As opposed to the new wave of sweet, romantic techno fostered by a whole host of DJs from Germany, Timo Maas, who hails from Hannover, plays a breakbeat-and-lounge version of acid jazz. Loud is his third album, 14 tracks — not continuously mixed — of his simple, droll style. In his songs you hear a single line of melody, one beat, and one supporting sound effect at a time. And as opposed to British acid, his songs do not lose themselves in sonic distortion; you won’t hear the toneless screech or the vocal buzzsaw that makes acid a bitter pill. He sounds softer and more porous than that, without delving into the dark lush funk characteristic of house music (except in the pointedly titled "Old School Vibes"). Even when, as in "Hard Life," he writes a dark rhythm track, its cool tempo falls far short of the 126 bpm rush favored by house.

Jams like "Manga" and "Hash Driven" have the clarity and perseverance of big-band swing music and also swing’s cool vibe; less attractive is the loungy quality of his vocal tracks, of which "Help Me," featuring Kelis, "That’s How I’ve Been Dancin’," featuring Martin Bettinghaus, and "Shifter," rapped by MC Chickaboo, are typical. The singers try so hard to sound droll, or superficially hip, that they miss the musical action going on behind them. And yes, the rhythm action in a Maas song almost always goes on behind the singer rather than beneath him.