TIMO MAAS
Timo Maas has been on a 30-year quest to deliver his musical wizardry to the world. In fact, music is such an intrinsic part of his DNA that it’s one of his main modes of communication.
From a residency at the groundbreaking Circoloco at DC10 in Ibiza, where he has been entrenched for over 15 years, to tours around Europe and the rest of the world, Timo Maas maintains a high level of performance. The visionary German also dedicates his time to conjuring up fresh new productions in his studio. His international recognition began with his seminal remix of ‘Dooms Night’ by Azzido Da Bass. Adopted by the UK’s garage scene, it launched him on to the world stage and he was soon being courted by a plethora of superstars from Madonna to Depeche Mode and Fatboy Slim to Muse. He has produced three albums, ‘Loud’ in 2001, ‘Pictures’ in 2005 and, most recently, ‘Lifer’ in 2013.There’s depth, emotion and subtlety in his creations, spliced with beats and basslines to make even the most lacklustre dance floor get a little crazy. Ultimately, he is an artist whose roots lie within the club environment. He is a DJ first and foremost, injecting his experience in the booth to his artistry in the studio and consistently demonstrating his ability to connect with any crowd he is in front of. From closing the main stage at Bencasim after Blur, numerous Glastonbury and Ants Ibiza performances, regular appearances at institutions such as Warung Beach Club, right through to his intense and intimate shows at smaller venues. Timo’s last album, ‘Lifer’, included collaborations with a diverse range of artists including Placebo’s Brian Molko, James Lavelle and Mikill Pane. Since that release, he has connected with James Teej of My Favorite Robot, working closely with the Canadian, which has led to a series of exciting projects. Most recently a remix for Black Butter Records and an incredible collaboration with Paul McCartney on Virgin, that saw the pair reinvigorate an old classic. The single, 'Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five', took the world of dance music by storm with its mysterious white label debut and support from pivotal Radio 1 names such as Pete Tong and Annie Mac; it scored Timo his second Grammy nomination, the first of which he received in 2004. On the solo front Timo has been busier than ever, with original productions and remixes for the underground right up to the pop world. Artists like Kidnap Kid and Loco Dice, through to Roisin Murphy & Morcheeba - all benefitting from his expert touch in recent times, not to mention the ‘Once Upon A Time’ EP released on Sasha's legendary Last Night On Earth label. In conjunction with his studio work, Timo maintains his own label, Rockets & Ponies, which has been releasing the best electronic music for almost a decade. Artists from Acid Mondays to Maetrik, from Addison Groove to Nightmares On Wax, from Alan Fitzpatrick to Ion Ludwig have been featured on the imprint and in particular, an EP comprising of Ricardo Villalobos' remixes of famous German jazz drummer Wolfgang Haffner. Recently Timo has released EP’s on Joris Voorn’s eminent Rejected label, returned to My Favourite Robot for another release and not only this but crafted a remix of the fabled Porcelain by Moby on his own Rockets & Ponies label. As time passes by, Timo Maas remains relevant, hungry and bursting with ideas. Never looking to the past, always in the here and now. From his formative years, in a small town called Bückeberg, up to today, Timo Maas has retained a love and passion for making and playing music that is indelibly etched into his psyche. It makes him the man he is today; driven, positive, infinitely creative and full of magic. |