Dan the Automator


Daniel M. Nakamura, better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer from San Francisco, California. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark.

Early life

Nakamura was born in San Francisco, California. His parents spent time in Japanese internment camps as children. His father worked for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and his mother taught at City College of San Francisco. As a child, he learned to play violin. While in high school, he became immersed in hip hop culture. He graduated from San Francisco State University.

Career

Nakamura started his career as a DJ when he was a teenager. After seeing the younger DJs DJ Qbert and Mix Master Mike performing live, he decided to focus on producing tracks.
His debut EP, Music to Be Murdered By, was released in 1989. He first gained national attention for his work on Kool Keith's 1996 album Dr. Octagonecologyst.
In 1999, Nakamura and Prince Paul formed the collaborative project Handsome Boy Modeling School, assuming the alter egos Nathaniel Merriweather and Chest Rockwell, respectively. In that year, he joined with Del the Funky Homosapien and Kid Koala to form Deltron 3030. In 2000, he released A Much Better Tomorrow. He produced Gorillaz's 2001 debut album, Gorillaz.
He is one half of Got a Girl, along with actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The duo's debut album, I Love You but I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now, was released in 2014.
He composed the score for the 2019 comedy film Booksmart. The soundtrack album was released in 2019.

Discography

Studio albums