Timo Maas' Debut Album "Loud"

You know the facts. He's got the royal seal of approval from Madonna. He "swaps" remixes with Fatboy Slim. He sprinkled a little something onto Placebo's Special K. Oh, and he hangs out with young and fresh Kelis. But forget the hype for a moment and listen to the debut album. "It will completely kill you!" chuckles the enigmatic Mr. Maas.

Timo Maas unleashes his debut artist album LOUD on March 19. Eclectic just isn't the word for this multi-genre straddling of rock, house, garage, progressive, downbeat and leftfield influences. Lithely protean, its supple feel is highlighted by tracks as varied as the forthcoming funk-fuelled rawk-edged monster "To Get Down" (released Feb 5th) and stellar collaborations with artists as different as Kelis and Finley Quaye. "It's been a satisfying twelve months," muses the superstar DJ. "To see my debut album progressing over such a long period of time is fantastic. It's been the most important learning process so far in my career - to see it all coming together."

High points of the album, co-written and produced with studio partner Martin Buttrich, include last year's Top 40 single "Ubik", featuring a deliciously Teutonic vocal by Germany's answer to Beck, Martin Bettinghaus (also on vocal duties on "That's How I've Been Dancin"); the atmospheric "Help Me", in which R 'n' B star Kelis delivers a hauntingly understated performance over a Fifties' Sci-Fi movie score; forthcoming single "Shifter", a blast of eighties breakdancin' funk fronted by the agitated vocal of garage MC Chickaboo; and Finley Quaye's star turn on "Caravan", four minutes of confused chaos and lyrical ramblings from the stoned prince over a menacingly funky groove. Add to this the blissed out vibe of "Hash Driven" ("a true smoker's song" laughs Timo) and lucid poetry of Hope Recording head honcho Leon Alexander on "We are Nothing", and you can begin to see how these disparate elements somehow work together so nicely. Just don't call it eclectic. Please.

Recent history, fact fans: Whilst his recent remixes for Madonna ("Don't Tell Me"), Placebo ("Special K"), Kelis ("Young, Fresh & New") and Fatboy Slim ("Star 69") have brought Timo to the attention of a mainstream audience, it was his phenomenal re-working of Azzido Da Bass's Top 10 smash "Doom's Night" that originally captured music fans' imagination back in 1999. And let's not forget the success of the two hefty compilations: 2000's retrospective wet 'n' hard classic Music For The Maases crowned a truly staggering year for Timo and going on to win coveted "Album Of the Year" status in both Ministry and Mixmag, and last year's Connected.

Timo plans to hit the road for a six-week headlining tour of the US in May and June. Keep alert for more details.


LOUD Track Listing:
1. Help Me (Feat Kelis)
2. Manga
3. Hash Driven
4. Shifter (Feat MC Chickaboo)
5. Hard Life
6. That's How I've Been Dancin' (Feat Martin Bettinghaus)
7. We Are Nothing
8. Old School Vibes
9. OCB
10. To Get Down (Feat Phil Barnes)
11. Ubik (Feat. Martin Bettinghaus)
12. Like Love
13. Caravan (feat Finley Quaye)
14. Bad Days

"Timo is perhaps the only DJ in the last 15 years who has been so successful from a standing start. He is the fastest rising name in dance music." - Pete Tong/Mixmag
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