Dan the Automator

Who is Dan the Automator?

Daniel M. Nakamura, 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.

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

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 Funkee Homosapien and Kid Koala to form Deltron 3030. He also produced Gorillaz's debut album.

He formed a band with Mike Patton called Crudo.