Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Dan “The Automator” Nakamura – are thrilled to announce the July 22nd release of I Love You But I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now, on Bulk Recordings. The pair’s enthralling debut album, sees Nakamura – whose innumerable, inimitable credits include influential production (Kool Keith/Dr. Octagon, Gorillaz) and membership in such visionary collaborations as Deltron 3030, Lovage, and Handsome Boy Modeling School – cooking up one of the most exuberant sonic confections of his brilliant career, a giddy and impressionistic setting for Winstead’s — known for her work in the films Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The Spectacular Now, and next seen in Kill the Messenger — sweetly detached vocal delivery and nuanced lyricism.

Dan the Automator talks about why The Honey Drippers and Melvin Bliss are two of his most important albums and why the physical connection to vinyl is important. Every episode of Crate Diggers takes you behind closed doors to see the private vinyl collections of the world’s top artists, producers and DJs.

Del, Dan The Automator, and Kid Koala head up to Sway In The Morning at Shade 45, to speak on the release of their new album, Deltron 3030 Event II. In the second clip, Del freestyles alongside Digable Planets’ Ladybug Mecca.

Available now at iTunes or Amazon and limited edition physical copies are available at select participating retailers. This is a preview of tracks that can also be found on the forth-coming album, EVENT II, dropping Oct. 1st.

Bulk Recordings is excited to announce the return of Deltron 3030 with the release of Deltron 3030 Event II on October 1st, 2013. The album is Deltron 3030′s long-awaited successor to their self-titled cult-classic debut. Deltron 3030 — composed of a trinity of alt-rap all-stars: rapper Del The Funky Homosapien, producer Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and DJ Kid Koala — are celebrating the announcement with the debut of the album trailer, set to the first track on the record “Stardate.” In anticipation of Deltron 3030 Event II, the band will also release their City Rising From the Ashes EP on August 13th, 2013.

Dan “The Automator” Nakamura began to make plans for Event II shortly after the three principals reunited for Gorillaz, the 2001 multiplatinum debut album of the “virtual band” conceived of by Blur frontman Albarn and illustrator Jamie Hewlett, which Nakamura produced, with Koala providing masterful scratchwork and Del lending his lyrical brilliance to its biggest hit, “Clint Eastwood.” Though initial tracks had been laid down by 2005, it would be another eight years before the record would be finished to their mutual satisfaction. The album will be released in October on Nakamura’s Bulk Recordings label, and when it does, it will open a new chapter in the Deltron 3030 legend – one that promises to be as relevant and resonant now as the first was in the year 2000.

“This time, the album has a specific story,” says Del. “The Deltron world has gone too far with technology. Everything’s destroyed, and you just see the remnants of our technology. The streets are run by criminals, the police are outnumbered and outgunned, and we’re like pirates, running rogue, doing what we do to survive. That’s the scene of it. We’re trying to be as literary as possible while dealing with a musical format. I don’t know if you could even categorize this as a hip hop album – it’s more like a rock opera, but using rap.”

He notes that the words, music and narrative have been deliberately chosen to put listeners into a specific emotional state. “This record took 13 years, and the whole time fans are telling us we better come out with Deltron right now – quit teasing me,” laughs Del. “Well, this is beyond a regular album. Because I would say, me, Dan and Koala, we aren’t limited by what other rap groups do – we’re musicians first. I studied music theory for ten years. Dan and Koala been learning music since they were kids. We’re bringing it all together here, everything, and the fans, the critics, they all going to be surprised by what we got. You’ll see.”

Deltron 3030: Event II tracklist:
1. Stardate (ft. Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
2. The Return
3. Pay the Price
4. Nobody Can (ft. Aaron Bruno of AWOL Nation)
5. Lawnchair Quarterback Pt. 1 (ft. David Cross and Amber Tamblyn)
6. Melding of the Minds (ft. Zach De La Rocha)
7. The Agony (ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead)
8. Back in the Day (ft. The Lonely Island)
9. Talent Supersedes (ft. Black Rob)
10. Look Across the Sky (ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead)
11. The Future of Food (ft. David Chang)
12. My Only Love (ft. Emily Wells)
13. What Is This Loneliness (ft. Damon Albarn and Casual)
14. Lawnchair Quarterback Pt. 2 (ft. David Cross and Amber Tamblyn)
15. City Rising From the Ashes (background vocals by Mike Patton)
16. Do You Remember (ft. Jamie Cullum)

Check out the album trailer, featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, below.

