Timo Maas

Describing his style as "percussive wet funk," Timo Maas has come a long way from his early days spinning chart hits and simple trance at friends' parties in Germany. An early hit with "Mama Konda" (1997) under his Orinoko moniker caught the attention of some big names in the dance world and he soon picked up several high profile residencies, including a regular slot at New York's Twilo. By this time he had moved on to a big beat progressive house sound, with remixes by Azzido Da Bass' "Dooms Night" and Lustral's epic "Everytime" cementing his reputation. His debut solo work (actually recorded with long-time production partner Martin Buttrich) Loud (2002) took both fans and critics by surprise. Instead of a predictably banging techno-electro-house energy fest, he produced something altogether more thoughtful. Tracks like "Help Me" almost had a pop feel to them, the break beat monster, "Shifter" would remain a club classic for years to come while "To Get Down" and "Ubik" called to mind Blancmange and Heaven 17 in the best ways possible. Pictures (2005) confounded fans once again and proved to be an altogether more mellow affair, leaning closer to the rock world than house, perhaps reflecting a more calm private life resulting from marriage and parenthood.