TIMO MAAS’ 20^th ANNIVERSARY @ UNION, REHAB. SEPTEMBER THE 20^th 2002

"Rehab has been open for nearly two months, receiving more than a couple of distinctly lukewarm reviews in it’s short life span. Union is about to enter into it’s fourth year (The 3^rd birthday gig is this Friday) as one of Leeds’ premier nights. Timo Maas has been spinning vinyl for 20 years and decided to celebrate the anniversary with a knees up at Union in Rehab!

So it was armed with questions that this reviewer gladly accepted the invitation to take the occasion in and jot down some thoughts for posterity. Questions like: does the air con work? Do the staff really wear Hospital Uniforms? Is there a kind hearted chap by the (unisex) toilets to ensure an A1 lavatory experience? Does Union still cut it after three years? How does it feel in it’s new home? How old is Timo Maas? Shouldn’t you be deaf after that many years djing?

Union has literally been ‘shocked’ into life at it’s new home with the defibrillator powered up to 30,000 volts, judging by the quality of DJ that has been charged with twisting the crowd’s aural melons! Luminaries with the standing of John Creamer, Mr C and Justin Robertson have provided the soundtrack for the self styled purveyors of "Funky-progressive-break-tech-trance". With Timo up this week Leeds365 thought it wise not to take any chances with the queues and got there for 9.30.

Once inside we were greeted at the cloakroom by two impeccably turned out cloakroom attendants dressed in (yes you’ve guessed it) Doctor and Nurse uniforms beaming 120 watt smiles at us. You then move up the pristine, white walled stairs into the club. These two things set the tone for what Rehab is all about. The apparent simplicity of the décor really works. Before coming into the club one of my worries was that the hospital theme would leave a too clinical (sorry) feel to provide an underground club vibe. I needn’t have wasted my time. There has obviously been a fantastic attention to detail which manifests itself in the simple fusion of the ultra chic (art deco style seats near the bar area), with ultra kitsch (How big is that Glitterball?) with the underground (loud) dance space. The air conditioning too worked like a dream. After the well-documented teething trouble the club has had with this particular feature it was great to note that throughout the evening (spent largely on the dance floor) the cool breeze kept us all comfortable. In short the club rocked, one question did occur to me though. Why the nautically themed toilets? Don’t get me wrong, I had no problems with the toilets well maintained by the (yes it’s true) amicable hospital porter, I just didn’t get the mock pressure doors!

And what of Union itself? Before moving to Rehab the atmosphere in Space had started to decline in my opinion. The club, whilst still being busy, did not have the old Union feel. On occasions this year the club has lost a lot of people by 3 am. Some of this can be put at the door of the seeming decline of the Prog house scene. After nearly three years in Space perhaps it was the right time for Rehab, that is where it ended up anyway! At first the night wasn’t very busy at all, Leeds365 was beginning to wonder if we should have paid more attention to the ‘prophets of doom’ and ‘House is dead’ articles that were surfacing during the summer! The place woke up around 10.30 (which was just as well seeing as Timo had taken to the ones and twos by 11) it became evident that the place was not going to lack ambience tonight.

The crazy German one effortlessly got the crowd moving with a fairly house / tech house opening to his set, including the outstanding ‘Freak’ by Wink as well as his own collaboration with Kellis ‘Help Me’. The Union crowd hold Timo in high esteem, earned through the consistent quality of his music overall and particularly his appearances in front of them over the last three years. Indeed Timo probably owes some debt to Union, being one of the early UK clubs to book him. As a result of this there seemed to be a kind of mutual respect thing going on, bringing out the best in both parties. The set (lasting a marathon five and a bit hours – who said staying power declined with age?!) was a largely bass driven industrial sounding take on the prog/tech sound you expect from him. Of course this was a celebration. Segued into the expected, ‘Smoke Machine’ made a welcome appearance, Dirty Vegas’ ‘Days Go By’ really moved the crowd, came the less than expected, ‘Shiny Disco Balls’ crept out of the speakers (how big is that Glitterball?), and back to the expected, ‘Shape Shifter’ and FC Kahuna’s ‘Glitterball’. The length of the time he played allowed Timo to move across the genres freely to ensure that this became a set to remember. There was a small dollop of trance played such as Mr Oakenfolds ‘Southern Sun’, a couple of break-beat numbers jumped out of the box and onto the turntables! For me this is the reason Timo has continued to be such a large draw, he can adapt and mould his sound well, and he obviously has a sense of humour (Donna Summer’s ‘I feel Love’ was unleashed on a receptive clientele). As well as this the man seems to have a bit of a sense of history, ‘24 Hour Party People’ was given an airing after the crowd begged for more at 4.15am.

The man also clearly enjoys what he is doing, hardly stopping from jumping up and down all night behind the booth. As for his age, apparently he is only 33! Which means that he started djing at 13 (I’m going to have to sack the researchers)! However old he is there seems to be another 20 years in the old dog!

Away from the main room, Rehab offers you the chance of a 2^nd room without leaving the main one! Honestly, the upstairs plays host to the funky alternative that has always been part of it at Space. A big thumbs up to the clubs designers here. There must have been a real danger of a sound clash, because of the openness of the building. That you only hear the funky beat of Phil Hooton’s records on the upstairs balcony (is this the hardest working dj in Leeds – answers on a post card please!) is a triumph for acoustic awareness.

The night and nightclub live up to the expectations anyone could have of them. Obviously it was a special night for Timo and Union, but Leeds365 has seen enough new impetus which will take the club onto new ground at Rehab. My advice to you is simple and cheesy, but you will continue to hear it if the promoters keep putting nights like this on…If your soul needs some cleansing, fuck the Priory… check into Rehab!

And if you don’t like it there are some miracle cures on the stairs out to treat all manner of maladies! See, it’s that attention to detail I was talking about……" - Ed S (Leeds)