Dan The Automator has been quite nomadic in recent years. Just a decade ago, we found him at the helm of high profile projects like Deltron 3030, Handsome Boy Modelling School, and Gorillaz, before going off to produce rock acts like Head Automatica and Kasabian. So it’s been a while since we’ve heard the more URB Magazine-flavored version of Automator, but with Pillowfight, a collaboration with vocalist Emily Wells, the king of the beats returns.

“Trip-Hop” was a bit of a dead genre in the 2000’s, with indie rock bands taking over, hip-hop choosing synth over samples, and only a lone album from Portishead in 2008. Pillowfight attempts to subtly bring it back, with Automator’s trademark production style, and Emily’s sultry vocals, combining a bit of Macy Gray rasp, and Sheryl Crow twang.

At times, the duo completely nails it – such as on the bluesy opener “Used To Think”, or the horn-driven “Get Your Shit Together”, which sounds like something RZA might sample for his next movie soundtrack. Other times, they miss the mark completely, such as on the generic “Get Down”, or the lethargic “Darlin Darlin”, which is so cliché-laden, you can almost guess the next lyric.

Boiled down, Dan The Automator is in his element here, many times channeling the sound found on Lovage’s Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By. But Wells seems to be the weakest link in this collaboration. We’ve heard seen this formula (hip-hop beats + sultry female vocalist) many times before, yet for it to work really depends on the strength of the singer herself. Wells merely plods along, with predictable lyrics and lazily delivered vocals that never really show off her vocal chops, nor break new ground lyrically.

Had we not been spoiled by the pioneering late 90’s trip hop movement, or even by some of the entries out of Dan’s own catalog, the bar might not have been raised so high. This isn’t bad by any means, but doesn’t do much to resurrect the genre either.

“Ever had a sure thing that managed to exceed all expectations? Dan the Automator’s new passion project PILLOWFIGHT surpassed all anticipatory hopes and then some” when they debuted the new project at SXSW, in Austin (mxdwn.com).

Dan The Automator (Deltron 3030, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Gorillaz), has a new brainchild. He has teamed up with Emily Wells in a new collaborative project called Pillowfight. The delivery is a deft combo of downtempo sexy cool, brimming with the Automator’s pristine multi-layered production. Wells sings with effortless sultry appeal, while the band drops the beat like no one ever started suing over sample use. Amazingly so, the band also includes none other than Kid Koala nimbly shredding on the 1’s and 2’s (and sometimes 3’s), and Lateef the Truthspeaker on backing vocals and some well placed verses that only this particular Bay Area resident could deliver.

Dan The Automator might be best known for his contributions towards the Gorillaz’ first album, though he has been consistently putting out fresh music for over 20 years. Emily Wells is a respected solo artist with s a long-standing musical career as a songwriter and violinist, with her own solo recordings. Though all musical contributions came from Dan The Automator and Emily Wells, the group has generated quite a bit of attention due to David Choe’s involvement in the project. All artwork and two music videos are contributed by Choe, who is a respected American painter and muralist.

Pillowfight came about after Kid Koala was paired with Emily on an artist workshop at a Canadian music festival. Knowing that Dan was looking for a female vocalist for a new project, Koala was sure that Emily was that vocalist. Wells went to San Francisco to meet up with Dan The Automator in the studio and worked on tracks that were a part of Dan’s new “passion project”. After Wells wrote and recorded vocals for three days in San Francisco, the two decided to expand the project into a full length album.Scheduled for release on Bulk Recordings / EMI in January 2013.

Looks like that Deltron 3030 reunion is finally happening. Event II, coming soon.

Together, Dan The Automator and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Emily Wells combine to make Pillowfight. Today, the duo shares “Get Your Shit Together”, the first single from their forthcoming self-titled LP. The LP is due digitally and on CD on 1/22/13 and Vinyl is due on 2/26/13 via Bulk Recordings.

“Ever had a sure thing that managed to exceed all expectations? Dan The Automator’s new passion project Pillowfight surpassed all anticipatory hopes and then some” when they debuted the new project at SXSW, in Austin (mxdwn.com).

Dan The Automator (Deltron 3030, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Gorillaz), has a new brainchild. He has teamed up with Emily Wells in a new collaborative project called Pillowfight.

