Mark E

Never have the words "hotly anticipated" been so apt. Ever since Ghostly International announced that they'd signed Mark E's debut album the hype has been steadily building. So is Stone Breaker any good? On the whole, yes. For starters, it's a very Mark E album. All the Wolverhampton producer's trademarks are present throughout - think loopy grooves, dark atmospheres, vaguely Balearic slow-house, sly disco samples and cute nods to long-forgotten Chicago house tracks. But there are also signs of development - see the ragging acid of "Belvide Beat" or the epic deep-jack of "Got To Get Me There" - and enough subtle changes of mood, tempo and melody to please all but the most cynical of critics.