- It seems appropriate that Kolour Recordings would offer a place on its LTD sublabel to Fantastic Man. After all, his is a name currently more familiar to forums and blogs. Don't be surprised if he makes the jump to the regular label soon, though. The A-side, "Groove With You," oozes charm. From seemingly nowhere, a soft vocal hook begins to capture the peripheral hearing. It's not long before it develops into a high-pitched wail that works wonderfully with the track's lower register. Where so much mid-tempo deep house focuses on the soulful or solemn, Fantastic Man skillfully crafts a rhythm that alternates between the androgynous vocals and a subtly plucked guitar riff.
The two remaining tracks don't capture the imagination in the same way. They show Fantastic Man's ability to manipulate vocal samples for different purposes. The jagged stutter of "Nuthin' But a Thing" is a little more appealing than "Say What You Said" in which a spoken word dialogue occupies the last half of the track and brings it to a slow end. Andy Ash's interpretation of "Groove," though a little more driven, doesn't make as much use of the vocal hook, which is the track's distinguishing feature.
All of this makes this 12-inch solid...but strange. "Groove" is made for dancing and given such "constraints," Fantastic Man has produced something far from derivative. And yet the personal liberties taken elsewhere—such as ending the release with spoken word—are caught in deep house "convention." Go figure.
Tracklist A1 Groove With You
A2 Nuthin But A Thang
B1 Say What You Said