The Early Spark and Rock & Roll Calling
Meeting an Idol and a Pivotal Encounter
Dean Korso was born into a family of painters in a small town in southern Russia. Creativity surrounded him from the very beginning, and as a child he spent countless hours drawing, exploring the world through color and imagination. But at the age of twelve, his life took a dramatic turn when he first encountered the power of hard rock. Bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Metallica awakened a new calling. He didn’t want to just listen, he wanted to play. He remembers cutting the cross-strings off his tennis racket to mimic a guitar, jumping on his bed and pretending to be a rock star. From that moment, the guitar became his true canvas.
His hero was Steve Vai, whose music embodied the boundless possibilities of the instrument. In time, Dean opened his own guitar school, performed in numerous bands, and immersed himself fully in rock culture. A pivotal moment came in 1995 when Steve Vai toured Russia with Alien Love Secrets. By sheer determination, Dean managed to attend Vai’s press conference, meet his idol in person, and was invited to the soundcheck. On stage, guitar in hand, he began playing “Liberty” as Vai’s band joined in behind him. The memory of facing the empty hall, playing alongside his hero, became a turning point. Years later, Dean and Vai would become friends, but it was this first encounter that marked the beginning of a larger journey.
The Digital Shift and Cinematic Ambitions
A New Identity, Mentorship, and Building a Global Network
For years, composing music was a difficult process. Without access to modern technology, every track required costly studio time and the involvement of engineers. But as computers became central to music-making, Dean discovered new creative freedom. He began with Fruity Loops (now FL Studio), then moved to Logic, Cubase, Nuendo, and finally Ableton, exploring the vast landscape of digital composition. Over time, he fell in love with cinematic and symphonic music, studying the great Hollywood soundtracks and learning the art of orchestration. At one point, driven by passion, he even attempted to contribute to The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, meeting members of the film crew and sharing his sketches. Though the project was already secured by Howard Shore, the experience became another milestone, proving that Dean’s ambitions reached far beyond borders.
In 2004, he adopted the moniker Dean Korso while composing a soundtrack for a video game, separating his identity as a composer from his earlier life as a rock guitarist. A few years later, in 2007, a chance meeting in Turkey with British producer Terry Thomas changed his perspective on the music industry. Thomas became a mentor, teaching him how production truly worked: from arrangement and recording to mixing and mastering. Through Thomas, Dean gained access to an international circle of producers who had collaborated with artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, The Killers, Pink, Imagine Dragons, Beyoncé, Duran Duran, Pharrell Williams, AC/DC, Justin Timberlake and many others.
A New Chapter in Ambient Music and Collaborative Masterpiece
Educational Projects, Grammy Recognition, and Health Crisis
Parallel Projects and a Unified Vision
This network eventually inspired Dean to launch Backstage Secrets in 2014, an educational project for musicians, producers, and engineers. He organized masterclasses in Russia, Europe, and the United States, led by superstar producers, further strengthening his ties to the global production community. Among his closest friends was the legendary Al Schmitt, a 25-time Grammy-winning engineer, who became both a mentor and a source of inspiration. Over the years, Dean devoted himself to producing and co-writing for other artists, helping shape their songs with arrangements, lyrics, and full-scale production. In 2021, Dean Korso was officially accepted into the Recording Academy as a Grammy Voting Member, a recognition that connected him with one of the most prestigious music institutions in the world and further affirmed his role within the global artistic community. A personal health crisis in 2021 became another turning point. After suffering from severe illness during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dean battled depression and found solace in ambient music.
The genre’s timeless beauty and meditative calm had a therapeutic effect, eventually leading him to create music in this style himself. In 2024, together with Øneheart and Antent, he released Midnight Journey, an immersive ambient album that marked the beginning of a new chapter in his career. The project sparked a deep passion for ambient soundscapes and opened the way to his most ambitious work yet. One of the strongest artistic impressions in Dean’s musical journey came from the projects Shpongle and Younger Brother, led by the visionary Simon Posford. At a time when few dared to redefine sonic boundaries, Posford created an entirely new dimension of music. His work deeply influenced Dean, and over time the two became friends. Years later, Simon himself, together with Benji Vaughan as part of Younger Brother, contributed to Samsara Passengers, closing the circle of inspiration and collaboration. His latest conceptual album, Samsara Passengers, written with Øneheart and Leadwave, reflects on the universal journey we all share: from the first heartbeat in the womb, through growth, struggle, love, loss, revelation, and the attempt to transcend existence itself. Over eight months, the three artists crafted a story of transformation and memory, inviting collaborators from across the globe. The album features contributions from Moby, Medasin, Younger Brother, Au5, Kiran & Nivi, Owsey, Jeff Rona, remind me, and Antent, making it not only a musical work but a collective meditation on the human experience.
In 2025, Dean launched a new guitar-based ambient project titled Sorry for the Delay, a name chosen with playful irony about the abundant use of delay and reverb in ambient music. Created together with guitarist Dmitry “Slam” Plotnikov, the project is dedicated to listeners who love the character of the guitar and, at the same time, the softness of ethereal textures. Parallel to his musical path, Dean pursued his long-standing interest in psychology and psychoanalysis. This fascination led to the creation of Creativity Code, a documentary film exploring the mechanisms of human creativity through the perspectives of neuroscientists, psychologists, and world-renowned artists. The film examines questions of inspiration, improvisation, focus, and the educational systems that nurture creativity, aiming to uncover how artists can unlock their potential without falling into burnout, crises, or despair. Today, Dean Korso continues to merge music, philosophy, and psychology into a singular artistic vision. Whether through cinematic ambient journeys or educational projects, his work invites audiences to explore not just sound, but the essence of human creativity itself.
