Stone Breaker

This is the debut album by prolific UK music producer Mark E. The album format doesn't lend itself to four-on-the-floor electronic dance music. There's no recreation of the seamless, intoxicating thrill one finds in a night out dancing, and less savvy folk might find the idea of listening to an hour's worth of repetitive, 7-minute+, machine music to be, frankly, boring. But they probably haven't listened to Mark E's Stone Breaker, which is riveting in its primal simplicity. From the opening, gut-punching kick drums of "Archway" through the ecstatic triplets of closer "The Day," Stone Breaker means business. It's a record of pace and determination, full of classic house touchstones and steady, almost militant tempos, a reminder that electronic dance music is supposed to be forceful, if not altogether mean. Percussion-wise, there's not much diversity here, but that's really the point: bombarding your inner cranium with hypnotic, earthquaking acid loops, their hi-hats and snares sounding more like weaponry than musical instruments. But, there's also plenty of warmth -- buoyant, spine-tickling jazz chords, floaty, staring-at-the sun disco dances and static-y, soul-drenched curveballs, all of which elevate Stone Breaker from a great set of DJ tracks to a great set of tracks for anyone, anywhere.