Dan the Automator

Dan 'The Automator' Nakamura is a hip-hop and rap producer most known for his work in the mid to late 1990s.

Nakamura is a major figure in the somewhat higher-brow rap underground that developed while mainstream hip-hop integrated its successful gansta image with the also-popular Miami Bass party-jam style, with heavy borrowing from its ignored soul (music) music roots. Avenues of rap which pursued more introspective, creative, and esoteric angles became brushed aside, admired only by fans with more eclectic musical tastes and appreciation for dense lyrical constructions and obscure or off-beat musical inspirations.

Nakamura's work tends to integrate significant amounts of overlooked 1970s and 1980s kitsch, cult classics, B-grade 1990s television material. Even more oddly for the hip-hop scene, his work also tends to make heavy use of science fiction overtones and references, as well as classical music, both rather intellectual themes which would be anathema to most stereotypical rap music.

He was trained in classical violin as a child, but was more attracted to early electronica and hip-hop. After dabbling as a DJ, he gave up on the skill and instead worked on musical production, taking on small gigs until getting his major break working with Kool Keith.

Nakamura's most well-known production work includes Kool Keith's commercially successful Dr. Octagon project, and the widely successful trip-hop/lo-fi project Gorillaz. He is also renowned in underground circles for spearheading the critically acclaimed underground projects Handsome Boy Modeling School with Prince Paul, and Deltron 3030 with Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Kid Koala.