- Scotland has never been known as a hotbed of grime, but Joe Powers, AKA Proc Fiskal, could change that. His debut release, on Hyperdub, is apparently just the tip of the iceberg of a developing scene. Powers clearly knows the genre's history. He fits a few classic tropes into the opener, "£," alone—eski clicks, sino-grime riffs, a rolling bassline, all in the moodiest minor keys. "Skulka" is the other true grime number, and a video game half-stepper at that. Neither track has the sparseness of, say, Wiley or Ruff Sqwad, but they achieve a similar stylized effect with clipped samples.
Elsewhere, on tracks like "Lamentation" and "Acidic Hoes," Powers dives into the kind of G-funk explored by Joker in the early "purple wow" moments. You can definitely feel the influence of Glaswegians Rustie and Hudson Mohawke here, too, especially on "Acidic Hoes," which has rippling synths and a touch of techno. "Lamentation" is the weakest number, partly because it feels like a grime/wonky mash-up that can't decide what it wants to be. But that doesn't detract too much from this very impressive debut. Powers already has an ear for both syncopated funk and a catchy melody—sometimes several catchy melodies at once.
Tracklist1. £
2. Lamentation
3. Skulka
4. Acidic Hoes