Pitchfork: Danger Mouse to Produce New Gorillaz LP

This time last year, DJ Danger Mouse was a young hip-hop producer who, despite having made good in underground circles on the strength of he and emcee Jemini's Ghetto Pop Life LP, was still largely unknown. A year later, he's got 2004's most talked about (and litigated) Jay-Z mash-up, The Grey Album, under his belt, and is fielding offers from some of the best in the game.

Perhaps the most notable news from DM camp presently is word that he's usurped Dan The Automator as Damon Albarn's partner-in-crime with pop group Gorillaz, who have a new album coming out next year. Albarn and Danger Mouse are currently in England co-producing the new Gorillaz album, which is tentatively slated for a spring release. While Dan The Automator will be sorely missed, if Danger Mouse's recent work with Prince Po and MF Doom is any indication, these tracks'll be more sweetly laced than Victoria's Secret lingerie. Talking to MTV, Mouse said, "We're pretty deep into it. We're both very excited about what's happening musically and I think it'll surprise a lot of people."

While he wasn't forthcoming with any details on the sound of the record, it's a pretty safe bet that there'll be a lengthy roster of guest vocalists (De La Soul are already confirmed), as on the first Gorillaz release. There are also completely unconfirmed rumors of an appearance of TV personality and cultural icon The Hamburglar, but they're mostly made up by me.

Finally, Danger Mouse is collaborating with Murs for a contribution to downloadable benefit album Genocide in Sudan. The release will feature unreleased tracks from Yoko Ono, The Pretenders, Thievery Corporation, and Tom Morello's Nightwatchman project, as well as previously released songs from Jurassic 5, Tortoise, System of a Down, X-ecutioners, and, uh, Gorillaz. Isn't it nice when things come full circle?