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, on 20 December 1968. 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. He first gained attention for his work on Kool Keith's 1996 album Dr. Octagonecologyst. His debut EP, Music to Be Murdered By, was released in 1989. He released his debut album A Much Better Tomorrow in 2000, an expansion of his 1996 EP A Better Tomorrow. Keith featured extensively across both versions. He composed the score for the 2019 comedy film Booksmart, with the soundtrack album released that same year. Collaborations In 1999, Nakamura and Prince Paul formed the collaborative project Handsome Boy Modeling School, assuming the alter egos Nathaniel Merriweather and Chest Rockwell, respectively. Their debut album So... How's Your Girl? featured numerous guest musicians, including Róisín Murphy, DJ Shadow, and Del the Funky Homosapien. They released a second album, White People, in November 2004, with collaborators including RZA, Cat Power, and Mike Patton. Nakamura used the Nathaniel Merriweather pseudonym for his Lovage, his project with Patton and Jennifer Charles. After Paul briefly left the duo over a business dispute, Handsome Boy Modelling School have since played further shows and spoken of a forthcoming third album. In 2000, Nakmura joined Del the Funky Homosapien and Kid Koala to form Deltron 3030. They released their eponymous debut album the same year, featuring guest appearances by Sean Lennon and Damon Albarn. In 2001 he produced the debut album of Albarn's "animated" band Gorillaz, appearing as a member of the band, alongside Del the Funky Homosapien. Both would later appear on the belated second Deltron 3030 record, Event 2, released in September 2013. The album also featured appearances by Jamie Cullum, Emily Wells and