Timo Maas
For many years, electronic music has been dominated by showmanship. Visual displays that translate well to Instagram but increasingly leave a dance floor cold. People are now looking for proper artistry, and Timo Maas is where they find it.
He has been at the forefront of the underground scene for 40-plus years as a DJ, and more than 30 years as a producer, but is more inspired than ever. A move from the North to the West of his native Germany has helped by immersing him in a fresh and thriving community, and in turn, his latest releases are forging strong connections with a young generation of ravers who crave the authenticity he brings. Few artists could close the generation gap in this way, but Maas’s refusal to repeat himself means what he is saying now is as vital as what he said when he first broke through.
These days his sounds might be different, but his motivations remain the same: music is his truth. His grooves are designed to make dancers escape in the same way he did when looking for a way out of a difficult, lonely childhood. Back then, music filled him with emotions he didn’t get anywhere else in life, and it still does today. That’s why producing and playing around the world has always been his best form of self-expression; a language that connects people no matter who they are.
In the booth, Maas has always been acutely aware of the power a DJ has to control a crowd.His storytelling adventures are always about substance and selection, about crafting, building, teasing and eventually pleasing. From hefty concrete funk to stripped-back and brain-altering techno via psychedelic synths stronger than any drug, he knows exactly what to play and when.
Maas’s obsession with sound and quest for the perfect beat is endless. He writes each and every day. Every new tune takes him somewhere fresh whether he’s making tripped-out techno, wild vocal cuts or twisted electronica. Importantly, it is always forward-looking and designed to connect with the here and now, not regurgitate the past. His approach is working, because the down-to-earth obsessive is working with the scene’s finest modern labels from Bedrock to Crosstown Rebels to Systematic Recordings, is in demand for remixes from contemporary stars like Vintage Culture and is busy collaborating with new school names like Costax, Francesco Mami and King Brain.
More than that, Maas is also now connected with the next generation of artists directly through1-on-1 mentoring sessions. They are not just for sharing technical production tips, but about using music as a vehicle to explore mental health and bring people out of themselves, all while Maas share a lifetime of invaluable experiences. Importantly, these inspiring exchanges are two-way: artists get an insight into one of the scene’s most accomplished creative minds, and Maas gets to thrive off their un dented passion and bright ideas, whether the end goal is a movie soundtrack, drum & bass banger or house classic.
If credentials are needed to back up these claims, here they come: Timo is a two-time GrammyAward-nominated artist. He was a resident at Ibiza’s legendary Circo Loco during 17 of their best years. He has headlined the most famous events in the world from Tomorrowland to Tresor, Creamfields to Coachella. He’s done iconic remixes and collaborations of Azzido DaBass, Placebo, Brian Molko, Depeche Mode, Paul McCartney and Madonna, and has synced music in Budweiser ads, cult computer games like FIFA and The Sims and Hollywood movies like The Italian Job.
Those are hard accolades to match, but they don’t matter to today’s dancers. What does is that Maas draws on those experiences to colour what he does now in ways that others cannot.