Dan the Automator

Daniel M. Nakamura (born August 29, 1966), better known by the stage name Dan the Automator, is an American hip hop producer. He founded the record label 75 Ark, which was distributed by Tommy Boy Records during its short existence (1996–2001).

Career

Nakamura, a classically trained violinist, started DJing when he was a teenager.^[2] He first gained fame producing Kool Keith's 1996 album Dr. Octagonecologyst.^[3] Nakamura's studio, dubbed The Glue Factory, was a recording workshop for DJ Shadow, Latyrx and other artists on the Solesides label.^[2]

Alongside Prince Paul, Nakamura formed the collaborative project Handsome Boy Modeling School in 1999, assuming the character Nathaniel Merriweather. In 1999, he joined with Del tha Funky Homosapien and Kid Koala to form Deltron 3030. He also produced Gorillaz's debut album^[2] and is currently one half of Got a Girl, along with actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead.^[4] Among his other current projects, he formed a band Crudo with Mike Patton.

Discography

This list does not include singles, remixes or instrumental album versions.

• Music To be Murdered By (EP) (1989)
• A Better Tomorrow (1996)
• A Much Better Tomorrow (2000)
• Wanna Buy a Monkey? (2002)
• Dan the Automator Presents 2K7 (2006)

Production

• Dr. Octagonecologyst (Kool Keith) (1996)
• When I Was Born for the 7th Time (Cornershop) (1997)
• Scream 2: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) (1997)
• Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars (with DJ Shadow) (1998)
• ACME (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) (1998)
• So... How's Your Girl? (Handsome Boy Modeling School) (1999)
• XTRMNTR (Primal Scream) (2000)
• Deltron 3030 (Deltron 3030) (2000)
• Gorillaz (Gorillaz) (2001)
• Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (Lovage) (2001)
• Hey You. Yes You. (Ben Lee) (2002)
• Ruckus (Galactic) (2003)
• Christmas Remixed (various artists) (2003)
• White People (Handsome Boy Modeling School) (2004)
• Decadence (Head Automatica) (2004)
• Peeping Tom (Peeping Tom) (2006)
• Naturally (Men Without Pants) (2008)
• The Love Album (Anaïs Croze) (2008)
• West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (Kasabian) (2009)
• Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy (Dredg) (2011)
• Colour of the Trap (Miles Kane) (2011)
• Velociraptor! (Kasabian) (2011)
• Kinshasa One Two (DRC Music) (2011)
• Pillowfight (Pillowfight, duo with Emily Wells) (2013)
• Event 2 (Deltron 3030) (2013)
• I Love You But I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now (Got a Girl) (2014)
• Blood In, Blood Out (Exodus) (2014)

Single

• "Earth People" – Dr. Octagon (1995)
• "3000" – Dr. Octagon (1996)
• "Blue Flowers" – Dr. Octagon (1996)
• "Good Ships" – Cornershop (co-produced with Tjinder Singh) (1997)
• "Sleep on the Left Side" – Cornershop (co-produced with Tjinder Singh) (1997)
• "Magnetizing" – Handsome Boy Modeling School (co-produced with Prince Paul) (1999)
• "Rock 'n' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)" – Handsome Boy Modeling School (co-produced with Prince Paul) (1999)
• "The Truth" – Handsome Boy Modeling School (co-produced with Prince Paul) (1999)
• "The Projects (P Jays)" – Handsome Boy Modeling School (co-produced with Prince Paul) (1999)
• "Sunshine" – Handsome Boy Modeling School (co-produced with Prince Paul) (2000)
• "Virus" – Deltron 3030 (2000)
• "Battlesong" – Deltron 3030 (2000)
• "Tomorrow Comes Today" – Gorillaz (2000)
• "Positive Contact" – Deltron 3030 (2001)
• "Time Keeps On Slipping" – Deltron 3030 (2001)
• "Clint Eastwood" – Gorillaz (2001)
• "19-2000" – Gorillaz (2001)
• "Rock the House" – Gorillaz (2001)
• "Make The People Sway" – The Magic Disco Machine (from One Big Trip)
• "The World's Gone Mad" – Handsome Boy Modeling School (co-produced with Prince Paul) (2004)
• "Underdog" – Kasabian (co-produced with Sergio Pizzorno)
• "City Rising From the Ashes" – Deltron 3030 (2013)
• "Melding of the Minds" – Deltron 3030 (2013)
• "What Is This Loneliness?" – Deltron 3030 (2013)
• "Do You Remember" – Deltron 3030 (2014)

References

External links

• Dan the Automator on MySpace
• Dan the Automator discography at Discogs
• Slate article on demand for Dan the Automator in music projects
• Dan the Automator at AllMusic
• Dan the Automator page at Yahoo! Music
• Waxpoetics' Automator Interview by David Ma
• Interview with R.U. Sirius