Proc Fiskal
Exchequer
Hyperdub
The promo text accompanying Exchequer claims that Proc Fiskal has elected to “[pare] back some of the dizzy details” and “[let] his best melodies breathe,” but anyone expecting a meditative turn from the Scottish producer is in for a rather rude awakening. Stuffed with bright colors and streaked with neon, the EP exudes a youthful—and, at times, quite hyperactive—energy, joyously harkening back to the days when fellow Scotsmen Hudson Mohawke and Rustie were turning bass music on its head with albums like Butter and Glass Swords.
That said, Exchequer offers more than a technicolor nostalgia trip. Although Proc Fiskal’s longstanding interest in folk music doesn’t shape the record to the same degree that it did 2023’s Siren Spine Sysex, the new EP does contain a not-insignificant number of string passages. On tracks like “ADDICTIONZ” and “O’SALLEE,” those passages accentuate repurposed trap rhythms, restless (albeit undeniably banging) drum patterns and a myriad of hypnotically gleaming synths, but on closer “she’s veiled”—the only somewhat mellow track on offer, and a song that sets aside all notions of the club—they contribute to a poignant, piano-flecked lament.
Elsewhere, however, Proc Fiskal mostly keeps his foot on the gas. The effervescent “Disease Again” tosses PC Music, any number of vintage anime soundtracks and just a pinch of Y2K-era into a feverishly bubbling pot, while “Signalmessanger” updates the instrumental grime template with a vibrant color scheme and beats that more are fidgety enough to hold the attention of generation TikTok. Compared to some of Proc Fiskal’s more manic prior releases, perhaps these tunes could be interpreted as some sort of refinement, but for most of the electronic sphere, they’re still going to feel like an uninhibited thrill ride—and they’re all the better for it.