Offshore Funk (Heiko Laux Presents)

It seems like Heiko Laux can simply not relax and take a break. Inevitably one can not walk into a record store without bumping into one of his productions lodged firmly against the new-release walls. Hot off the heels of his well-received Data 80 project and numerous other EPs, Offshore Funk sees Laux returning to his minimal techno roots with a brilliant melodic blend that could easily be mistaken for classic Detroit techno. This case couldn't be more evident than in the dub-laden "Still Lively," which fuses the classic stabs of early Chain Reaction records with an unmistakable Carl Craig/Psyche breakbeat. Track by track, it's practically a homage to any of the early great Detroit techno producers and their funked-up sound, which was visionary at the time of its inception. However, that's not to say Laux is just emulating the days of old. On the contrary, Laux uses these ideas as building blocks and adds new ideas and sounds to make things sound amazingly fresh and inventive, proving yet again that one of the most prolific producers in electronic music can retain stunningly high levels of quality while releasing such staggering quantities.