Search - Dan the Automator :: Much Better Tomorrow

Ahead of it's time... obviously

CreativeCat | Bend, Or` | 11/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Handsome boy modeling school back in 2000, and being a singer/songwriter fan I wan't much akeen to hip-hop. When I heard that record I was thrown for a loop, the matter of what The Automator creates(no offence to Prince Paul, love him too), the artisty behind every move astonished me. He took hip-hop and created his own surreal sub genre. (trip-hop...blah, blah, blah) After that I searched down every project that I could find that The Automator was a part of. Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030, loved them, discovered Kool Keith, and Del the funky Homosapian, in return. Then came a Much Better Tomorrow, having been to late for the origianl EP, I was thrilled. The perfect sullen and sultry sampeling on Wiling, the meloncoly of The Truth. Mr. Kool Keith carries his weight as the narator of this journey especial on King of NY, and the fun Cartoon Capers.
The Automator is a brillant, original, and talented producer with an ear to die for.
If you love his production check out the above mentioned albums +Wanna buy a Monkey = a mix tape session that gives you an idea on what kind of music our man enjoysLovage: music to make love to your old lady by = One of my favorite albums ever. An entire consept album that almost takes the definiton of "trip hop" and bathes in it.Gorillaz = I'm sure you heard Clint Eastwood on the radio a couple of years ago. This was a genius collaberation in my opinion. I had been a fan of Blur since 98 + Damion is cute, Cibo Matto since 97, Del of course and throw in the style and vision of Dan... you get the most inovative pop group ever!!Ben Lee= A singer song writer who became famouse around 15. He's like 24 now and his last album Running with sizzors, was produced by The Automator. This guy is the luckest guy in the world. I sing, and songwrite, amaturishly, and I always said that if I could have anyone to produce my album that it would be Dan the Automator.Cause...he rules!"

A much better re-release

ryan | Boston, MA | 07/14/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"years ago, "a better tomorrow" EP was released by the automator. it kinda sucked, so years later, he released "a MUCH better tomorrow" with more tracks, and making itself into a full LP. tony hawk underground players would be familiar with the first track, "a better tomorrow part 1". although it's the automator's solo project, his good friend kool keith is a frequent guest on the mic, as well as a few others including poet and neph. the instrumentals are good, but sometimes get old, but once you hear some of the kool keith tracks, and neph's track "wiling" you really discover that this album is a great underground classic. automator once again mixes at his best, being experimental and still including great beats, and kool keith still comes up with weird unique lyrics that make him addictive. it looks like a much better future for the automator and company."

Not essential Automator, but a fun release none-the-less

eightpointagenda | Chicago, IL | 07/19/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to give my respect to my Japanese DJ friend. If were not for Dan The Automator's amazing production skills and combos with some of todays greatest MCs, I would probably still associate rap with what's played on MTV. Thanks to Nakamura, I can look past that cookie cutter crap and hear acutally inventive stuff like Lovage,Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030, and even his comercial breakthrough record, Gorillaz. With all that in mind, I dove head first into Automator's first and only solo effort. The results stammer a few times(the two guest rappers are okay but pale to the compareson of vocal skills of Kool Keith....er.... Sinister 6000), but otherwise, this is a great record.First thing that struck me on this record is the beats. They aren't your normal simple, come-up-with-one-bar beats. They actually contain hooks and have some interesting sounds to them. This is helped along by Dan's DJ/Production skills. A cool clean intergration of laidback melodies and cool basslines are there complement Sinister 6000's bizarre ryhme patterns. The two work together here as well as they did on Kool Keith's breakthrough sucess on Dr. Octagon. Weaving between Dan's samples, Keith adds to the album with his trademark wackiness and off-kilter rhyme style. The three instrumentals on here are nothing special but do nothng to dampen the quality of the record.If anything is at fault here, are the two guest rapper tracks> Wilin' is pretty substandard, with Buck Buck being just above average in my book. With those two tracks, Automator comes up just short of creating another underground classic. This doesn't mean you shouldn't buy this. At around 10 bucks, it'll be one of the cheapest CDs you buy. With Dan the Automator at the helm, it's sure to be a pleasing moment. Anyone who likes Automator should own a copy of this(and the classics listed above). Anyone who derives rap music should also check this out. Who knows? It might even have the power to turn some heads."