Maas' first exposure to music came via listening to the radio when he was young. He bought his first record when he was nine and his first pair of turntables when he was 17. His earlier gigs were around Germany playing mostly Top 40 records at bars, sneaking in the occasional techno record. In 1982 he played his first real official set in the basement of a friend's house at a party and was booked a lengthy six years later for his first official all-techno gig. He was introduced to the rave scene in 1992, in its early German days, through a booking at an Easter rave. Following were a long string of big rave events and local exposure. The production bug first bit Maas in the early '80s, but his first record, "The Final XS," was not released until 1995. Called cheesy by Maas himself, the record did not do very well in most markets. Shortly after, he teamed with producer Gary D on the more successful "Die Herdplatte" record. Gary D also landed Maas a residency at one of Hamburg's better-known clubs, Tunnel, from 1994 to 1996.

Connections in England later brought Maas to the Bristol-based progressive house club Lakota and the label Hope Recordings. During 1996-97, he released singles through labels including Hope, Lakota, Phuture Wax, and UK44, as well as an album under his Orinoko moniker. He also recorded with manager and mate Leon Alexander under Mad Dogs and Englishmen. In 2000, Timo Maas took a residency at the New York City mega-club Twilo with colleagues Deep Dish. Following the massive success of his Azzido Da Bass remix "Dooms Night" and his own track "Ubik," Maas released 2000's Music for the Maases, a mix album largely composed of his own productions and remixes. After one more mix album, Connected, his production debut Loud appeared in early 2002.