As soon as I’d heard Ben Neill had sorted himself out with an album of his twisted dubstep-jazz schmooze I was on it like an instant!

Whilst appealing to those who favour the deeper more experimental end of the dubstep spectrum, the Mutantrumpet master himself keeps things fresh with his brand of dub-jazz-step or whatever you’d like to brand it.

If you can imagine scenes from a sleazy flim-noir strip-joint scene amped up on electronics fizzing with tension, yet smooth enough to drink straight, you’d be getting close to Mr Neill’s subtle, yet powerful production work and musicianship.

If you pick up any album this month (after my own that is!) then let it be Night Science by Ben Neill. Highly recommended.

As far as I’m aware, Night Science is available now. Go find it!

Step Down is a collection of 8 tracks, which I’d describe as deep and synthy with clear influence from IDM a sprinkling of glitch and some excellent compressed crunchiness.

Download the EP here

A rather healthy helping of tracks that presents electro-reggae, dub, hip hop, dubstep and drum & bass from Edinburgh & Glasgow based producers.

Get all of these tracks below for just £1

The tracks on offer:

Simba – Ndiwe
Soom T – Lying Bastards
Capitol 1212 – Everybody Move Like A Robot
Paranoise – Crystal Kingdom
Mungo’s Hi-Fi – A Few Screws (dub remix)
The Blessings – Where Is Anna
Morphy – Ruffneck (dirty dub mix)
DFRNT – Stay All Afternoon
Gravious – Polygon
Nasty P – Nettles

If I could recommend one thing for you to buy today it would be this – You can’t argue with getting all these tracks for just £1 – that’s less than the price of a pint!

Get all of these tracks here

And so, I’m delighted to be able to promote the No Ego, No Problems EP – where you can get this and 5 other sublime tracks for free. Yep… sheer quality, for nothing.

Croatia’s Egoless has me hooked. A producer who has taken real time and precision to perfect an EP of tracks which take influence from a variety of places, styles and dare I say it feelings.

In his own words “I have some special feelings about the songs in this release, I don’t want to sell this, and make it a “product”. That’s the reason i refused some of the labels that wanted to release this and decided to put this for free. You may disrespect and ignore it automatically because it’s free, but the positive feelings that aroused my soul while making these tunes will never fade away…”

I shouldn’t need to say anything else.

Download the EP here.

Here are – in my opinion – some of the better producers making deeper, garage-influenced, liquid and more soulful dubstep. If you feel i’ve made any mistakes, or not included “absolutely crucial” producers – just comment, and I’ll amend wherever possible.

