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Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1)
Studio album by
Slum Village
Released
  • July 11, 1997 (bootleg release)
  • February 28, 2006 (official release)
Recorded1996–1997
GenreHip hop
Length53:32
LabelCounterflow,
Donut Boy Recordings
ProducerJay Dee
Slum Village chronology
Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1)
(00000002) 		Fantastic, Vol. 2
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Pitchfork8.5/10[2]

Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) (sometimes spelled as Fantastic, Vol. 1), is the unofficial debut studio album by American hip hop group Slum Village. It comprises songs from their demo album, which was recorded in 1996 and 1997, but not officially released until 8 years later. It was nonetheless leaked onto the underground circuit and caused "quite a stir" in 1997. The whole album was produced by J Dilla. Many of the songs would later be revamped or re-conceived for their follow up album, Fantastic, Vol. 2 in 2000.

Overview

The album was recorded in 1996 and 1997 in J Dilla's home studio. Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) quickly became popular with fans of Detroit hip hop, when copies of the cassette were sold by the group at concerts, and also made available at Record Time on Gratiot. The record became highly sought after, with copies costing up to $50 at one point.[citation needed]

Although, at the time Slum Village were hailed as successors to A Tribe Called Quest, Fan-Tas-Tic shares little in common with Tribe's earthy, cerebral brand of Hip hop.[citation needed] The lyrical content of the album, which dealt with acquiring wealth and the attention of women, later became commonplace among mainstream hip-hop artists.

Slum Village is a contradiction, a paradox. We break rules, we do things other people wouldn't do. Places other people wouldn't go, we go there, talking about things. That's why it's really difficult to compare us to A Tribe Called Quest, because they were more tribal, peaceful type people. We're nothing like that. - Baatin[3]

The group received much praise for their seemingly freestyled approach (which they later admitted to), and also for the production style of the then-upcoming producer Jay Dee, who subtly used low end frequencies, intricate basslines, and offbeat drums, behind the "tag-team" rhyming of his partners, T3 and Baatin.

Track listing

  1. "Fantastic" – 1:28
  2. "Keep It On (This Beat)" – 3:09
  3. "I Don't Know" – 1:01
  4. "How We Bullshit" – 1:16
  5. "Fat Cat Song" (feat. Phat Kat) – 2:53
  6. "The Look of Love" – 4:17
  7. "Estimate" – 1:24
  8. "Hoc N Pucky" – 1:38 (This track is not the original version, vocals from the original track have been stripped from and for the final version.)
  9. "Beej N Dem" – 2:15
  10. "Pregnant (T3)" – 1:17
  11. "Forth & Back (Rock Music)" – 3:36
  12. "Fantastic 2" – 0:50
  13. "Fantastic 3" – 1:35
  14. "This Beat (Keep It On) (Remix)" – 2:59
  15. "5 Ela (Remix)" (feat. 5 Elementz) – 3:00
  16. "Give This Nigga" – 1:35
  17. "Players" – 2:59
  18. "Look of Love (Remix)" – 2:46
  19. "Pregnant (Baatin)" – 1:01
  20. "Things U Do (Remix) / Uh-Ah-Wu-Ah" – 3:27
  21. "Fat Cat (Remix)" – 2:44
  22. "Fantastic 4" – 1:20
  23. "What's Love Gotta Do with It (Look of Love Remix)" – 3:26 (2005 bonus track)
  24. "2U4U" (instrumental) – 2:11 (2005 bonus track)

Samples Used

References

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Ex, Kris (June 6, 2016). "The Fan-Tas-Tic Box Set". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  3. ^ BBC – Radio 1 – Ayia Napa 2000 Slum Village Interview
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