The latest signing to Hyperdub is Edinburgh native and producer, Proc Fiskal (aka Joe Powers), who offers his debut EP, The Highland Mob. His take on grime has been tossed around as "Ruff Sound," the name coined by MC Novelist and his contemporary take on the UK-born genre (though a faster BPM seems to be its only defining feature).
With the BPM bumped up to 160 and jungle and footwork attempting to assert themselves in places, and Proc Fiskal's use of breakbeats, dynamic percussion, thick low ends, and jagged synth work, the comparison to Ruff Sound, or hybrid, sped-up grime, seems pretty apt. Take "Lamentation," with its driving opening keys, double time hits, and comprehensive sweeps of percussion, all wrapped up in deep smacks of rich bass, or the spinning-top synths, raindrop plinks, gunshots, and fat low-end drops that run through "Skulka."
The Highland Mob is an aggressive exploration of some hard-hitting genres that have slowed down over the years, throwing them back into a well-deserved spotlight.
(Hyperdub)With the BPM bumped up to 160 and jungle and footwork attempting to assert themselves in places, and Proc Fiskal's use of breakbeats, dynamic percussion, thick low ends, and jagged synth work, the comparison to Ruff Sound, or hybrid, sped-up grime, seems pretty apt. Take "Lamentation," with its driving opening keys, double time hits, and comprehensive sweeps of percussion, all wrapped up in deep smacks of rich bass, or the spinning-top synths, raindrop plinks, gunshots, and fat low-end drops that run through "Skulka."
The Highland Mob is an aggressive exploration of some hard-hitting genres that have slowed down over the years, throwing them back into a well-deserved spotlight.
