After a handful of mix CDs, the duo released an album of original material last year, Loud, to surprisingly good reviews. Now, they return with a followup to 2000's Music for the Maases with another collection of factory-stamped remixes. Like its predecessor, the album title parodies synth-pop quartet Depeche Mode's mid-Eighties chestnut Music for the Masses. If that doesn't clue you to the fact that Maas doesn't take himself too seriously, the cover art might: It sports a rabid music fan, surrounded by Timo Maas posters and memorabilia and playing Atari video games, a symbol of the earthy fan base that supports one of the world's most in-demand DJs.
In general Maas tends to favor preserving the song's original structure rather than remixing it beyond recognition, finding a middle ground that preserves the track's foundation while injecting good dance floor elements like heavy beats, bass, and snarling guitars. For example, he doesn't completely rearrange Shirley Manson's vocals on Garbage's "Breaking Up the Girl" or Moby's "We Are All Made of Stars," yet the remixed versions still possess a momentum that those records once lacked. But Maas wouldn't be able to execute these ideas without partner Buttrich, since the latter's technical abilities as the engineer controlling the sound board enable him to help Maas make the right arrangements. This does not render Maas's creative contributions unworthy, just perhaps a little harder to pinpoint.
Watching Maas spin records at a club gives you the impression that his strength is in knowing how to properly mix and arrange a record's sounds and frequencies for maximum punch. It's all about sharp timing, something Maas displays in spades during his DJ sets and on Music for the Maases 2 with or without Buttrich's help. As energetic as this album is, though, it's not a totally fulfilling substitute for catching Maas at his singular, spontaneous best behind the decks.
