Available on: Deep Medi 12″

Quest, to my ears, is one of the most underrated producers in dubstep, responsible for constant heads’ favourites in ‘Sea Front’, ‘Deep Inside’, ‘The Unknown’ and now his latest 12” on Mala’s Deep Medi Musik, the fantastic and long-awaited ‘Smooth Skin’.

Floating around since late ’09, the YouTube counter for ‘Smooth Skin’ boasts well over 10, 000 viewings, of which I probably contributed 200. Quest is part of West London’s Anti-Social Entertainment with Silkie, Heny G and more, and they’re making some of the most interesting, soulful music around – looking to Detroit techno before tear-out. ‘Smooth Skin’, which glides close to 100bpm, is the perfect avatar of their collective sound.

Opening with what sounds like a heartbeat, layers of percussion subtly build around beautifully arranged, goose bump-inducing chords, until a bassline hefty enough to test any system emerges on the third minute. Before you realise it, pounding drums are propelling the track, hazy synths fluttering around it, keeping your arms raised until its final seconds. The definition of soulful dubstep done well, and one of my favourite 12”s of the year. More please.

Zainab Jama