Dan the Automator, con't.  
       
 

Though the industry is firmly rooted in New York and Los Angeles, Nakamura prefers to keep San Francisco as his base of operations, and credits the Bay Area’s DIY aesthetic with helping him kick-start his musical journey, one that has resulted in dozens of albums, singles, EPs and remixes.

"The Filipino and Chinese scene out here always was big into DJing,” he explains. “We had mobile DJs, we had systems and everything back then. It wasn’t anywhere else really - New York had it, even LA had it a little bit but [there] it was more club DJs.

"When we started, collectively, Bay Area hip-hop, everybody just did their own thing,” he goes on. “You’d come out here to the Bay Area, print your own records; you might not be too widely known, but it [was] really enjoyable, the fact that you [could] just do what you wanna do.”

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SELECTED
DISCOGRAPHY:

Handsome Boy Modeling School - White People (Tommy Boy) 2004

Wanna Buy A Monkey? (Sequence) 2002

Lovage - Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (75 Ark) 2001

Gorillaz - S/T (Virgin) 2001

Deltron 3030 - S/T (75 Ark) 2000

A Much Better Tomorrow (75 Ark) 2000

Handsome Boy Modeling School - So…How's Your Girl? (Tommy Boy) 1999

Bombay The Hard Way (Motel) 1998

Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst (Dreamworks) 1996

Music to Be Murdered By (Home Base) 1989

A life-long resident who currently lives in Bernal Heights, The Automator is passionate in his appreciation of the City.

"The best thing about San Francisco is that, in America it's probably the most diverse city, the most European city - it's got the best mix of culture and people. And I think now, you realize the influence of the hippies [has] created a place that's interesting to come to; because it has a colorful background it has a colorful make-up."

Nakamura gives ample praise to the City’s outstanding culinary scene. From late-night taquerias to Zagat's Guide all-stars, these are a few of his favorite spots.

"I think we have the best restaurants in the country," he says enthusiastically. "Everything from very high-end food to whatever.

It's real important not to check out specifically Chinatown but Chinese food. I think they do a very good job, especially in the Irving area, the Richmond, the Clement area. San Tung is a good one - hand-pulled noodles on Irving, very nice. On the cheap side, Tu Lan is a good Vietnamese restaurant, probably [better to go] during the daytime - [Sixth St.] gets a little dirty.

"Mexican, obviously in the Mission, is real big,” he goes on. “Late at night I like El Farolito. I also think La Taqueria makes some of the best tacos, that place is really good, but then there's also breakfast places like Chava's.

"As far as more mid- and high-end stuff, my man Sho - he was the executive chef at Ozumo - he's opening his own restaurant in the Presidio, called Sho. That’s gonna be really good. And there's another Japanese place called Tekka on Balboa at 6th.”

With his impressive repertoire and appreciation for the finer things - food, music, mustaches - Dan Nakamura is a modern-day renaissance man. If you're still sleeping on his records, now is the time to wake up. Omakase will be in stores later this year.

 

 

 

 
   
       
   
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