Dan The Automator
Hip-hop producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura has collaborated on recordings with Kool Keith, Gorillaz, DJ Shadow and DJ Q-Bert. He's one of the three members of Deltron 3030 and worked with Prince Paul on the conceptual hip-hop project Handsome Boy Modeling School. He has also produced tracks for a variety of advertising campaigns.
Fast Facts:
- Birth Name: Daniel Nakamura
- Born in 1967 in San Francisco, California
- Frequently samples science-fiction movies and TV shows
- Collaborates regularly with Del The Funky Homosapien, Kid Koala and Mike Patton
- Owns studio The Glue Factory
Career Overview
As a child, Dan Nakamura was classically trained on the violin. He worked on a DJ at clubs and parties around California's Bay Area in the early 1990s before starting to take on production work. His big break came in 1995, when he teamed up with rapper Kool Keith on his recordings as Dr. Octagon.
After making his name on the Dr. Octagon project, Nakamura started finding more and more work. In 1999, he and former De La Soul producer Prince Paul collaborated on the satirical Handsome Boy Modeling School album So...How's Your Girl?, with Nakamura adopting the alias "Nathaniel Merriweather."
In 2001, Nakamura had his biggest commercial success producing the debut album for Damon Albarn's experimental lo-fi/trip-hop group Gorillaz. The following year, he produced his first mix album, Wanna Buy a Monkey?. As with the term "Handsome Boy Modeling School," the name is a reference to the comedy of Chris Elliott.
Rock Production
In addition to his work in hip-hop, Nakamura has been involved with a number of rock recordings as well, including production work on the Cornershop album When I Was Born for the 7th Time and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's 1998 release Acme.
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