Loud
Timo Maas's remix of Azzido Da Bass'sDoom's Nightbrought him fame and 2000'sMusic for the Maasesbrought him acclaim, butLoudestablishes the Dusseldorf DJ as the Teutonic master of the dance floor. Matching the ferociousness and accessibility ofThrillerwith the warped sonics ofDig Your Own Hole, Maas creates a doom-laced, freak-beat ultraworld. While 4/4 is still the message, Maas matches surreal sounds with alienated dialogues, sultry vocals, and a song-oriented approach, givingLoudits irresistible, codeine-like buzz. "Help Me" begins with the sound of grinding gears followed by campy effects and Kelis's breathy vocal. Bits of downtempo and electro in the form of "Hash Driven" and "Shifter" ratchet up a sense of gleeful foreboding; "That's How I've Been Dancing" recalls KC and the Sunshine Band entertaining a Nuremberg rally. "We Are Nothing" could be aTrainspottingouttake, smarmy dialogue adorning a bubbling dance track.Loudcloses with "Bad Days," a gentle way to end a weirdly wonderful album.--Ken Micallef