In alphabetical order…

2562 / A Made Up Sound – http://www.myspace.com/2562dub

Absense -http://www.myspace.com/absense

Akema – http://www.myspace.com/akemadubstep

Aleks Zen – http://www.myspace.com/alekszen

Anansi – http://www.myspace.com/compeanansi

Appleblim – http://www.myspace.com/appleblim

Asa – http://www.myspace.com/asadubstep

Asusu – http://www.myspace.com/nativeflux

Ben Neill – http://www.myspace.com/benneill

Bojcot Selectah – http://www.myspace.com/bojcotselectah

Breakage – http://www.myspace.com/breakagedsb

Burial – http://www.myspace.com/burialuk

Clouds – http://www.myspace.com/cloudsaremoving

Conquest – http://www.myspace.com/conquestrecordings

Desto – http://www.myspace.com/destodubs

DFRNT – http://www.myspace.com/dfrntdubstep

DJG – http://www.myspace.com/djgsf

DJ Madd – http://www.myspace.com/djmaddbeats

Djunya – http://www.myspace.com/djunya

Ekaros – http://www.myspace.com/ekaros

El Rakkas – http://www.myspace.com/elrakkas

Egoless – http://www.myspace.com/egolessdub

F – http://www.myspace.com/musicbyf

Fantastic Mr Fox & Rich Reason – http://www.myspace.com/fmfandreason

Fbom – http://www.myspace.com/fbomaustin

Foiled Torsos – http://www.myspace.com/foiledtorsos

Forensics – http://www.myspace.com/forensicdubstep

Forsaken – http://www.myspace.com/forsakendubstep

Funk Ethics – http://www.myspace.com/funkethics

Furesshu – http://www.myspace.com/furesshubeats

Geiom – http://www.myspace.com/geiom

Ghostleigh – http://www.myspace.com/ghostleighdubz

Headhunter – http://www.myspace.com/dubstepheadhunter

Helixir – http://www.myspace.com/helixire

Heny G – http://www.myspace.com/djhenyg

HxdB – http://myspace.com/hxdb

Hyetal – http://www.myspace.com/hyetalmusic

ID – http://www.myspace.com/djid

Ikonika – http://www.myspace.com/ikonika

Indigo – http://www.myspace.com/indigodub

Instra:mental – http://www.myspace.com/instramentaluk

Jack Sparrow – http://www.myspace.com/sparradubz

Joe – http://www.myspace.com/joemakemusic

Jus Wan – http://www.myspace.com/juswan

Kerogen – http://www.myspace.com/kerogen

king slaFF – http://www.myspace.com/kingslaff

Kito – http://www.myspace.com/thisiskito

Komonazmuk – http://www.myspace.com/komonazmuk

Kontext – http://www.myspace.com/kontextkontext

Kwality – http://www.myspace.com/mnmlkwality

Late – http://www.myspace.com/llate

LD – http://www.myspace.com/transitionld

Lethem – http://www.myspace.com/lethem

Likhan – http://www.myspace.com/likhan

Lung – http://www.myspace.com/lungdub

Mala – http://www.myspace.com/malamystikz

Martyn – http://www.myspace.com/martyndnb

Migrant – http://www.myspace.com/migrantdubstep

Miretz – http://www.myspace.com/miretz

Misk – http://www.myspace.com/miskatonik

Moonchild – http://www.myspace.com/themoonchildisborn

Mount Kimbie – http://www.myspace.com/mountkimbie

Mr Gasparov – http://www.myspace.com/mrgasparov

Mr Lager – http://www.myspace.com/mrlager

Muteqx – http://www.myspace.com/muteqx

Narcossist / Kowton – http://www.myspace.com/narcossist

Not In My Name – http://www.myspace.com/notinmynamedubstep

Nutsack – http://www.myspace.com/Nadsatbeats

Outlaw Producer – http://www.myspace.com/djscottydo

Pangaea – http://www.myspace.com/journeytopangaea

Peverelist – http://www.myspace.com/punchdrunkrecords

Phaeleh – http://www.myspace.com/phaeleh

Pinch – http://www.myspace.com/tectonicrecordings

Planas – http://www.myspace.com/tobydavies

Psychonaught – http://www.myspace.com/unwino

Quantum Soul – http://www.myspace.com/quantumsoul

Quarta330 – http://www.myspace.com/q330

Ramadanman – http://www.myspace.com/ramadanman

Roof Light – http://www.myspace.com/rooflight

Scuba – http://www.myspace.com/paulhotflush

Shackleton – http://www.skulldisco.com/ (no myspace?)

