There are many unsung heroes in the music business. For every name on the front of an album cover, there’s at least a handful that get relegated to the inside liner notes, special thanks section, or perhaps nowhere at all. One of the most slighted in the limelight department are studio engineers, the people responsible for the little details of every recording. You like the way the vocals sit just above the instrumental, or how the bass is loud but not distorted, or how the music seems to capture a perfect vibe? That’s that the work of an engineer. And according to Mike Dean, one of the best and most well known engineers of current time, “they don’t get any recognition.”
Mike Dean is not just an engineer though; he is a fully-fledged musician. His production credits not only run deep, but are also attached to classic and trend-setting pieces. But you may not know that just by looking at him. “One artist,” Dean begins, “I’ve known him for about 10 years. He always thought I was just an engineer. Then he saw me playing and said, ‘I thought you were just a bitch ass engineer.’ I was like, ‘oh… That’s fucked up.’”
Another interesting fact about Dean is that he is kind of difficult to understand. He’s sort of a low-talker, and mumbles a little bit. He also speaks in quick and short sentences, like little darts, some hit and some miss. What does come through, does so in a thick Houston drawl. It makes for interesting conversations, and a very interesting interview. Making matters worse is that it’s noisy backstage at the United Center, about two hours or so before the second Chicago date of the Watch The Throne tour. Plus, I don’t have the best hearing from years of djing and loud concerts. But, you can only ask someone “what?” so many times before they think you’re an idiot. So I strain my ears, do my best lip-reading, and make it through my 20-minute interview with Mike Dean, a man who helped shape Dirty South Hip Hop nearly 20 years ago, and still continues to push music forward in his current work with Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music.
After our interview, I go back to Dean’s dressing room, one he is sharing with Million $ Mano, my close friend and current DJ for the Watch The Throne tour. As I’m shooting the shit with Mano, Mic Terror, and Hollywood Holt, my thoughts keep returning to my interview with Dean. “Did that go well?” I ask myself. “Does he think I’m an idiot?” I’m unsure until about 15 minutes later when Dean taps me on the shoulder.
“Come here real quick,” he says in that same Houston drawl. “I want you to check something out.” Dean takes me to his Protools room, a makeshift studio setup in another dressing room in the tunnel of the United Center. There he shares a remix he’s been working on, trying out some new techniques as we speak. It’s a sign the interview went well, and now at ease, I spend the rest of the time before the show talking and joking with Dean and company. We cover everything from his favorite parts of the show (“when they play my songs”), if NWA is big in Australia, the authenticity of the Harold’s Chicken that was delivered earlier, and much more.