German superstar DJ Timo Maas recently proclaimed his intention to tour rock venues with a ‘proper’ show. Sadly, there’s scant evidence of any bold new direction tonight. Perhaps stung by the mixed response to his debut artist album ‘Loud’, Maas plays safe, turning in a two hour DJ set comprised chiefly of other people’s material.
It starts slowly. Housed in a customised perspex DJ booth, the stocky German spends a full half-hour warming us up with the likes of X-Press 2’s ‘Lazy’ and Razormaid’s ‘This Is Only A Test’. Things only really come to life when he finally drops a track of his own, the wickedly funky new single ‘Shifter’. Collaborating Garage MC Chickaboo emerges from the wings to add an awesome live vocal, and it goes down a storm.
Chickaboo oozes charisma, and it’s a shame she doesn’t stick around. After her cameo, though, Maas seems to go up a gear, first spinning fine versions of ‘Like Love’ and ‘Help Me’, then unleashing deranged trance remixes ofMichael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and Lupine Howl’s ‘Vaporizer’.
As floor-filling Superstar DJ, Timo Maas can’t help but impress. But as a rock star, he falls just short. Perhaps a pair of leather trousers would help.
Niall O’Keefe
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