May 3, 2002

Dan The Automator : Wanna Buy A Monkey?

Gorillaz cohort's top-draw mix album...

6 / 10 San Francisco's Dan Nakumara is a man with friends in
high places. He produces Gorillaz, has provided beats for
Dr Octagon and, with Prince Paul, is one
of Handsome Boy Modelling School.

The Automator slips easily, then, between old school and new,
something reflected here in his track selection; Nakumura is
Disparate Dan. From hip-hop mainstays like De La Soul to the more
left-field likes of Tortoise and even Doves' 'Firesuite', if the
DJ's art is to unite unlikely musical party guests, The Automator
is a fine and generous host. Dan, meanwhile, is taking his throne
as the RZA of Rucksack and there are no apparent challengers.

John Robinson