Dan the Automator December 6, 2006

Dan the Automator is known internationally as one of the most groundbreaking and inventive creators of hip-hop music. He first achieved critical and commercial success in 1996 with the esoteric 'Dr. Octagon' album, and followed suit with a slew of landmark recordings and remixes that established him as not only a producer to be reckoned with, but as a remixer and songwriter as well. Jurassic 5's 1997 self-titled EP was hailed by critics as one of the most exciting and original hip-hop releases of the decade. Kool Keith is most renowned for being in the seminal, old school NYC hip hop trio, Ultramagnetic MCs. Teaming up with Dan "the Automator" Nakamura under the name Dr. Octagon, Keith again reinvented his image, recording the self-titled Dr. Octagon album (later reissued under the title 'Dr. Octagonecologyst') and more recently, 'The Return of Dr. Octagon,' helmed by the production team One Watt Sun. Gorillaz, the unique, virtual hip-hop band that came to prominence with the hits, 'Clint Eastwood' and 'Feel Good, Inc.', will perform in a show that features cutting-edge animation technology and live (though never fully visible) musicians. The core of Gorillaz sound is credited to members Damon Albarn (of Blur), Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori, and Tom Tom Club's Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz. The brainchild of Chest Rockwell (aka Prince Paul) and Nathaniel Merriwether (aka Dan the Automator), the Handsome Boy Modeling School reclaim the creative frontier of hip-hop, one satisfied customer at a time. The duo combine their considerable production skills to create a series of wildly inventive soundscapes, taking rock, noise and R&B and pop culture, refract them all through the prism of hip-hop.