Tom Van Zeytveld AKA Phuture-T is well known to followers of hard-edged dubwise jungle from his many stellar releases on labels including Alphacut, 45Seven, and Eastern Promise Audio. In a landscape of similar-sounding steppers, Zeytvelt reveals his Emperor T alias on his first outing for ZamZam, bringing a welcome experimental sensibility to the worldwide steppers arena, while keeping sound system priorities and dancefloor imperatives firmly in view.

“Macka Step Dub” is a pounding 128 bpm killer that opens with congas, skanks, and a minimal guitar lick, but quickly ramps up the energy with a pounding kick, sick sine wave bass, clattering percussion and sirens, building the tension to a massive breakdown. When the smoke clears, magisterial horns and insistent skanks lead the way as the riddim rebuilds, the tape echo spools out, and the dance forwards on.

“Mek It Run Dub” is cut from the same sonic cloth but faster, and tweaking the template with a more organic bass sound, flanged skanks, and stark shocks from the spring reverb. With militant horns echoing from deep down the Well over a pummeling kick and bass attack, this one is a serious threat to a soundboy. Both tunes were mixed and dubbed out at Phuture-Studios in Amsterdam, mastered and cut by the one Lewis at Star Delta Mastering in Devon.