Dan Nakamura
(not related to
Toshimaru Nakamura)
is a San Francisco-based disc-jockey and virtuoso of the mixing
board. He made his name with the instrumental hip-hop of the
EP A Better Tomorrow (Ubiquity, 1995), credited to the Automator.
Dr Octagonecologyst (Bulk, 1995 - DreamWorks, 1996), a collaboration with
Kool Keith and Q-Bert, and Instrumentalyst (Dreamworks, 1996), which is its instrumental version, glorified Nakamura's
acrobatic art of hip-hop beats, electronic arrangements,
downtempo and trip-hop atmospherics and heavy-metal guitars.
The album was reissued as Dr Octagonecologyst.
Instrumentalyst is an instrumental version of it.
Nakamura and Prince Paul formed
Handsome Boy Modeling School and recorded
the sample-heavy So How's Your Girl (Tommy Boy, 1999) and
White People (Elektra, 2004) with a star-studded cast of rappers and djs.
The science-fiction concept album Deltron 3030 (75 Ark, 2000) was
a collaboration with rapper
Del tha Funkee Homosapien and turntablist Kid Koala.
Deltron 3030 sampled William Sheller's
Introit (from his Lux Aeterna album of 1972).
Dispensing with the raps, The Instrumentals (75 Ark, 2001) highlighted
Nakamura's art of electronic soundsculpting.
Nathaniel Merriweather is Nakamura's easy-listening project.
He delves into melody, camp arrangements and languid beats on
Lovage - Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (2001) with help from
distinguished vocalists such as Mike Patton
of Faith No More
and Jennifer Charles
of Elysian Fields.
Clint Eastwood (2001) was Nakamura's most successful single.
Weather Sky (Erstwhile, 2002) is a collaboration with avantgarde tabletop guitarist Keith Rowe.
Wanna Buy a Monkey? is a terrible mix album.