Deltron 3030

The underground hip-hop supergroup Deltron 3030 features Deltron Zero (Del Tha Funkee Homosapien), the Cantankerous Captain Aptos (producer/remixer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura), and Skiznod the Boy Wonder (turntablist Kid Koala). Much like Nakamura's previous conceptual projects, Dr. Octagon and Handsome Boy Modeling School, Deltron 3030's self-titled album and single send the hip-hop triumvirate into the year 3030, where -- as the sole survivors of earth -- they travel through the galaxy. Both the album and single were released in 2000 on 75 Ark Records. An album of instrumental tracks from Tron 3030 followed a year later. Next, the launch of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's debut Gorillaz album in March 2001 brought renewed interest in the Deltron 3030 project, as all three members had a part to play in the creation of that multi-million-selling record. While Dan the Automator oversaw its production, Kid Koala assisted in this area and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien provided vocals on the singles "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House." In the ensuing years, rumors of sessions for a second Deltron 3030 record circulated from as early as 2004 onwards. Meanwhile, Dan the Automator continued to produce high-profile albums for acts such as Kasabian and Miles Kane, and also collaborated with Mike Patton for both the Crudo and Peeping Tom projects. While, Both Sides of the Brain, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien's final solo album for Elektra, was issued during the same period as Gorillaz, there was an eight-year gap until his next solo album. Much of his time during the intervening period was spent working with his Oakland, California hip-hop crew, Hieroglyphics, and their label. Kid Koala, however, further displayed his turntablist skills by releasing albums on the Ninja Tune label at regular three-year intervals during the early part of the century. By summer 2012, a follow-up to Deltron 3030 was looking increasingly likely when the band performed ten new tracks at Toronto's Luminato festival. The following year, the highly anticipated Event II was released in October. The album came with a diverse guest list that included Zack De La Rocha, David Cross, Black Rob, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a returning Damon Albarn. ~ Heather Phares & James Wilkinson, Rovi