The latest guest on Sound Check with Jeremy Hecht is superproducer Mike Dean. Dean is best known for his work with Kanye West, The Weeknd, and Travis Scott, so you know Jeremy had to pit Mike’s favorite collaborators against each other — and against his classic inspirations.
Here’s how it works: Jeremy plays two songs for the guest artist, who has to choose one and explain their choice, giving Jeremy a chance to learn their musical taste. Jeremy then has to guess the artist’s life anthem, the song they’d take to a desert island, which the guest wrote down earlier on a piece of paper. Our production team has also given him a decoy song, and Jeremy has to guess which is correct based on what he’s learned in the previous rounds.
The episode opens with synth pioneer Vangelis vs. psych-rock all-stars King Crimson. And while you might have expected Travis Scott to be paired with another rapper like Kid Cudi, Jeremy jukes, making Mike choose between one of Mike’s biggest hits with Travis and his heroes Pink Floyd. Next up is a battle of guitar solos, then rap posse cuts. Ultimately, the tables are turned, and Jeremy has to decide whether Mike loves Pink Floyd or Jimi Hendrix more.
Watch Mike Dean take on the Sound Check challenge above. New episodes of Sound Check drop every Wednesday at noon ET/9 a.m. PT on Uproxx’s YouTube.