Scenario Records

SLUM VILLAGE - FANTASTIC VOL.1



*OFFICIAL RELEASE*



SCENARIO RECORDS are proud to announce the OFFICIAL RELEASE of the debut SLUM VILLAGE LP 'FANTASTIC VOL.1'



Produced by the late JAY DEE, if you're not familiar with the history of this LP, check the extract below from the extensive sleeve notes, graciously provided by QUESTLOVE.



Tale Of The Tape



It was March of '97, I was in Hamburg, Germany. Fresh off a 3 hour

throw down on a stage that had to have been 105 degrees. Although I

had no business doing so, I snuck a phone call on the club managers'

phone to check my messages.



I'll never forget what happened next.



"message 6 at 10 pm"

"yo. you ain't up on this is ya?"(plays music.)

I can barely hear between the static and the club

noise but I hear what sounds like the music from the Beastie Boys/Q

Tip collabo "Get It Together" but there is this 'funk-geek' chorus

thing going on that I can hear loud and clear.



"we say fan-tah-sero-you say-huh ­whut?-you-know-its yo"



what the hell?!?!



I've NEVER secluded myself more for any album ever in my years than I

did for Fantastic Vol 1. I mean, I can recall every landmark record

I've ever purchased from 'Songs in the Key Of Life' to 'Off The Wall' to

'It Takes A Nation Of Millions' to 'Paul's Boutique' and on.



All those records I would spend hours upon hours upon hours upon hours

absorbing. If I'd get bored listening on 33, I'd sneak when my dad

wasn't around and play it on 45. Then I'd spin it backwards. Then I'd

listen on 18 (old turntable kids).



But this shit?!?!? WHOOOOOOOOO!! I mean this 'tape'. The 'tape of all

tapes' NEVER left my side.



I loved this tape so much I copped a high end walkman for it (97 was

pretty much the year we kissed walkmen goodbye), I loved this tape so much I did my first 'stage walkoff faking a piss

break' during Hub's bass solo just to sneak a peak at a song or two. I loved this tape so much I swear I was gonna break the Roots up when

I discovered Black Thought took my tape without my permission. Im mad

as fuck now just thinking about that day, I would sleep with this tape in auto reverse praying to God I could be

inspired to make something this impactful.



Fantastic Vol 1 was THE soundtrack to Electric

Lady Studios. The chord structures made us shiver ("Fantastic" part

one is a great example of Dilla's ability to take an obscure sample

and chop to his heart's content, sheeeeeit it took D'angleo 4

listens before he realized his own "Jonze In My Bonze" was chopped

beyond unrecognizability. The drum patches were as perfect as ANY

drums done in current music (yes played OR sampled) and even their

presentation was unique. I mean they weren't gangsta but they

weren't Huxtablized either. That was the strangest irony of all:

musically they were the next level A Tribe Called Quest. But

lyrically? They were closer to N.W.A. than De La Soul, obviously a

result of their Detroit 7 mile surroundings.



Of course the success that was deserved eluded the original lineup for

Slum Village. And even crazier is the fact that they were not even

allowed to shine on the music style they helped pioneer. And in light

of founding member Jay Dilla's untimely death, perhaps now those who

were 10 years tardy to the party can find their invite within the

selections of this disk.



This is where the revolution began. Long live the revolution!!!!!!!!



Dont forget to check out these other SCENARIO RECORDS releases.