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The Automator's so ubiquitous, I half expect him to pop out of my breakfast cereal in the morning. After the seminal Dr. Octagon experience, Dan Nakamura has scattered himself all over the map; part of him stopped in India along the way, perhaps inspired by his collaboration with Cornershop, and has him raiding the archives of "Bollywood" brownsploitation flick soundtracks by the Shah brothers. The album comes with nice liner notes glossing the history of the movies and their accompanying music. Of most importance, of course, are the musical results, which are funky bits of goodness served with a nice helping of dialogue samples that fortunately don't dominate the album (as they very easily could have).
All albums should have song titles so good as "The Good, The Bad, and the Chutney." The album ranges from good old-fashioned thumping funk to go-go stylings that could have been on the cutting floor of the last Austin Powers movie. The Automator balances the in-between with goofy romantic interludes and groove tracks that go on for just long enough. Those favoring the funk will love "Theme from Don," if not for the great dialogue, then for the beautiful music set perfectly for a chase scene through the streets of Delhi. The album serves up quite a bit of Bond with curry, but not so much that only superspy aficionados will enjoy the album. Ultimately, beyond the gimmick, there's some great music on the album.
With all the great music that was available to the Automator, it seems a pity to include renditions of the Mission Impossible theme and "Wipeout." Sure, they're fun, but with all the other great music on the album, they crowd the unique mood. Other than that, all that's left to hope for is another volume of Bollywood classics.
Eric Solomon | July, 1999
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