- Say what you want about Timo Maas: The man has an eye for talent. Sure, that means he often puts his name on the work of (presumably) other people's work, but as long as they're getting paid—and noticed by the people who care about such things—what's the harm? Besides, one listen to Maas' recent "Subtellite" for Cocoon or this monster for the humorously titled Rockets & Ponies imprint, and you're likely to be shouting for joy—not for the Discogs info.
For those who do care about such things, Italian producer Sante Pucello, AKA Santos, is behind the current Maas renaissance, collaborating with the producer to build massive tracks in both length and format. "Chinese Massage" trumps the 12-and-a-half minute "Subtellite" by more than four minutes and earns every second of its runtime, starting off like an Ennio Morricone soundtrack—all yawning strings and moody toms—before quickly launching into a slow-motion shimmery techno build that lasts for just about the entire length of the track.
Like Selway and Smith's equally-as-massive "Total Departure," it's the type of tune that seems to hardly need a DJ to do much more than sit behind the decks and pretend to turn a knob or two while it plays. But, then again, that's why Maas is paying Santos the big bucks. Here, he's earned every one of them.
Tracklist A Chinese Massage