Mike Dean
The synthesizer-heavy producer and mixer who has shaped Kanye West's sound from The College Dropout through Donda.
Mike Dean is an American audio engineer, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for his synthesizer-heavy instrumentation and audio mixing. He first contributed to the mixing of Kanye West's albums The College Dropout and Late Registration, and later contributed as a producer on West's albums Graduation, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezus, The Life of Pablo, Ye, and Donda. He also co-produced with West on the collaboration album with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne, and was an additional producer on "Mercy" and "Higher" from GOOD Music's 2012 compilation Cruel Summer.
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Michael George Dean
- Also known as
- Vador, Synth God
- Birthplace
- Houston, Texas, U.S.
- Born
- 1 March 1965
- Genre
- Hip-hop, electronic
- Occupations
- Audio engineer
- composer
- record producer
- multi-instrumentalist
- Instruments
- Guitar
- keyboards
- piano
- bass guitar
- Years active
- 1983–present
Lore & Background
Dean's relationship with West began with mixing duties on The College Dropout and Late Registration, then grew into a full production partnership. He co-produced on West's collaboration album with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne, and was an additional producer on "Mercy" and "Higher" from GOOD Music's Cruel Summer. In recent years, Dean has served as a regular guitarist and keyboardist for West at live performances, including the Watch the Throne Tour, the Yeezus Tour, and the Saint Pablo Tour. Dean's production has appeared on every one of Travis Scott's musical bodies of work since 2013, and he has also served as a regular guitarist and keyboardist for Scott at his live performances.
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