The delivery is a deft combo of down tempo sexy cool, brimming with the Automator’s pristine multi-layered production. Wells sings with effortless sultry appeal, while the band drops the beat like no one ever started suing over sample use. Amazingly so, the band also includes none other than Kid Koala nimbly shredding on the 1′s and 2′s (and sometimes 3′s), and Lateef the Truthspeaker on backing vocals and some well placed verses that only this particular Bay Area resident could deliver.

Dan The Automator might be best known for his contributions towards the Gorillaz’ first album, though he has been consistently putting out fresh music for over 20 years. Emily Wells is a respected solo artist with s a long-standing musical career as a songwriter and violinist, with her own solo recordings. Though all musical contributions came from Dan The Automator and Emily Wells, the group has generated quite a bit of attention due to David Choe’s involvement in the project. All artwork and two music videos are contributed by Choe, who is a respected American painter and muralist.

Pillowfight came about after Kid Koala was paired with Emily on an artist workshop at a Canadian music festival. Knowing that Dan was looking for a female vocalist for a new project, Koala was sure that Emily was that vocalist. Wells went to San Francisco to meet up with Dan The Automator in the studio and worked on tracks that were a part of Dan’s new “passion project”. After Wells wrote and recorded vocals for three days in San Francisco, the two decided to expand the project into a full length album scheduled for release on Bulk Recordings / EMI in January 2013.

Just after playing a brilliant but soggy (it rained a lot) Luminato 6 set in Toronto, Dan the Automator and Del the Funky Homosapien of Deltron 3030 discuss playing live again, meeting fan expectations for Deltron Event II (and when it’s coming out), and their future plans, including upcoming dates in Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, and Halifax.

Meanwhile, Potholes Music catches an in-depth interview about the Deltron 3030 sequel below via Soundcloud.

The A-Team opening theme gets remixed by (acutal) super-producers, Just Blaze, Dan The Automator, and MSTRKRFT, in celebration of the upcoming Hollywood remake.

      His latest endeavor, 2K7: The Tracks is not only a collaboration album filled with independent and commercial emcees, but will also serve as the soundtrack for a [basketball] videogame of the same name. With this in mind, the vocals on the album are all loosely tied together with basketball metaphors, bouncy-uptempo production and primarily battle raps.

      On the independent side of the spectrum, Automator teams up with Aceyalone and Rakaa(of Dilated Peoples), Hieroglyphics, Zion I and Rhymefest. Although the talent here is abundant, the tracks are easily forgettable. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” repeatedly yells Casual, on the Hiero track “Don’t Hate The Player.” With cliche’s like this abound and uninspired rhymes about dunking and passing a basketball, many of these tracks are snoozers that wouldn’t even merit b-side status.

     Other tracks that feature celebrated emcees, unfortunately,  are also unmoving. Names like Mos Def, E-40 and San Quinn, Slim Thug, Lupe Fiasco and Ghostface are all collaborations worthy of interest, but the end result are bland songs that contain no cohesiveness, creativity or chemistry between the talent involved. Like the collaborations with independent emcees, these tracks are also filled with lyrics like “off the glass” and “no look pass” or “lyrical fadeaway”- all of which is hollow writing, which seemingly serve to kill track time.

    Amongst the lackluster offerings, however, are two standout tracks; Jurassic 5′s Chali 2Na and Tribe Called Quest both deliver strong raps over typically solid Automator beats. Chali 2Na comes with his usual crisp delivery(“Anchor Man”) and the Tribe Called Quest track (“Lyrics To Go”) is actually a remix of the original classic, meshing well over a tension-and-release beat by Automator. In comparison to the rest of the project, these songs live up to the promise that this project reflected before its actual listen.
 
    Again, it must be noted that this project is for a videogame soundtrack, which usually translates into artists submitting throwaway tracks for a nice chunk of change. The weak basketball-related lyrics are purposeful, given the videogame it was written for, and the production probably couldn’t have been as wide-ranging as Automator usually aims for. Moreover, 2K7 is still a letdown, given Automator’s reign of consistency with projects like Gorillaz, Deltron 3030, and the Handsome Boy projects. With all the noteworthy emcees involved, one would also expect more than what they delivered, while the bland beats progressed little in comparison to Automator’s past epic production. So in summation, this release does work well as a videogame soundtrack- but as an album, it comes off tremendously trite. Thus, the pitfalls of this project is a reflection that it’s a videogame soundtrack, rather than a reflection of the aptitude and direction of the artists involved. Hopefully.

