AUTOMATOR "A Much Better Tomorrow LP" (75 Ark)
Dan "the Automator" Nakamura belatedly released this sequel to his Better Tomorrow EP after becoming one of the more sought-after producers in the world (the liner notes say this was recorded in 1996, at the same time he produced the Dr. Octagon cd.). Nakamura has also worked with the Eels, Primal Scream, Cornershop, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, De La Soul, and recently put out the Handsome Boy Modeling School full-length with Prince Paul, another producer born on Jupiter. The Automator’s solo album is laced throughout with interesting songs, proof that hip-hop is more than just rhyming about how endowed you are. Kool Keith, a.k.a. Sinister 6000 makes appearances on half of this record, so I just had to pick it up. Other than his Black Elvis record, Keith can do little wrong. He’s one of the few rappers who van stay consistently busy while never being predictable. Poet also cameos, and there’s an appearance by Neph the Madman. After listening to this cd a few times, I began to think about how fucking great Dan and Kool Keith sounded together. Matthew was a great cd, and the Automator had nothing to do with it, but still… The man is brilliant! My favorite cuts on this album were the Kool Kieth tracks (six out of eleven), but the Buck Buck song is also fantastic with Poet taking that to another level.
