramadan charity that he’s working with in New York, another in Chicago, and a YMCA in Houston. We try to help homeless people during this pandemic. And we’re doing good. We’re raising a lot of money.
How does that feel whenever someone calls you a legend?
Geto Boys and Scarface. All of their early stuff. The music was a lot more political than it is right now. Very controversial stuff. Musically, we were all just learning and developing our styles. We all worked together. We didn’t know we were doing something that great until years later.
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