    The album fittingly begins with the De La Soul / Prince Paul reunion, “If It Wasn’t For You”, as they effortlessly revert back to classic form, as Pos and Dove pen love letters to the people and things most important to them. Paul and Dan have no problem continuing this trend throughout much of the rest of the album as well, making several other forgotten emcees shine brighter than ever. “It’s Like That” features an invigorated Casual, ripping mics like he hasn’t done in years, definitely rebuilding his hype for that 2005 LP. The same can be said for Black Sheep’s Dres, who on “First and Then” proves that all he’s ever needed was dope production (and cuts from Kid Koala don’t hurt either). 

    Things get even more interesting when the world collide however, proving that Run DMC & Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” wasn’t the only successful rock-meets-rap collaboration. Focusing on “match-ups” rather than “mash-ups”, the Handsome Boy’s put together some of the oddest collaborations seen thus far, but many of them surprisingly work. The incredibly funky-yet-bluesy “A Day In The Life” works wonderfully, as the HBMS pools the talents of RZA, A.G., and The Mars Volta for one of the album’s best tracks. Again on “The Hours”, El-P and Cage make a surprising appearance next to the Deftones’ Chino Moreno, while on the lighter side of things, Pharrell harmonizes with David Lynch/Angelo Badalamenti collaborator, Julee Cruise. The only one of these collbos that doesn’t quite add up is “Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip-Hop Like This) Part 2″, a clusterfuck of sounds provided in different “acts” by Lord Finesse, Rahzel, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda & Chester Bennington, plus legendary deejays Q-Bert, Grand Wizard Theodore, and Jazzy Jay.  Part one still bangs just fine. 

    Sewn together with the hilarious skits both producers are known for (see De La Soul’s “3 Feet High & Rising” or Dr. Octagon), Paul and Dan have once again done the impossible. Where else can you get a banging album of hip-hop songs disguised as rock (and vise versa) that plays solid throughout, complete with commentary from Father Guido Sarducci? Recently in 2004, when a store bought copy of Handsome Boy Modeling School’s White People landed in the hands of another certain tastemaker DJ, his words were, “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard”, before tossing back in the CD player for another spin.

(Note: The tastemaker deejays referred to in this review are both independent consultants providing outside opinions, and are not affiliated with HipHopSite. No tastemaker deejays were harmed in the construction of this article. – Editor)

Originally touted as a mix made up exclusively of tracks produced by Dan, the end result is actually only half Automator ditties, and half of his favorites from others. Because The Automator is such a versatile producer – throughout his career lending beats to everyone from Ziggy Marley to Kool Keith to Depeche Mode to Black Rob - there is an overall schizophrenic feeling to Wanna Buy A Monkey. This could have been avoided somewhat if the disc actually was made up of strictly Automator produced tracks, but the dipping in and out of several different styles of music (as well as production), does falter the disc at times.

One of the main issues with this mix CD, is that along with the odd selection, the pacing seems to be haphazard as well. As any good DJ would tell you, it would only make sense to start with the mellower selections, building up to a climax of hype shit, but Wanna Buy A Monkey is all over the place, especially losing momentum mixing out Deltron 3030′s “Positive Contact” into Air’s “Le Soleil Est Pres De Moi”, and picking back up with more hardcore hip-hop as the disc closes out.

But let it be known there are some great moments on Automator’s debut mix CD. During act one, he breaks the door down with a few hip-hop party-starters, especially highlighted by an incredible, never-heard-before 10+ year old Black Rob cut, (“The Smoothness”), which he produced, that bangs today with the classic feeling of something from the days of K-Solo and 3rd Bass, which will sadden those who can’t stand his current Bad Boy material. Act two is set up beautifully by his remix of Air’s “Le Soleil Est Pres De Moi”, which provides an ill contrast of bangin’ hip-hop drums and one-two’s over Air’s mellow sounds. This continues into a wonderful cool-out session of Zero 7, Tortoise, & The Doves, which builds nicely into a beautiful blend of Lovage’s “Stroker Ace”. The third act, which delves back into hip-hop, is highlighted nicely by “The X-ecutioners Theme Song”, which shows yet another side of his talent behind the boards.

Because Automator’s taste is so diverse, so is this disc, which may or may not be to your liking. Its strongest moments lie when he is mixing his own production, and sometimes the lackluster or different production styles of others keep this mix from fusing together as one cohesive piece of music. While still providing listeners with a nice menu of his tastes, it may have fared better if he had stuck with one style of music throughout the disc (as best evidenced in act two), or if insistent on remaining eclectic, had used only songs that he had produced himself.