joe powers is from edinburgh, far outside the network of the grime capital of london. his caffeinated productions as proc fiskal are faster than usual, with many clocking in at 160bpm. ‘the highland mob’, his 2017 debut ep, opened up his music to open-eared footwork and drum’n’bass fans as well as the grime crowd. after following that up with a jungle-inflected ep on cosmic bridge, ‘insula’ switches the feel and intention towards a personal, and melodic music with one foot in grime, infused with often comic, often wistful recorded moments from his environment. he says ‘i wanted to be aware of where the music is coming from, referencing things i’m presently experiencing, like making grime, my radar radio show, phone addiction, alcohol, my surroundings, girls, depression, positivity, being unemployed, being employed and hating it, my friends etc. trying to be true to myself instead of relying on other peoples’ nostalgia, and focusing on now.’ the record is a huge leap in vision, with delicate, pointillist melodies and intricate edits reminiscent of grime producers such as terror danjah. it also resonates with japanese video game music like that recently explored on the ‘diggin in the carts’ compilation. ‘i think i probably make tunes to get out emotions i don’t express in day-to-day life. i used clips of my friends talking, drunk folk, and general scottish life to preserve and represent what my experience is like right now, like a time capsule. social media notification sounds are designed to release serotonin, which is what i’d like my music to do, to make me, and other people happy, and in using these manipulative noises in a positive way, i like to think i’m taking back the power of the manipulation.’ proc fiskal is adventurous and thoughtful as a producer, and at the young age of 21, his debut album is very advanced in its ideas and execution