Sigha – http://www.myspace.com/sigha

Silkie – http://www.myspace.com/silkie86

Sines – http://www.myspace.com/sinesofthefuture

Solla – http://www.myspace.com/sollabongdubstepproject

Spatial – http://www.myspace.com/spatialdubs

Spherix – http://www.myspace.com/spherixaudio

Svpreme Fiend – http://www.myspace.com/svpremefiend

Synkro – http://www.myspace.com/synkronization

Tangka – http://www.myspace.com/tangka

Thesis – http://www.myspace.com/thesisproductions

TRG – http://www.myspace.com/trgproductions

Untold – http://www.myspace.com/untolduk

Vishnu – http://www.myspace.com/djvishnu

Von D – http://www.myspace.com/vonddd

VVV – http://www.myspace.com/vvvdubz

Wagawaga – http://www.myspace.com/splagawagawaga

Westernsynthetics – http://www.myspace.com/westernsynthetics

xxxy – http://www.myspace.com/xxxydubs

Zillion – http://www.myspace.com/zillionair

Labels of interest

7even – http://www.myspace.com/7evenrecordings

Anti Social Entertainment – http://www.myspace.com/antisocialentertainment

Apple Pips – http://www.myspace.com/appleblim

Berkane Sol – http://www.myspace.com/geiom

Boombap – http://www.myspace.com/boombaprecordsuk

Deep Medi – http://www.myspace.com/deepmedi

Echodub – http://www.myspace.com/echodubsounds

Formant – http://www.myspace.com/formantrecordings

Hessle Audio – http://www.myspace.com/hessleaudio

Hotflush – http://www.myspace.com/hotflushuk

LoDubs – http://www.myspace.com/lodubsrecords

Mindset – http://www.myspace.com/mindsetlabel

Nakedlunch – http://www.myspace.com/thenakedspace

Nightfall – http://www.myspace.com/nightfallcollective

Soul Motive – http://www.myspace.com/soulmotiverecords

Sub Continental Dub – http://www.myspace.com/subcontinentaldub

Surface Tension – http://www.myspace.com/surfacetensionrecordings

Trill Bass – http://www.myspace.com/trillbass

Untitled! – http://www.myspace.com/untitledantwerp

Urban Scrumping – http://www.myspace.com/urbanscrumping

I’ve got a few things to mention…

Firstly, you can download the promo mix of my forthcoming album “Metafiction” from the release page on the DFRNT site. Basically a taster of all the tracks from the album, in order – so you can start saving for the CD right away. (or not, depending on how you feel about it I suppose!)

Secondly, you can download my new April mix from the mixes page on the DFRNT site. There’s a tracklisting so you don’t get lost.

Thirdly, I’ve completed my remix of “Valley of the Shadows” by Origin Unknown, which you can download from the tracks page on the DFRNT site. If you’re not familiar with the original, I suggest you educate yourself here.

I feel guilty posting about myself, but heck… It’s my ruddy blog OK!?

Apparently it’s a “Mutantrumpet” and it’s only owner is Ben Neil – http://www.myspace.com/benneill – I urge you to fire on over to his page or website and take a listen to his tracks.

Think tripped-out jazz type dubstep with moments of blissful lounge, all while underwater, on acid.

You can check his MySpace out here , where both tracks reviewed are available to listen to.

Thesis – Shadowloops

A filtered synth intro, with accompanying ethnic percussion, and slowly approaching bass give us the intro to this spaced out roller. Throughout which the bass hypnotically comes and goes at the low end, while bongos take charge up top. There’s some simple echoing melodies at points, although it would seem the focus here is very much on the percussion, which sounds as if it has been carefully structured over the whole track.

Thesis – Hardstep

Contrary to it’s name, this isn’t what I’d call hard-step. It doesn’t rip through the low end like a buzz-saw, it doesn’t throw you off your seat with massive beats and breaks – but it does sooth, relax and very much flow throughout.

The track has some incredible filtered breaks which take the track from start to finish flawlessly. There are vocal samples and some well placed synths for interest, as well as a solid sub down the low end keeping things going. The focus here is again on the percussion, but more of the break, and drumloop then the bongos (which are indeed still apparent). The chanting/singing throughout gives this an almost eastern feel – but definately more progressive samba-step than hard-step. Perhaps an oversight on the name, but those who give this a chance will definately be pleased with the results.

No news on release information, but any news will likely surface on the MySpace.

Echodub is the name of the collective.

You can check the site out, and there’s a single release for now, with more coming soon.